[A] is heading towards a K-Mart type bankruptcy

[B] will likely experience mild deflation

[C] should cut consumer prices as Dell did

[D] should cut consumer borrowing rates

Text 2

Clever, rich or both--almost every country in the world has some sort of programme to attract desirable migrants.  Competition is fierce and, as with most things, that lowers the price and increases choice. Britain has two programmes, one for the rich--who have to invest £750,000 ($1.36m) in actively traded securities--and one, much larger, for talented foreigners.  Both have worked well. Unlike some other countries, Britain does not make applicants find a job first: with good qualifications, they can just turn up and look for work. That helps keep Britain's economy flexible and competitive. But now a bureaucratic snag is threatening the scheme.  The problem comes with anyone wanting to convert his visa into "indefinite leave to remain" (Britain's equivalent of America's Green Card). This normally requires four years' continuous residence in Britain. After a further year, it normally leads to British citizenship.

The law defines continuous residence sensibly. Business trips and holidays don't count, if the applicant's main home is in Britain. An average of 90 days abroad was allowed each year. But actual guidelines are tougher: they say that "none of the absences abroad should be of more than three months, and they must not amount to more than six months in all". Over the four years needed to qualify, that averages only six weeks a year.

For many jet-setters, this restriction is a career-buster. Six weeks abroad barely covers holidays, let alone business travel. Roger Gherson, who runs a specialist immigration law firm, reckons that, including such dependants, the new rule could affect 750,000 people. Next week his firm is going to court to try to have the guidelines ruled illegal. They came to light in a case involving a wealthy foreigner. His application for permanent residency was rejected in April, though in the previous four years he had been abroad for only 351 days, and never for more than 90 days at a stretch.

上一页  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]  ... 下一页  >>