IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE 19TH CENTURY, NEWSPAPERS IN ENGLAND 
AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES CARRIED LONG-RUNNING ADS 
EXTOLLING THE BENEFITS OF IMMIGRATING TO CANADA.   AMONG THE 
MAIN ATTRACTIONS:  SUBSIDIZED TRAVEL AND FREE LAND UPON 
ARRIVAL.  IN RETURN, CANADA ASKED FOR STRONG MEN, ABLE TO CLEAR 
AND FARM THE NEW LAND.  MUCH OF OUR WEST WAS POPULATED 
THROUGH SUCH PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES.  IN THOSE DAYS 
COMPETITION FOR THAT TALENT WAS MINIMAL.

TODAY, THERE IS A NEW DEMAND FOR IMMIGRANTS, AND AGAIN WITH 
CERTAIN QUALIFICATIONS -- THIS TIME NOT BRAWN, BUT MONEY AND 
ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS.  NOW THE COMPETITION IS FIERCE.

CANADA SET TODAY'S TONE FOR SUCH POTENTIAL IMMIGRANTS WITH 
LEGISLATION THAT OFFERED LANDED IMMIGRANT STATUS TO THOSE 
WITH BUSINESS OR ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS, ABLE TO SHOW A NET 
WORTH OF AT LEAST $500,000 AND WHO WOULD PROMISE TO PUT AT 
LEAST A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS INTO A CANADIAN BUSINESS 
VENTURE.  DURING 1987, THAT PHEROMONE OF MONEY ATTRACTED 
ALMOST 5,000 IMMIGRANTS FROM HONG KONG ALONE.

FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND CANADA'S OFFER CAME AUSTRALIA WITH 
BASICALLY A ONE-LINE REQUIREMENT:  $450,000.  THEY FIGURED THAT 
ANYONE WHO COULD MAKE IT BIG IN HONG KONG COULD MAKE IT 
ANYWHERE.  SO WHY NOT THAT BIG, EMPTY LAND "DOWN UNDER".

NOW LEGISLATION JUST PASSED BY THE U.S. SENATE OFFERS YET ANOTHER 
OPTION FOR WORLD RESIDENTS THAT HAVE THE REQUIRED SKILLS AND 
MONEY TO SET UP IN THE WEST.  THEIR REQUIREMENTS HOWEVER, ARE A 
BIT STEEPER:  THEY HAVE TO SPEND $2 MILLION AND CREATE AT LEAST 
10 JOBS, IN EXCHANGE FOR A CONDITIONAL VISA.

SUCH ENTICING OFFERS ARE ALREADY MOVING THOUSANDS WITH 
MARKETABLE SKILLS -- AND THEIR HIGHLY LIQUID FUNDS -- AROUND THE 
WORLD.  THESE OFFERS WILL CONTINUE AND  INCREASE IN THE YEARS TO 
COME.  WHY ARE COUNTRIES, SO ANXIOUS IN THE PAST TO PROTECT AND 
DEFEND THE VALUE OF THEIR CITIZENSHIPS, WILLING TO MAKE SUCH 
OFFERS NOW?  WELL, BECAUSE EVEN PLODDING GOVERNMENTS REALIZE 
THAT THE FUTURE IS CAPITAL, NOT LABOUR INTENSIVE.  THOSE WHO 
HAVE THE MONEY AND A GOOD TRACK RECORD ARE TODAY'S MOST DESIRED 
IMMIGRANTS.  IT'S A WHOLE NEW BUSINESS -- LOCATING AND 
PERSUADING POTENTIAL CITIZENS TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AND 
PRODUCE.  TODAY GLOBAL BUSINESS REJECTS THE BRAWN REQUIRED A 
CENTURY AGO AND DEMANDS MINDS AND MONEY IN GLOBALIZED AND 
HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COMPETITIVE WORLD.

WITH HONG KONG SCHEDULED TO REVERT TO CHINA'S JURISDICTION IN 
NINE YEARS, THE INTEREST OF BRITISH SUBJECTS IN MOVING IS FAIRLY 
APPARENT.  HOWEVER, THE NEXT WAVE MAY COME FROM ANOTHER LAND.  
A RECENT SURVEY IN JAPAN SHOWED THAT 53 PERCENT OF JAPAN'S 
"SALARYMEN" (WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS) WOULD RETIRE OVERSEAS IF 
ASKED.  THEIR PREFERENCES:  AUSTRALIA #1, CANADA #2 AND SPAIN #3.

THE AVERAGE HOME OWNER IN TOKYO WITH AN EQUITY IN THEIR 
RESIDENCE LAST YEAR OF $500,000 (RATHER COMMON) HAS SEEN THAT 
JUMP TODAY TO MORE THAN ONE MILLION DOLLARS, 	 THANKS TO THE 
RAPID INCREASE IN THE VALUE OF THE JAPANESE YEN.  TO THEM, HOMES 
IN THE REST OF THE WORLD, ALREADY MUCH CHEAPER THAN ANYTHING 
AVAILABLE AT HOME, NOW CARRY A PSYCHOLOGICAL 50 PERCENT 
DISCOUNT TAG.  THE MOST EXPENSIVE LAND IN CENTRAL TOKYO NOW 
BRINGS 34 MILLION YEN OR $340,000 PER SQUARE METRE!  THAT'S  MORE 
THAN $8.3  BILLION AN ACRE !  

WOULDN'T YOU SELL, MOVE AND MAKE THAT NEW PURCHASE AND INVEST 
THE BALANCE AT HIGH INTEREST RATES IN SUCH A FOREIGN COUNTRY 
UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES?

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