France has a reputation as a high tax jurisdiction and while President Hollande was in power, some wealthy French nationals chose to move to the UK and Portugal, enticed by their fiscal sweeteners. But France can be a tax efficient place to live for retirees, providing you understand the tax implications of your specific situation...

Brexit day is set for 29th March 2019 and so with a year to go, what do we know about Brexit?  The focus currently is on transition, which is important, but the post transition arrangements will be what counts in the long term. The joint statement on 19th March agreed that the transitional period will...

How do I learn a foreign language? It is easy to start, but it is worth learning from those who have done it before to find out what works. We set out our top 10 tips for learning a foreign language. Know why you are learning the language. Make sure that before you start you...

Australia has many highlights and deciding where to go depends on your interests and preferences.  Here is a summary of the top cities. SYDNEY, New South Wales Climate Sydney enjoys a sunny climate with mild winters (9 – 17°C) and warm summers (19 – 26°C).  Water temperatures rise to around 23°C in the summer and...

Australia has consistently been the top destination of choice for British long-term migrants (i.e. people leaving the UK for longer than one year) for more than two decades, with an average of more than 30,000 heading down under every year. World Bank figures say there were over 1.2 million UK-born citizens resident in Australia as...

When moving to Australia there are several options for where to live and in what type of accommodation.  It is often necessary to find temporary accommodation while you decide where you want to live long-term. While you find the solution there are a number of options: Traditional hotels– This can be an option if only needed...

Australia has excellent state and independent schools to choose from. School education in Australia includes preschool, preparatory (or kindergarten), primary school, secondary school (or high school) and senior secondary school (or college).  School education in Australia lasts for 13 years, and is compulsory between the ages of six and sixteen (Year 1 to Year 9...

If you decide to take your pet with you to Australia you will need to comply with the detailed regulations and procedures and some pets cannot be taken to Australia. Cats and dogs can be imported to Australia under strict conditions designed to manage biosecurity risks. For the import conditions applicable to your cat or...

Taking vehicles to Australia is possible but you should be clear on what is involved and whether it is worthwhile. If you plan to take your vehicle to Australia you will need to be realistic about what is involved and the costs of doing so.  The vehicle will need to comply with Australian design and...

The US IRS has announced that the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) will close in September 2018.  The OVDP was set up to allow US expats with potentially serious offshore compliance issues to avoid criminal prosecution and cap any exposure to penalties.  The IRS indicated that the reason was the ‘significant decline in the number...

Here we look at where you should live in Australia, looking at the highlights of life in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.   Queensland Queensland has extensive coastlines with access to the Great Barrier Reef as well as the outback and rainforests.  The Queensland website has a wealth of...

We are returning to the UK after 20 years in Dubai.  My husband has taken redundancy and we were hoping that his salary plus end of service benefit was going to be received and transferred to the UK before our return, unfortunately due to the slow cancellation of Visas etc this is looking less likely. ...