New chicks for a New Year

Continuing in the spirit of the new year, we the lovely people at Global Visas have compiled a motivational immigration guide to inspire you to make your dream of immigrating overseas a reality.

Move forward and keep direction by splitting your migration into lesser manageable stages. Your journey to immigrating becomes a series of effortless steps instead of a long slog.

Some people are disheartened or worse put off altogether by the time it requires to emigrate. We now exist in a time where we want things now, yesterday is to slow. Change is so quick it is difficult to take stock of what will be happening in a couple of year’s time. Immigration targets are set in the future; however significant they are people find it difficult to keep them a part of their daily focus, life has a habit of interrupting our thought patterns as tasks are thrown up daily, nonetheless you must remember your original goal.
Dividing your immigration into smaller steps prepares you for changes before they occur, rather than responding to each matter as it arises.

Three steps to immigration

These three steps are common to the bulk of cases, and have specified start and end points that are straight-forward to quantify, from your original ideas all the way through to feeling completely happy and settled in your new country.

1. Creation

From your first intellections of moving abroad, you will have thoughts of whether emigration is for you and come to a decision of what country/area you wish to settle in, research and investigation are key. The visa options can be confusing and you may wish to enlist help to compile your visa application. Timescale for visa applications can vary, typically being between 6-12 months although for some countries longer.

What can you expect
Now is the perfect time to resolve the big question of what you want to achieve from life. This is vital to be sure about what is essential to you, and what you treasure in life. After all if now you aren’t clear, it’s a huge spin of the wheel to move to another country hoping it will give you the answers.
It is easy to get sidetracked on the immigration itself that you forget the long-term issue, getting wherever it is you are going is just a step towards your greater goals, not the main act. If you are intuitive you will be using an immigration expert to handle your visa application, that way you are guaranteed to be assured about this area and know that the application is in the best possible hands. You will however have to consider other things.

Questions that need consideration are: Is it what you really want? What area will best suit my needs? What needs to change in my life now to get where I want to be? What new skills will I need to settle in?

2. Transition

This starts when you receive your visas and documents, and ends when you board the plane to begin your new life. You are preparing yourself physically – selling your home, preparing to move all your possessions, selling your car etc. And emotionally – seeing friends and family. Many things that until this point you have been unable to do, once you have the visa you are now sure and committed to the idea of emigrating. Leaving your job, selling houses, setting removal dates etc. It’s very active and a relief all the decisions and investigative operations were completed during the creation step so you can put all your focus on the task ahead.

What you can expect
The rate of life steps up quickly; many things need co-ordinating, de-cluttering, house removals, flights, car sale, money, banking, schools and preparing to leave (best do a list). All that is usual will be changing; if you are not used to being away from your comfort zone it will hit you now. Having no keys is a familiar curiosity I have heard many people about to emigrate mention, almost as though they are used to the certainty this offers and now it is missing, albeit temporarily, they feel lost.

3. Integration

From landing at your destination, to feeling settled and no longer like a stranger in a unfamiliar country. This can vary typically up to 2 years after first arriving. During the integration step you discover a new life, home, schools for children, jobs, credit-ratings and friends. With the short-term issues resolved you can focus on the long-term targets of creating the lifestyle you aspire to. During the ‘honey-moon’ stage many new expats feel they have surpassed the integrated stage, only to have a wobble months later. Give it plenty of time and everything will fit into place.

What you can expect
It can feel a strange, and hard to take in that you are have actually emigrated. A plethora of emotions are likely to take hold and will frequently change from one opposite to the next. The general time it takes new expats to transform from newbie to seasoned expatriate varies enormously; this phase may be very effortless and you might feel at home quickly or it could take ages to feel that way. This is the period when you have to continue that focus and determination. There are as many, if not more projects and things to consider once you arrive, and you will be experiencing them from a very unique position. Everything that before was second nature, you now find is slightly different, it’s all about adapting and learning, within no time you will have forgotten all the little quirks that you found strange. The best parts from your new life are yet to come, and this stage although miles from when you first began is still just the start of where it will be in the future.

Global Visas are always on hand to provide you with information and answers on your immigration or visa needs