Christopher Levingston Blog

I am heading back to Iran and I am trying, in conjunction with my colleagues at the Australia Iran Migration Consultants Association (http://www.iran.org.au) to set up, in about  April, a Migration Expo across the 3 main cities of Iran. Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.

What do I know about Iran and its economy and the demographic which would warrant this activity?

The population is largely young and they are highly skilled. 70 percent of the Iranian population was born after the 1979 revolution.

60 percent of the university graduates are female.

About 40,000 men and women graduate from Universities in Iran every year and the economy has been suffering since the embargo.

The implementation of the " Joint Comprehensive plan of action" brokered with the US  took formal effect on 18 October 2015 and since then the economy is gearing up for growth.

Oil production levels are back to what they were in the 90s and there is every indication that the Iranians are not going to be told by anyone to wind back oil production.

On my last full day in Tehran ( 2 May) I travelled into the northern suburbs backing onto the Alborz mountains to visit the "white palace". I was turned away as there were high level meetings taking place with the South Korean PM who was there to sign contracts to build expressways across the country. The lifts at my hotel were full of carpetbaggers.

This is a country on the move.

I want to organise an Expo across the country in Spring of 2017, pencil April 2017 into your diary and I will see you there!

I have written to the Australian Ambassador looking for a bit of support for the Expo and my Iranian colleagues are drawing down local contacts to get some endorsement from their end.

I am also going to do CPD with the permission of LTA.