Saturday 30 June 2007

Philippines: Thanks, but no thanks

IT is good of the President to direct Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri to find ways to help millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) cope with the increasingly painful impact of the strengthening peso on their families’ pocketbooks.
Finally, officials have seen the irony of the OFWs’ situation: as recently pointed out in a front-page story in this paper, the more dollars they remit home, the bigger the gap that has to be filled in their families’ usual budget—given that with the peso appreciating in the flood of dollars, their dollar earnings here fetch an increasingly lower peso equivalent.
A couple of OFW dependents interviewed for that Associated Press story said that in a matter of a few months, the difference in the peso equivalent of the dollars sent home by their OFW loved ones had reached P3,000 to P5,000. To make up for that decline, some OFWs have thus had to remit more, thus perpetuating the cycle. [Read more]

Tuesday 26 June 2007

INDIA: NSSO survey to cover remittances

Express News Service
Pune, June 25: Acknowledging the funds sent back home by intra-national and international migrants as important to the economy, the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) is for the first time collecting data on the amount of remittances received and its use by households in this year’s socio-economic survey.
“While migration with respect to employment was last studied in the 55th round (July ‘99-June 2000), it was primarily on the causes and the characteristics of migration,” said KB Surwade, director of the field operations division, NSSO, Maharashtra-South. The division is conducting a training session before the start of the survey for its field officers from Pune region attached with the Centre and State from June 25 to 28 at the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA), Tilak Road. [Read more]

Monday 25 June 2007

Microsoft sets up OFW training centers in Italy

By Lawrence CasirayaINQUIRER.netLast updated 05:21pm (Mla time) 06/24/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Microsoft Corp. is looking to enable overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Italy to gain basic computer skills and communicate with families back home in the Philippines with the aid of technology.
Under a project called Tulay (a Filipino word for "bridge"), Microsoft said it will add OFW training centers in the cities of Rome and Milan.
Started in 2004, Microsoft has set up training centers in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, countries that have a sizable population of OFWs. The company is working with the government on this initiative through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
[Read more]

Migration impact on poor countries’ health care ‘limited’

Agence France-PresseLast updated 06:56pm (Mla time) 06/25/2007
PARIS -- The migration of doctors and nurses from the developing to the developed world has only a limited impact on the crisis in health care in poor countries, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in a report Monday.
The organizations noted that increased immigration of medical personnel to the 30 industrialized economies in the OECD had sparked fears of a "brain drain" that is depriving poor countries of critically needed health professionals.
But the OECD, in its 2007 International Migration Outlook, said its research showed that the "global health workforce crisis goes far beyond the migration issue." [Read more]

Sunday 24 June 2007

RP wants to end dependence on migrant workers

SINGAPORE - The Philippines is hoping to reduce its dependence on remittances from overseas workers by boosting local employment opportunities, President Gloria Arroyo said Sunday.About eight million Filipinos, close to 10 percent of the Southeast Asian nation's population, now live and work in more than 100 countries.But Arroyo expressed hope that Filipinos would no longer have to seek work overseas in large numbers if conditions improve at home."We're very proud of our overseas Filipinos," Mrs. Arroyo said at the two-day World Economic Forum on East Asia ahead of a state visit to Singapore, which hosts tens of thousands of Filipino workers and professionals.Mrs. Arroyo said she had inherited "a history of economic lethargy" before a burst of growth under her watch.
[Read more]

Saturday 23 June 2007

Caribbean Policymakers link Remittances and Development

Basseterre, St. Kitts -- June 22, 2007 ---

Caribbean policymakers and international experts on migration and remittances will meet at a workshop at the ECCB Headquarters in St Kitts on 25-26 June 2007, to brainstorm and propose solutions to issues relating to the flow of remittances in the region.

The workshop which is being jointly hosted by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat will seek to build the capacity of the policymakers both in policy formulation and the recording of remittance flows and migration. This will include designing and carrying out surveys and developing the institutional framework for identifying remittance flows. [Read more]

Thursday 21 June 2007

The impact of remittances on poverty and human capital:evidence from Latin American household surveys

The impact of remittances on poverty and human capital : evidence from Latin American household surveys
Source: World Bank Policy Research Working Papers
This paper explores the impact of remittances on poverty, education, and health in 11 Latin American countries using nationally representative household surveys and making an explicit attempt to account for one of the inherent costs associated with migration-the potential income that the migrant may have made at home. The main findings of the study are the following: (1) regardless of the counterfactual used remittances appear to lower poverty levels in most recipient countries; (2) yet despite this general tendency, the estimated impacts tend to be modest; and (3) there is significant country heterogeneity in the poverty reduction impact of remittances’ flows. Among the aspects that have been identified in the paper that may lead to varying outcomes across countries are the percentage of households reporting remittances income, the share of remittances of recipient households belonging to the lowest quintiles of the income distribution, and the relative importance of remittances flows with respect to GDP. While remittances tend to have positive effects on education and health, this impact is often restricted to specific groups of the population.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 380 KB)


Source:

The impact of remittances on poverty and human capital:evidence from Latin American household surveys

The impact of remittances on poverty and human capital : evidence from Latin American household surveys

Source: World Bank Policy Research Working Papers
This paper explores the impact of remittances on poverty, education, and health in 11 Latin American countries using nationally representative household surveys and making an explicit attempt to account for one of the inherent costs associated with migration-the potential income that the migrant may have made at home. The main findings of the study are the following: (1) regardless of the counterfactual used remittances appear to lower poverty levels in most recipient countries; (2) yet despite this general tendency, the estimated impacts tend to be modest; and (3) there is significant country heterogeneity in the poverty reduction impact of remittances’ flows. Among the aspects that have been identified in the paper that may lead to varying outcomes across countries are the percentage of households reporting remittances income, the share of remittances of recipient households belonging to the lowest quintiles of the income distribution, and the relative importance of remittances flows with respect to GDP. While remittances tend to have positive effects on education and health, this impact is often restricted to specific groups of the population.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 380 KB)




Source:

A positive view of immigrant works

By Bernardo M. Villegas

FILIPINO overseas workers confer untold benefits to the Philippine economy, earning more than US billion annually, stimulating expenditures (especially on housing) and relieving the unemployment problem. The social costs are also well known: Divided families and neglected children, a disincentive to work for the relatives left behind, and unproductive uses of the remittances. There are serious efforts of both the government and civil society to mitigate the social costs. The various Churches have initiatives to take care of the immigrants while they are abroad. I have seen laudable programs of Catholic priests and lay people attending to the needs of Filipino workers in Barcelona. [Read more]

PACIFIC ISLANDS: WEAK U.S. DOLLAR TAKES TOLL ON CNMI REMITTANCES

AIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, June 13) – The weakening of the U.S. dollar versus the Philippine peso and the decline in the number of garment workers in the Mariana Islands are combining to depress the total amount of remittances that alien workers are sending to their home countries.
[PIR editor’s note: According to files at the CNMI Department of Commerce web site, between 1999 and 2002, there were about 13,000 work permits issued yearly to Filipino workers on Saipan. Documented remittances for the island between 1999 and 2003 averaged US$80 million a year.]
For overseas Filipinos, including thousands in the Commonwealth, a stronger peso is not good news. The exchange rate currently places the dollar at 46 pesos-a steep drop from some two years ago when it was trading at 55 pesos. This has forced some to increase their remittances to maintain the previous amounts they've been giving their families. [Read more]

AFRICA: Making Remittances work for Africa

Sanjeev Gupta, Catherine Pattillo, and Smita Wagh
If handled well, migrant transfers can reduce poverty and connect small savers to the formal financial sector

Remittances flowing into developing countries are attracting increasing attention because of their rising volume and their impact on recipient countries. In 2005, they totaled $188 billion—twice the amount of official assistance developing countries received. Moreover, there is evidence that such flows are underreported. Indeed, remittances through informal channels could add at least 50 percent to global recorded flows. Most of the reported flows go to regions other than sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but SSA has still been part of the overall rising global trend. Between 2000 and 2005, remittances to the region increased by more than 55 percent, to nearly $7 billion, whereas they increased for developing countries as a group by 81 percent. [Read more]

Monday 11 June 2007

IOM/UNITAR Seminar: Diaspora as Development Actors

Migration and Development Series 2007 Diasporas as Development Actors Tuesday, 4 September - Wednesday, 5 September, 2007, Conference Room TBA, UNHQ

This two-day seminar will gather diaspora organizations and government representatives from around the world to explore and discuss forms of engagement geared towards two issues: i) promoting home country development, and ii) addressing challenges of co-existence and integration in host communities. The seminar will be dedicated to discussing models of cooperation related to the multiple contributions that diasporas make to development in their countries of origin. In this regard, it will look at how diaspora organizations can support government policies and programmes and foster private sector development through, for example, foreign direct investment. It will also focus on the enabling frameworks that countries of origin and residence need to provide in order to facilitate diaspora engagement as “development actors”.During the two days, thematic and regional working group sessions will be held, allowing for the presentation of existing best practices, an exchange of views and experiences, and a discussion of innovative approaches with all stakeholders involved.
A draft agenda will be posted shortly.

For further information on this Workshop Series, please contact Sarah Rosengaertner of UNITAR at rosengaertner@un.org, (212) 963-9196 or Amy Muedin of IOM at amuedin@iom.int, (212) 681-7000 ext. 209.
[Source]

Sunday 10 June 2007

NEW ZEALAND: Money does talking for migrants

By MARTIN KAY - The Dominion Post Thursday, 7 June 2007
Email a Friend Printable View Have Your Say

ROBERT KITCHIN /Dominion Post
SHOW ME THE MONEY: Migrants to New Zealand face tougher residency requirements under changes unveiled by Immigration Minister David Cunliffe.


The richest migrants to New Zealand will no longer have to speak any English - but their money will have to do the talking to the tune of at least $20 million. They also face tougher residency requirements under changes unveiled by Immigration Minister David Cunliffe in an admission that reforms introduced just two years ago were a dismal failure.

Mr Cunliffe said those changes - which required investor migrants to deposit $2 million with the Government for five years with a return at the rate of inflation - had attracted just 18 applicants in the year to date. [Read more]

Even in death, migrants were let down by Europe

By Peter Popham in Rome
Published: 04 June 2007
The bodies of 21 would-be migrants picked up from the Mediterranean by a French frigate 120 miles south of Malta were left to rot on board the ship while Maltese, French and Libyan authorities argued for hours over where the bodies would be taken for burial.

The corpses, initially suspected to have come from a boat crammed with Eritreans that was photographed by a Maltese surveillance plane 10 days ago before disappearing without trace, were already in an advanced state of decomposition when La Motte Picquet plucked them from the sea in the Gulf of Sirte. "They had clearly been in the sea for several days," said Emmanuel Dinh, a spokesman for the French Maritime Authority.
[Read more]

6 Migrants Die in Mexico Truck Collapse

Tons of bananas collapsed the false floor of a tractor-trailer smuggling migrants in southern Mexico, killing six people hidden inside a secret compartment and wounding a dozen others, officials said Monday.

About 200 Central American immigrants were hidden inside the compartment when it collapsed under the weight of the fruit Sunday in near Juchitan in Oaxaca state after a 10-hour trip that started at the Guatemalan border, Salvadoran Consul Nelson Cuellar said.The victims included two Salvadorans and one Guatemalan. The rest have yet to be identified. About a dozen others - including Salvadorans, two Guatemalans and a Nicaraguan - were hospitalized with injuries. [Read more]

UK: Migrant staff not here for life, warns expert

Hospitality operators face a worsening skills crisis as eastern European workers start returning home, a recruitment expert has warned.
Many Poles, Czechs and Slovaks see a stint working in the UK as a three-year project and will soon be leaving the country, according to Niall Keyes, managing director of Grafton Recruitment.

He warned that the hospitality sector must no longer rely on eastern European migrants to fill positions, as levels will soon start falling.
The Government estimates that 120,000 eastern Europeans have entered the UK to work in hospitality since EU expansion in 2004, with more than a quarter (27%) working in London. [Read more]

Land Bank remittance business expanding

By Michelle RemoInquirerLast updated 11:51pm (Mla time) 06/10/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES, which is beefing up its money transfer business, said it had serviced the transfer of $163 million worth of foreign exchange remittances to the country as of end-April.

Gilda Pico, Landbank president, said the amount kept the bank on its way to surpassing its full-year goal of $480 million in remittances. She said the amount was expected to reach $500 million.

“In the next two quarters, we may have more remittances with the opening of another remittance center, this time in San Francisco (California, United States),” Pico said after the launching of an OFW cash card, a joint project of Landbank and Smart Communications.

The cash card allows recipients of remittances to withdraw their money from automatic teller machines.
Landbank has remittance centers in Taiwan, Singapore, Italy and Japan, Pico said. [Source]

Saturday 9 June 2007

Uganda: Capital Inflows Strengthening Shilling

East African Business Week (Kampala)
4 June 2007Posted to the web 4 June 2007
Edris KisambiraKampala

While the dividends of peace in southern Sudan cannot be discounted as a factor in an appreciating Uganda shilling against the US dollar, the Bank of Uganda (BoU) has pointed to increases in capital inflows as the main factor pushing it.

Increasing capital inflows take the form of foreign remittances from Ugandans abroad as well as NGO money, foreign direct investment (FDI) in infrastructure projects as well as the money markets.

Other key factors include a weakening dollar against many other currencies worldwide and the general improvement in Uganda's terms of trade with her trading partners. [Read more]

1990 UN Convention on Migrants' Rights: The case for ratification by Bangladesh

1990 UN Convention on Migrants' RightsThe case for ratification by Bangladesh
Tasneem Siddiqui

We, as a nation, are delighted that in fiscal year 2006-2007 the country's foreign exchange earning from our migrant workers remittances will exceed $6 billion. We are also very privileged that our migrants send 33 percent per capita more remittance than those of India, which is the second largest remittance receiving country in the world.

The Global Economic Perspective Report of 2006 by the World Bank found that remittance flow has helped Bangladesh to cut poverty by 6 percent. Eminent economist Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud stressed that, since the 1980s, it has been the migrants' remittances that have sustained the economy of Bangladesh.

BGMEA and official statistical documents, however, lead us to believe that apparel manufacturing is the highest foreign exchange earning sector in Bangladesh. The fact remains that, once we deduct the cost of raw material import, remittance is the single largest source of foreign exchange income for the Bangladeshi economy. [Read more]

Remittances from Latin American workers in Spain at €5 billion by 2010

The Associated Press
Published: June 6, 2007

MADRID, Spain: Remittances that Latin American workers in Spain send back home are expected to rise to €5 billion (US$6.76 billion) by 2010 from €3.7 billion (US$5 billion) last year, a survey by the Interamerican Development Bank showed Wednesday.
Latin American immigration to Spain has almost tripled in the past five years. The 1.8 million Latin Americans working in Spain now represent 7 percent of the country's total workforce, the IDB said.
The IDB survey, conducted by the Florida-based Bendixen & Associates consultancy, found that Latin American workers have wider and cheaper access to financial and remittance services in Spain than in the United States. [Read more]

India May Need New Strategies to Harness this Success

For Immediate ReleaseJune 8, 2007Contact: Colleen Coffey202-266-1910ccoffey@migrationpolicy.org

As the World's Top Recipient of Migrant Remittances,India May Need New Strategies to Harness this Success
WASHINGTON -- India receives close to 10 percent of global remittances, yet the potential of these remittances remains largely untapped by the Indian government. In a new Policy Brief, MPI analyst Muzaffar Chishti examines the surge in remittances to India and possible policy strategies to capitalize on these inflows of money from Indians abroad.
Remittances to India have skyrocketed in the past 10 years, jumping from $2.1 billion in FY1990-1991 to $24.1 billion in FY2005-2006. Mr. Chishti examines the factors behind this increase, including extensive Indian economic reforms, a decrease in the use of informal channels for remittances, shifting migration patterns to higher-skilled jobs, greater competition in the money transfer market, and the strength of the Indian economy.
He finds that although these remittances exceed total government expenditures in health and education and have a noticeable impact on regions of the country with high rates of migration, the Indian government has not instituted any policies specifically aimed at increasing remittance flows. Policies have instead focused on encouraging Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to deposit money in Indian bank accounts to help shore up India’s foreign exchange reserves.
Policymakers are also taking note that Indian migrants have recently shifted from being “savers” to “investors.” The most significant factor in the surge in remittances and investments may ultimately be how NRIs perceive the Indian economy. In fact, the World Bank’s annual report released last week found that India’s GDP increased by 9.2 percent in 2006. In an effort to encourage NRI investments, the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs just launched an Overseas Indian Facilitation Center to act as a “one-stop shop” for information on investment opportunities in India and as a network for Indians abroad.
“The Indian government has had a great deal of success in encouraging Non-Resident Indians to deposit money in bank accounts in India and to buy Indian bonds specifically launched for NRIs,” said Mr. Chishti. “However, the challenge is to effectively channel the impressive remittances flows for the socioeconomic development of the country.”
"The Phenomenal Rise in Remittances to India: A Closer Look" is online at: http://contact.migrationpolicy.org/site/R?i=y7gpAiILu3Me-EPEPV7fHA...
###
The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan think tank dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide.

Remittances during crises: implications for humanitarian response

01 Jun 2007 10:21:39 GMT01 Jun 2007 10:21:39 GMT ## for search indexer, do not remove-->
Source: Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) - UK
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

Remittances – migrants sending money home – are an important part of many people's lives around the world. In disasters, they can play a particularly important part in how people survive and recover because they represent a relatively stable form of income, usually increase in times of crisis and directly contribute to household income. However, humanitarian actors often fail to consider remittances in assessments and response design – a neglect that reflects a broader tendency to undervalue the capacities of crisis-affected populations. [Read more]

Friday 8 June 2007

BANGLADESH: Remittance set to cross $ 6b this fiscal year

Star Business ReportWith a continuous growth in remittance in the last four months, the country's remittance inflow is set to cross US$ 6 billion this fiscal year.
The non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) already sent $ 5.46 billion during the July-May period of this fiscal year (2006-07) compared to $ 4.37 billion during the same period of the previous fiscal year, recording around 25 percent growth.
Such a rise in the remittance also helped the country's foreign exchange reserve to hit $ 4.48 billion yesterday.
The remittance inflow reached $ 561.92 million in May, $ 545.93 million in April, $ 537.29 in March and $ 500.32 million in February of this fiscal year.
Bankers said the government's recent measures against 'hundi', an illegal way of money transfer, encouraged the Bangladeshi wage earners to send money home through legal channels. [Read more]

SOUTH AFRICA: Leaving the country for a living

By Moyiga Nduru
JOHANNESBURG - ‘‘We have lost a young woman in South Africa. We have raised R3,500 (500 US dollars) but we need R5,000 (714 dollars). We want to transport the body home to her relatives in Zimbabwe. But it is difficult,'' Joyce Dube, director of the Southern African Women's Institute for Migration Affairs (SAWIMA), told a gathering.

She was speaking at a one-day seminar, titled ‘‘Female Migrants and the Impact of Remittances in the SADC Region'', which brought together some 30 researchers and civil society activists from around the 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC). The seminar took place yesterday (May 30) in South Africa's commercial hub of Johannesburg. Some participants had difficulty containing their emotions as Dube, who seemed tired, explained the circumstances behind the death of the woman, whose name has been withheld as a sign of respect to her relatives. [Read more]

Remittances yield US$ 3bn

6 June 2007 14:01 Source: BIRN BELGRADE -- Remittances have contributed to Serbia’s economy with around US$ 3bn, National Bank Governor Radovan JelaÅ¡ić said Tuesday. "Remittances [the foreign currency annually sent home by people working abroad] are improving the living standards of our people, they are also a major boost to the development of small and medium [sized] businesses," JelaÅ¡ić said in a broadcast by the state-run RTS, speaking at the International Conference on Remittances held in Belgrade. According to official estimates, more than 1 million people from Serbia are currently working abroad, mainly in European Union countries. The World Bank official data indicate that remittances worldwide exceeded US$ 230bn in 2005. [Read more]

Thursday 7 June 2007

Immigration bill survives challenges from Senate

POSTED: 11:25 p.m. EDT, June 6, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A proposed immigration overhaul narrowly survived strong Senate challenges Wednesday, boosting its backers' hopes that the fiercely debated legislation might soon win passage and advance to the House.
Senators first turned back a Republican bid to reduce the number of illegal immigrants who could gain lawful status. Hours later, they rejected a Democrat's effort to postpone the bill's shift to an emphasis on education and skills among visa applicants as opposed to family connections. [Read more]

GUATEMALA: Young Guatemalans Live on Money From US

By Juan Carlos Llorca
Posted 29 May 2007 @ 02:47 pm EST

Working and going to school have become optional in this highland Guatemalan town, thanks to a flood of U.S. dollars sent home by migrants living in the United States.

The family-run mills that produce brightly colored, hand-woven traditional fabrics have fallen quiet as their potential work force - mostly young men - hang out at the town's pool halls or video game salons, living off remittances and waiting to make their own journeys north."Kids have easy money, and the only thing they know how to do is spend it on video games," complained Salcaja Mayor Miguel Ovalle. "In this town, school attendance has fallen in part because many go to the U.S., and also because those who stay don't want to go to school." [Read more]

MALAYSIA: Maxis unveils money remittance service

1st June, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s leading telecommunication services provider Maxis Communications Bhd aspires to become a strong service provider for foreign workers in Malaysia by end of this year, its chief executive officer Sandip Das said yesterday.
Speaking at the launching of the world’s first international mobile to mobile money transfer service, he said the new service from Maxis and Philippines’ Globe Telecom, will enable Filipino workers to perform cross-border money transfer from Ringgit to Pesos instantly.
Globe Telecom is Philippines’s second largest telecommunication services provider. [Read more]

Let’s make the most of remittances

Labour deputy leadership frontrunner, Jon Cruddas MP, argues that we need to do more to help remitters make the most of the money they send to relatives in the least developed countries in the world.

I was a signatory to an Early Day Motion tabled in the House of Commons last November which supported a courageous campaign being waged by City office cleaners. The cleaners, who earn as little as £5.35p per hour, were demanding better pay and conditions. They are just some of the countless, low paid workers who keep our economy on its feet, increasing numbers of whom are migrants from developing countries.

Contrary to the “benefit scroungers” image painted by the tabloid press, many migrants struggle to make ends meet. They often work long hours, are poorly paid and hold down several jobs at a time. Despite these hardships, migrant workers here from developing countries manage to send money – referred to as “remittances” – to their families in their countries of origin, which it is estimated totaled more than £2.3 billion last year. The main recipients of these remittances are India, Pakistan, the Caribbean, China, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Ghana. [Read more]

PAKISTAN: Are we squandering home remittances?

By Sultan Ahmad

ARE we squandering the increasing home remittances of overseas Pakistanis which will exceed $5 billion in the financial year ending June 30.This issue has arisen as in the first 10 months of this financial year total remittances of $4.450 billion have been received, while large trade deficits and balance of payments deficits plague the economy. The average monthly remittance stands at $445 million.This issue has also become relevant to the decision to raise foreign exchange reserve of the country to $15 billion. Building that reserve is easy while it is nearly $13.8 billion. In fact this target could have been achieved last June when the reserve stood at $14.59 billion, but it declined due rising trade and current deficits.Now when a reserve of $15 billion is being sought, the deficit in balance of trade for the first 10 months of the year is $11 billion, while the current account deficit for the first nine months is $4 billion after absorbing home remittances and the foreign investment of $6 billion. [Read more]

Saudi Arabia: Kingdom Second in Remittances

Saturday, 02 June 2007
Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia will maintain its position as the second most prolific source of expatriate remittances in the world after the US in 2007, economists said last week. The Arabic press reported that economists expect remittance figures to rise by SR0.5 billion from last year, reaching SR54.375 billion. Economists attributed the rise in remittances by expatriate workers to the increase in government- and private-sector projects, the launching of several economic cities and the flexibility of the Ministry of Labor in allowing an increase in the number of worker visas.
Remittances from the Kingdom to other countries rose by SR750 million in 2006 compared to the year before, with the total figure reaching SR52.5 billion in 2006. [Read more]

Philippines: Remittance cost going down, says central bank

nquirerLast updated 05:06am (Mla time) 06/07/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The cost of sending foreign exchange through banks has gone down with the adoption of advanced technology, the central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a primer on matters concerning overseas Filipino workers.
The BSP noted a substantial reduction in the cost of transferring money to the Philippines from the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore.
“Remittance companies heeded the call of the BSP to make the delivery of remittances faster, safer and more efficient. Remittance channels have improved because of the adoption of advanced systems and new technologies,” it said. [Read more]

Bangladeshi expatriates to be allowed to vote; even those with dual citizenship

Ofiul Hasnat Ruhin

The Election Commission has initiated a move to include the Bangladeshi expatriates in the electoral roll to give them the opportunity of voting for their chosen candidates from abroad. The EC has already reviewed the concerned laws and decided make some changes in the Representation of the People Order 1972 in this regard, said a commissioner on Wednesday. ‘The EC has decided to allow the Bangladeshi expatriates to exercise their right of franchise, and I hope that they will be eligible to vote in the upcoming polls,’ Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain told reporters at his office. He said that the two types of expatriates — who are staying abroad temporarily and who have dual citizenship — would be entitled to be voters, but the people who have become citizens of other countries after surrendering Bangladeshi citizenship would not be included in the list.

‘The EC has decided to enrol them through the Bangladeshi missions and the eligible expatriates will be enlisted with their local permanent addresses in the list,’ said Sohul, adding that the EC would set up special cells in the foreign missions where the enrolment forms would be available. The commissioner said that the expatriates would vote either through the Bangladeshi missions or by post, since the option for online voting would not be allowed this time. He, however, said that the expatriates should stop political activities abroad if they want to be registered as voters. ‘We decided to set the precondition of expatriates stopping politics abroad before getting registration as voters,’ he said, adding that the political activities of the expatriates have tarnished the image of the country abroad. He said that they would be allowed to form associations but any unit of the country’s political parties should not be set up abroad.

‘The political activities of the rival parties have created division and enmity among the expatriates,’ said the commissioner. He told reporters that even the foreigners who have met the EC on various occasions recommended that the political activities by Bangladeshi expatriates should be stopped. He said that about 80 lakh expatriates are working in the Middle East and United Kingdom whose involvement in political activities might have a negative impact on manpower export. An eight-member delegation of expatriates from the Middle East met Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamshul Huda on Wednesday afternoon and expressed their desire to be enlisted as voters.

‘The EC assured us that the expatriates would be included in the voters’ list,’ the delegation’s leader, Khairul Anam Yakub, told reporters after the meeting. He, however, protested against the EC’s move to ban expatriates’ political activities abroad and hoped that it would not take such an ‘unwise’ decision. ‘Everybody has the right to be involved in politics. Moreover the foreign units of different parties have aided helpless Bangladeshi expatriates abroad,’ he said.

Wednesday 6 June 2007

IDB Sees Remittances From Spain To Latam At EUR5 Billion By 2010

Wed, Jun 6 2007, 11:03 GMThttp://www.djnewswires.com/eu
IDB Sees Remittances From Spain To Latam At EUR5 Billion By 2010 MADRID -(Dow Jones)- Remittances that Latin American workers in Spain send back home are expected to rise to EUR5 billion by 2010 from EUR3.7 billion last year, a survey by the Interamerican Development Bank showed Wednesday. Latin American immigration to Spain has almost tripled in the past five years. The 1.8 million Latin Americans working in Spain now represent 7% of the country's total workforce, the IDB said. The IDB survey, conducted by the Florida-based Bendixen & Associates consultancy, found that Latin American workers have wider and cheaper access to financial and remittance services in Spain than in the U.S. [Read more]

Tuesday 5 June 2007

More money from LatAm workers in Spain

Published: June 5, 2007 at 2:48 PM
E-mail Story Print Preview License
WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- Spain is a huge source of money for Latin American workers, and not just the United States.
While the United States continues to be the single biggest source of income for Latin American workers seeking jobs overseas, Spain is becoming a greater source of remittances, according to the Inter-American Development Bank's latest report released Tuesday. [Read more]

Saturday 2 June 2007

THE TWO CARIBBEANS : ESTABLISHING A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP

Migration is perceived as one of the defining features of the Caribbean, since colonisation, slavery and indentureship. The celebrated Caribbean poet, Edward Kamau Brathwaite in lauding the Caribbean Diaspora, says you can find them everywhere,
“…on seaport quays; at airports; anywhere there is a ship or train, swift motor car or jet to travel faster than the breeze… You see them gathered; passport stamped… Where to? They do not know. Canada, the Panama canal, the Mississippi pain fields, Florida? Or on the dock at hissing smoke locked, Glasgow…” 1
Such is the geographical spread of our Caribbean peoples who live overseas. When we speak of the millions who live in the Community we have to double that figure to include those on the Diaspora, hence the two Caribbeans.
The premium being placed on the Caribbean Community’s relationship with the Diaspora is best expressed in the impending groundbreaking Conference on the Caribbean in Washington DC on 19 -21 June 2007, under the theme: Conference on the Caribbean: A 20/20 Vision. [Read more]

PAKISTAN receives record $2.1b remittances from GCC states

BY MUZAFFAR RIZVI 2 June 2007
DUBAI — Pakistan is set to close fiscal year 2006-07 in June with record remittances as its expatriates in the GCC states sent 30.48 per cent more foreign exchange back to their homes during July-April 2007 period.
The inflow of remittances from the GCC states exceeded the $2 billion mark for the first time after September 11 attacks and amounted to $2.11 billion in the first 10-month of financial year 2006-07, compared to $1.6 billion in the corresponding period of last year.
Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia and UAE stayed on top of the list by sending almost $828 million and $674 million remittances respectively. However, Pak expatriates in other GCC countries — Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain — sent $610 million remittances during July-April 2007 as against $477 million in the same period last year, reflecting growth of 27.7 per cent.
[Read more]

MEXICO's Soriana to pay remittances from Western Union Units

Saturday May 26th, 2007 / 0h00
MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- U.S. money transfer companies Orlandi Valuta and Vigo Remittance Corp., both subsidiaries of Western Union Company (WU), said Friday they're now offering money transfers through stores of Mexican retailer Organizacion Soriana (SORIANA.MX). In a press release, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo said that under the multi-year agreement, recipients will be able to pick up transfers from the U.S. at 215 Soriana and Mercado Soriana stores in Mexico. The money will be received on "loyalty cards" issued by Soriana, which can be used for purchases at the stores or exchanged for cash, they said. [Read more]

NEPAL: Remittance's outstanding contribution to GDP rise

Remittance, money earned by Nepalese working overseas, has significantly contributed to the growth of gross domestic products (GDP) of the country. The remittance has surpassed exports as the top contributor to foreign exchange earnings.Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) revealed this in a report released on Wednesday. NRB's report on ‘Inflow of Workers’ Remittances: Nepal’s Experiences’ presented at SAARC-Finance seminar on Management of Workers’ Remittances in SAARC Countries said remittance has positioned itself now as the top contributor to foreign exchange earning for last five years. The remittance had contributed by 11.5 per cent in 2000-01 and 16.8 per cent in 2005-06. [Read more]

Philippines: Gov’t urged to clarify remittance rules due to strong peso

By Jerome AningInquirerLast updated 11:14pm (Mla time) 05/29/2007
MANILA, Philippines--Seafarers have sought clarification from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration regarding the foreign exchange rates being used by manning agencies in the country in the light of the continued appreciation of the peso against the US dollar.
In a letter to POEA Administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, the groups said manning agencies' payroll schemes should be regulated by the agency, "on behalf of the thousands of Filipino seafarers who have been adversely affected by the continued appreciation of the peso." [Read more]

Global Campaign Against High Cost of Remittances:

Advocacy for multibillion dollar remittance industry to adopt Transnational Community Benefits Agreement (TCBA)

Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) and the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) organized a press briefing on the Global Campaign Against High Cost of Remittances on 23 May 2007 at the Newsdesk in Quezon City, Philippines.
The Global Campaign Against High Cost of Remittances was launched in the United States by immigrant communities including Mexicans, Salvadorians, Somalis, Kenyans and Filipinos asking for the adoption of the “Transnational Community Benefits Agreements” (TCBA). The campaign calls for 1) the reinvestment of $1 per transaction to communities where the company profits; 2) adopt standards of fairness and respect; and 3) abide by corporate social responsibility criteria that promote the human rights of remitters and their families. As a leading competitor in the remittance market, immigrant groups are asking Western Union to set an example by adopting the TCBA. Campaign will also take shape in Asia and the Philippines.
With over 200 million migrants scattered across the globe supporting a population back home, remittances have riveted the attention of national and international governments and businesses alike. The Philippines, with 8 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) living and working abroad, is no stranger to receiving remittances from overseas relatives. While some migrants use transfer services from banks, most used the services of a money transfer agency and charged 8-15% in fees and commissions, resulting in billions of lost income for low-income workers and their families. [Read more]

Philippines: OFW remittances to slow down in 2008

By DES FERRIOLS
The Philippine Star

Remittances from overseas Filipino workers are projected to grow by a slower five percent next year due to a drop in the number of overseas deployment this year.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. told reporters that OFW remittances that pass through banks are expected to grow by only five percent in 2008.

For this year, total remittances are expected to hit $14 billion, a notable 9.3-percent growth from the $12.8-billion inflows recorded in 2006.
Tetangco, however, said the five-percent growth projection is still subject to periodic review and could still change depending on emerging trends of workers’ deployment later in the year. [Read more]

COST TO SEND PACIFIC REMITTANCE TOO HIGH: STUDY

Auckland, New Zealand (NiuFM, May 29) - Millions of dollars head back to the islands each year from New Zealand but Pacific people are spending too much money sending it.
A new study by Waikato Univeristy economist, Professor John Gibson has found that money transfers from New Zealand to Tonga for example, are costing twice as much. [Read more]

Ghana: Inward remittances hit $1.52bn

Posted on: 22-May-2007
Total private inward transfers received by NGOs, embassies, service providers and individuals for the first quarter of 2007 hit 1.52 billion dollars representing 17.1 per cent increase over the figure recorded for the same quarter of 2006.Dr Paul Acquah, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, said total transfers were 346.56 million dollars, representing 22.8 per cent accruing to individuals, compared with 32.8 per cent for the same period in 2006, when total transfers for the year amounted to 5.80 billion dollars.Gross international reserves pegged at 2.07 billion dollars being 2.5 months of goods and services imports cover. "In April 2007, there was a decline of 8.8 per cent from the end of 2006 level, but an increase of 8.4 percent in year-on-year terms," he added. [Read more]

Bangladesh's Inward Remittances Flow May Reach $6 Billion, Helping Country Pay For Imports

May 26, 2007 2:27 p.m. EST
Siddique Islam - AHN South Asia Correspondent
Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) - The Bangladesh Bank (BB), the country's central bank, expects that the flow of inward remittances will reach $6 billion by the end of the current fiscal year 2006-07, officials announced in the capital, Dhaka, on Saturday.
The country has already received $4.90 billion during the July-April period of fiscal year 2006-07 and over $1 billion is expected to pour into the country in the remaining two months of the current fiscal year.
"We are expecting that the flow of remittances may cross $6 billion by the end of the current fiscal (year)," a BB senior official told AHN in Dhaka on Saturday. He also said that the inflow of remittances will reach that level during this fiscal cycle if the existing upward trend continues. [Read more]