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Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Symposium 2012 Special
 The Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Symposium, which takes place this week (3–5 October 2012) in Washington DC, is the impetus for this special US issue of Re:locate Extra, in which we bring you highlights from the recent HR Excellence Summit (also in Washington DC) and relocation industry perspectives on the US residential property market. We also explore how US and UK business culture differ, how to ensure efficient tax planning for employees on assignment in the US – and more.
Re:locate is proud to be media partner for this prestigious global event. I will be there, and look forward to catching up with the news and views of all those attending. Our new sales director, Leon Isaacs, will also be at the symposium, and would be delighted to meet you there. Please call me on +44 (0)7836 504483, or the UK office on +44 (0)1892 891334, or email fiona@relocatemagazine.com
Look out for another US edition of this newsletter, coming soon, which will feature highlights from the symposium. There will be further coverage in the Winter issue of Re:locate magazine, available early December.
Don't miss the extensive US coverage in the Autumn 2012 issue of Re:locate magazine. Our US focus continues during October via the new Spotlight feature on www.relocatemagazine.com
Keep in touch through Re:locate’s international quarterly magazine, leading website, www.relocatemagazine.com, and daily RSS news feeds. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Fiona Murchie
Managing Editor
The US property market: relocation industry perspectives
 During the approach to the Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Symposium, to be held in Washington DC from 3 to 5 October 2012, Re:locate asked some of the relocation industry’s best-known companies for their views on current conditions in the US residential property market and how they are affecting relocating employees and their families.
In the Autumn 2012 issue of Re:locate magazine, we reported that the US residential property market was showing some signs of stabilising after the troubles of recent years, with comment from major relocation players.
With the Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Symposium in Washington (3–5 October 2012) just around the corner, we canvassed the views of some more of the relocation industry’s best-known companies, all of which are exhibiting at the symposium.
What’s your company’s perspective on the US property market? Let us know by emailing editorial@relocatemagazine.com, or join the debate on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
For more on relocation issues in the US, see the Autumn 2012 edition of Re:locate magazine.
HR Excellence Summit, Washington DC: the highlights
 Held in Washington DC on 18 and 19 September, the HR Excellence Summit, for which Re:locate was pleased to act as media partner, brought together more than100 HR leaders from across the Americas to discuss current HR issues.
The summit was a great opportunity for HR’s senior thinkers and practitioners to come together, share experiences, make new contacts, and benchmark with their peers.
Below, Re:locate’s correspondents at the summit bring you highlights from some of the key conference sessions:
For more on relocation issues in the US, see the Autumn 2012 edition of Re:locate magazine.
KPMG survey finds more American companies are considering global expansion
 A report by the KPMG Global Enterprise Institute has found that an increasing number of American small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) aim to increase their international reach. Importantly, the global designs of many American SMEs may require them to enlist them help of specialists in corporate relocation.
The report, KPMG's Mid Market Global Expansion Survey, is the result of interviews with 1,150 executives from companies based in the US, Canada, Brazil and Mexico, including nearly 500 US CEOs. Issues dealt with include plans for future expansion, key challenges and risks, and past successes.
Read more...
Business culture in the US
 Because the US and the UK share a common language, it is easy to assume that cultural differences between the two countries are minimal. However, that is not the case where doing business is concerned. Nick Rines, of the Institute of Diplomacy & Business, explores some of the key divergences.
Though the US shares a language with the UK, doing business there is very different. It is much more to the point. Nevertheless, politeness is important, particularly when first meeting someone.
Business meetings must be taken seriously. On occasion, you may be tempted to skip preparation for meetings in the UK, believing you can ‘wing it’, but this does not apply in the US. It is important to arrive at meetings with the required information, on time, and properly dressed. On the East Coast, and in big cities around the Great Lakes, business suits are essential for most business occasions.
Read more...
US employment-based immigration basics
 Elaine Martin, MD of Paragon GeoImmigration, clarifies the requirements of the most common immigration categories for foreign nationals employed in the US.
The US’s immigration regime is considered to be the most complicated in the world – with good reason. Almost every letter of the alphabet has a corresponding immigration category, and some have multiple sub-categories (H-1, H-1B, H-1B1, H-2, H-3, H-4, for example). However, companies that hire foreign nationals in the US – or transfer them from company offices overseas – generally need to understand just a few of these categories.
The most common categories for foreign national employees are:
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Financial World Leaders gather in NYC at Institute of International Education Awards
 New York financial world leaders Henry Jarecki, Henry Kaufman, Thomas Russo and George Soros gathered at the Institute of International Education (IIE) Awards, held in New York City – Cipriani Wall Street – this month, to celebrate the achievements of their Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF).
At the event, which raised $1.2 million for IIE and $3 million for its Scholar Rescue Fund, the four founders were presented with humanitarian awards for their ongoing work.
The IIE, which is perhaps best known for administering the Fulbright Programme sponsored by the US Department of State, runs the SRF, which provides fellowships for established scholars whose lives and work are threatened in their home countries. The Fund celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Read more...
Tax planning for temporary assignments to the US
 For those going on assignment to the US, thorough income tax planning, with appropriate legal advice, is essential, as Stephen Maltby, partner at Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty, explains.
Many foreign nationals are unaware that ‘residency’ for US income tax purposes can have little to do with their immigration status. This concept is an important one because, with Federal tax rates as high as 35 per cent, a failure to plan properly can be costly.
Non-residents are subject to taxes on their US source income only, whereas residents are taxed on their worldwide income, including salary or bonuses earned from work performed abroad, gains on the sale of foreign real estate, and dividends from a foreign corporation.
Read more...
US healthcare: an alien landscape
 To those coming from the UK, with its National Health Service, or other countries with state healthcare provision, the US system, in which hospitals and clinics are generally owned and operated by private companies, and most employees have healthcare insurance supplied by their employers, whether on a non-contributory or, increasingly, a contributory basis, can seem very alien.
Healix International provides medical, security and travel-assistance services. Says Gregory Cain, VP of business development for the Americas, “Healthcare delivery in the US varies considerably by the PMI [private medical insurance] scheme the employer makes available to the assignee, particularly in those cases where the assignee is being placed into the same scheme as domestic employees.
Read more...
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October 2012
Other Features
Early voting begins ahead of first presidential debate
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American workplace safety improves, according to Bureau of Labour statistics
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US property: stability returning?
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Changes to US health insurance led by Sears and Darden
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US Council of Graduate Schools publish guidelines for supporting global skills and careers
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Education in the USA – the global classroom
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New schools in the USA
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