Expats feel at home

Shiva Kumar N D / TNN / Jun 4, 2007, 03:38 IST

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'Our life here is fantastic. We also enjoy the family values that are so strong in India.'

BANGALORE: "Our life here is fantastic. We also enjoy the family values that are so strong in India. Since we are far from home, we enjoy the interaction with other family members, especially the attention and interaction Indian adults and teenagers give to children. This multi-generational interaction is very healthy and good exposure for our daughter as she learns to communicate with people."
This is what expat Joanna Budelman has to say about her experience of Bangalore life in the website www.chillibreeze.com.She lives with her husband and a five-year-old daughter in the city.
Joanna’s experience best explains why the expat population is swelling in the city with each passing year. It was 9,000 in 2003 and has grown to around 16,000 this year.
It takes all kinds to make this demographic — students, businessmen, employees and tourists. While students and employees top the list, the number of businessmen too has increased considerably. Of the 8,322 persons who registered with the Foreign Registration Officer at the city police commissionerate in 2006, 3,105 were students and 1,064 were employees.

Statistics from the foreign registration cell says between 2003 and 2006, 12,214 students, 3,168 employees and 727 businessmen have registered at the cell. Not all of them have stayed on though, as students have to leave after completion of their studies.
The nationality pattern of students too has changed over the years. Earlier, Bangalore was the favourite destination of Sri Lankan students, but now Iranians have overtaken them and have a 40 per cent presence. Students have come from Bangladesh, Oman, Sudan, Nigeria and the USA.

"Students say education standards are high and affordable here," said an officer dealing with foreigners.
Also, visits of many tourists go unrecorded. "It is not mandatory for all foreigners to register here. It depends on visa stipulations. Normally, if they are visiting the city for less than 180 days, they need not register," said officials at the Foreigners’ Registration Wing.
Expats are happy not only with the educational institutions, IT firms and good ambience, but also with Bangalore’s recreation facilities, schools, malls, bookstores and others.

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