Archive for the ‘USA’ Category

Australia has been taken over by the US as the destination of choice for British and Irish travellers, reports the Telegraph.

According to a survey of 17, 500 respondents by guidebook publisher Lonely Planet, the US was rated tops, followed by Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Thailand.
The UK tourists interviewed in the survey also said that America is the country they would be most likely to visit.

Australia had previously been the most popular destination for four years in a row.
For the first time the UK has appeared in the top ten choices as more and more Brits opt for the cheaper local holiday options.

The fact that the US was selected comes as a surprise to many who often criticise them for their bureaucratic immigration system. However the weakening pound have made America attractive in terms of the favourable exchange rate compared to the strong euro. 

Almost 20 years safter being released from prison and about 14 years since the advent of democracy in South Africa, Nelson Mandela is finally able to loose the tag, ‘terrorist’.

The US Congress has finally passed a bill to remove the name of Nelson Mandela from the list of terrorists.

Since the 1980s a stigma has remained that relates to the African National Congress (ANC), the current South African ruling party and the party which Mandela led. When applying for a US visa those with ANC membership have, until now, had to endure additional investigation.

The US has strict immigration laws that attempt to curb terrorist or potential suspicious entry into the country. However “old legislation such as this that is outdated and not needed should be removed,” says Colin Romberger of www.globalvisas.com, this new bill has therefore been welcomed.

“Congress finally stands ready to rid US immigration law of this anachronistic blight,” said Howard L. Berman, the bill’s author.

This legislation, decided upon on Thursday, now needs to be signed off by President George W Bush. (TB)

Results from an international study published today have shown that American workers are a lot less likely to work abroad compared to their international counterparts.

The report conducted by U.S staffing agency, Kelly Services Inc, showed that only 37% of Americans were prepared to even consider working in another country, although two thirds of the people questioned did say that they would be willing to possibly relocate to another city for the sake of a job offer.

This low figure was measured in comparison with a pleasing 59% of global respondents saying that they would change countries in order to experience greater working opportunities.

In the current climate of global mobility and with many nations desperately seeking ways of attracting overseas skilled workers these figures are not viewed as encouraging for such countries experiencing skills shortages in many of their working sectors.

With America also ranking as one of the lowest for mobility out of 33 countries, it’s intriguing to look at what factors are keeping citizens firmly rooted. It could be argued that although the lack of mobility from the U.S is a negative implementation for many global companies, instead the results act as positive proof of America successfully holding onto their home grown talent.

When further questioned respondents blamed family concerns, language barriers, schooling and property ownership as the major influencing factors stopping them moving.

However one must think that these issues are surely ones which would influence any potential migrant around the world. So the question remains unanswered, why are so many Americans reluctant to relocate? Is it because of the opportunities available to them in the states are already sufficient or are they simply a nation which on the whole is less open to the expanding world of global mobility.