If you are an American citizen or green card holder living abroad who has unreported assets and income, time is running out to take advantage of a critical Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) tax compliance program. Written exclusively for Expat Network by Kevin Sweeney, Senior Counsel, Chamberlain Hrdlicka Here’s why. Effective September 28, 2018, the...

Expats generally have the right to transfer their pension abroad into a qualifying scheme. For some, the benefits of doing so are manifold. However, there are risks, and it’s fair to say that you need to tread very carefully when considering all your options, as a significant tax charge can apply in certain circumstances. Written...

On 12 August the Skilling Australia Fund levy commenced. The SAF levy is a levy payable by employers nominating overseas skilled workers for Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482), Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (subclass 186) and Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (subclass 187). The SAF levy replaces the Training Benchmarks, which required visa sponsors to show that they had...

According to an analysis conducted by financial advisory consultancy, Hoxton Capital Management, the average pension pot of over-65 Britons living abroad has reached £210,000. In volatile years, they report, currency market fluctuations removed as much as 20% from British pensioners’ spending power. Based on the amount of British citizens aged 65 and over living in...

Greenback Expat Tax Services’ 2018 US Expat Opinion Survey,based on input from over 3,800 expats, highlights the unpopularity of the requirement for US expats to file US taxes while living abroad as well as concerns about their representation in the politics back at home. Greenback report that 67% of US expats do not believe there...

HM Land Registry advise how to protect against property fraud in England and Wales when you live abroad. Property is usually the most valuable asset people own. It can be sold and mortgaged to raise money and can therefore be an attractive target for fraudsters. If you live abroad your property might be more at...

For those in a position to invest or set up a business in Australia there are a number of routes to gaining permanent residence and/or citizenship in Australia. The most common route is via a temporary 188 visa which allows you to become a permanent resident after four yeas or there is the direct route...

There are many financial issues that face those who are looking to move to Portugal. Many of these issues can be dealt with easily, provided you take advice from an expert in both Portuguese tax and tax law in your home country. Something that can save you tax in at home can have the opposite...

What are today’s options for expats with UK pensions moving to Portugal? When it comes to pensions, your long-term financial security is at stake, so you should take extreme care to do what is right for you and your family. Expats also need to consider the tax rules and implications in Portugal or your country...

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...

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...

It is very useful to have access to a local account on arrival and Australian banks encourage you to open an account before you move to Australia.  You can open an account online up to a year before you arrive in Australia.  You can deposit funds in the account once opened but will only be...