Whereas the United States allows all overseas citizens to vote, other countries, like Malaysia, restrict voting to certain overseas citizens, often only diplomats and military personnel.
France has an elected representative for overseas citizens, but some Mexicans are talking about going considerably farther.
Revenue from overseas citizens visiting, residing in, or doing business in Britain is a true "windfall tax" in the sense that it boosts tax revenues.
Moreover, to actually vote, these overseas citizens must then return to that place of residence, in India and go to the polls personally.
While such loans are relatively rare, they are much appreciated, said Catherine Barry, deputy assistant secretary of state for overseas citizens' services.
A 1986 law, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, creates procedures for voting by military personnel and other Americans living abroad.
Although some Thai banks claim they offer mortgages to overseas citizens, local expatriates say that is window dressing, and no such mortgages ever get approved.
Chinese investors have been particularly aggressive at using a federal visa program called EB-5 that allows overseas citizens to put $500,000 to $1 million into a project that will create at least 10 jobs.
The report suggests that the Election Commission discuss the logistics of allowing more overseas Malaysians to vote with the relevant authorities within the next three months, a time frame Ms. Ambiga criticized because she said it would leave many overseas citizens disenfranchised if elections were called earlier.
On the issue of allowing more Malaysians who are living abroad to vote, the report noted a proposal by the Election Commission that overseas citizens who have registered to vote and have returned home at least once in the five years before an election be allowed to cast absentee ballots.
But some expatriates are concerned that any changes will not come in time for the next election and that Malaysia will continue to bar some of its overseas citizens from voting — based, perhaps, on how long they have lived abroad, as some other countries do.
