The Immigration Guide          

By Project Success    

Today’s topic is immigration. We are going to discuss the benefits arising from the decision to migrate to a new country and the challenges ahead.

Introduction

At some point in our life, some of us feel frustration from the current way of living in the homeland. The reasons for that vary; It might be our corrupted government, the frustration from the persons of the opposite sex, the economy, the weather, the geography, the proximity to our family (which drives us crazy) etc. Sometimes we may simply put the blame on our place of residence. Our goal today is to discuss immigration strategy and the potential based on our goals in life. However, bear in mind that we are not in the blaming game; in life things are usually subjective, i.e., a given situation in one point of view of a single person might be completely 180 degrees differently interpretated. Our place of residence is no different. In Project Success, we always focus on our self-development, self-fulfilling and the implementation of our god given talents for the benefit of others. And thus, this guide will provide the exact same thing.

The reasons to consider immigration

So, if everything is so perfect, life is amazing, then why should we consider immigration. Well, our current domicile where we currently live our life is only one option among multiple possibilities. And as you know, things change, reality changes and the potential circulate around the world. For example, if we seek to perform a certain profession which is either under-develop in our homeland, or populated (the demand for new employees is surely small), then we got ourselves a professional reason. But please don’t be stuck only on such reasons, we may also not like the current culture; either it’s too international, urban or simply too conservative culture, and here we got ourselves a life style motivation! We may also not like the weather, the persons of the opposite sex or we may only seek the benefit of our children. All of these are great reasons to consider immigration.

The following is a summary of typical reasons. Before moving further, please go through this list, and decide by yourself if immigration might fulfill for you some of the items in this list. Please bear in mind, you might have great reasons in life to immigrate, but immigration alone will not solve your mental difficulties like goals, self-development etc. The same problems will simply relocate with you to your new place of residence if not taken care of ahead of time.

The Reasons To Migrate

1. A career change.
2. The pursuit of liberal lifestyle/conservative lifestyle.
3. The weather.
4. Living standards.

It can be summarized as the following: the rational reason to immigrate to a permanent new location should either be a lifestyle change, weather, career change, or improved living standards. Usually, it is a mixture of everything. Notice that a single item of this list by itself might not be a reasonable reason. For example, considering only the living standards might turn up to be an awful idea. But additional reasons like bad weather (subjective), with a conservative life style (in your opinion) and a career you don’t really like could be the perfect mindset. It is always crucial to consider these four items before going any further.

Obstacles which must be overcome

Ok, so you finally understood that something is wrong with your homeland. For some reason (probably one of the four in the previous chapter) you are feeling unfulfilled and are considering to perform an honest attempt to migrate. Before we go any further, we should consider some challenges which might occur. It is better to consider them now before we burden ourselves with a new commitment.

So, the first obstacle is of course, as always, is our state of mind; you should take into consideration a process of multiple years. This process includes preparation, financial savings, acquiring an initial residence visa, permanent visa and finally the full citizenship. This is a long commitment which requires an impressing mental strength. In order to succeed you should be prepared to work hard, learn a new culture and language skills, and accept lower living standards for a period of time as a pre-step for enjoying the full benefits of the new state. We would suggest in this step to perform meditations. We suggest of course the one offered by us for beliefs, visualization of the sought goal and relaxation. In addition, it requires taking responsibility for your action and expecting nothing from your surroundings in return. The best mental state, is the belief that hard work from your side is required, and it’s up to you to adapt yourself to your new environment; if things work differently here, they should not change for your convenience, rather you are the one who will change.

The second obstacle is family and friends. People usually don’t like changes; it’s probably our nature to seek constant things. Moreover, people are extreme in this sense and cannot stand the fact that somebody else is changing. You should possess toughness; stubbornness and a strong willpower in order to cope with their constant pressure. It can manifest itself in the way you spend your time from now on (like learning the required language, improving your professional skills etc.), and your life style; you are probably going to live beneath your means in order to save money for your future life plans. It should be a humble lifestyle according to a predefined plan. You shouldn’t be ashamed of this path, but proud; you are sacrificing in order to enjoy a greater life in the future. Of course, it doesn’t mean you should suffer; nothing can be further from the truth, you should always be grateful and enjoy the process even while temporarily lowering your living standards. Your path for self-improvement and financial savings will create a constant pressure from your friends and family. This is your test! You should have strong beliefs regarding your potential with a clear goal in your mind, regarding the life you are going to create in the future. This is a long way which is composed of many steps. Everyday you stay focused, ignore irrelevant noise and listen only to reliable advice. A good advice will appear coherent with your future life model, and any noise will usually be negative thoughts. For example, a friend who gives you an advice regarding money-saving potential has just given you a great idea which you should consider, and thus you should thank him. On the other hand, a different “friend” might frighten you that the people on your future destination, are not tolerant, and will never accept you, and thus you shouldn’t even try and waste your time, not a great advice. In this case you should also thank him politely, ignore his gesture and go forward with your plans. The faults in the second “advice” are quite easy to recognize; first it’s negative, and second it doesn’t offer you any path for improvement and success. You should always! Think positive and about self-improvement, the rest is a waste of time and energy.

The immigration plan

Usually there are five paths to migrate to a desired destination:

1. Investment- You invest an amount of money in the local economy and granted a visa/passport.
2. Entrepreneurship- You create a business to the benefit of the local economy.
3. Relocation- Your employer in your homeland sends you abroad.
4. Higher education- You study in the new country.
5. Professional- You find directly a job in the new country.

In this guide we will concentrate on 4 and 5. Let me first explain.

The problems with the other paths

1. The investment path usually requires a capital which is much greater than the typical activity of the new country. The idea is that your capital improves the local economy which for attractive countries may require much more than your current means. In addition, I assume that in case you already possess the required amount of capital, then you already have the means to live anywhere in the world, and thus this guide is redundant for you.

2. The entrepreneurship path is very similar; you are required to create a business venture with a strong business activity and you need to obtain foreign capital for your activities. This may be hard when you originate from an underdeveloped country.

3. Relocation might be tempting as it is the fastest way. However, through relocation you lose the control over your future; For the first years in the new country, your immigration status will be depended on your employer; i.e., any termination of your contract or changes of your company’s policy might send you back to your homeland to start over again. And as you might have noticed, good things require a long systematic development process.

4 and 5 on the other hand require attainable things: You should either learn new professional skills and apply to a new position, or you can apply directly for professional studies in the desired countries and use your residence permit to find a job which will allow you to stay permanently in the county.

Higher Education

Immigration through higher education will take advantage of the so called “Student Visa”. The country will offer you a limited residence permit to complete your studies. After graduation, you either get a job search visa or directly an employment visa. Eventually after some employment years, will you be offered the permanent visa. This visa will allow you to stay permanently in the desired country.

The Steps

1. Research- you should do your homework. You should research the costs, the institutions, the immigration laws and the selection of studies either in English or the local language (i.e., you will first need to master the foreign language).

2. Financial preparation and planning- You should make a plan for financial saving and start implementing it including milestones.

3. Application- You should apply both for the studies and the visa using planned milestones; i.e., for every date a different bureaucratic assignment should be completed.

4. Language skills and competence- You should work on your professional abilities and study the new language (you are invited to use our language guide for that).

Some rules of thumb

Universities level- Usually the universal level of the local universities is not that important and sometimes even the subject itself. What is important is the recognition of the academic studies in the domestic market (your chances to get a job).

Tuition- A rule of thumb is that tuition should not be high (like Ivy League universities). In contrast to the common sense, high tuition usually is mixed with an elite culture which is a kind of a hostile environment for migration; it is an artificially created wall which keeps only the elite in the universities. If the tuition is extraordinarily high, i.e., the country is not that attractive as your return on investment will be low compared to the risk you are taking. In addition, high tuition is a signal that the current country has already passed its economic peak and is not such a good location anymore for new immigrants. On the other hand, a really attractive country will understand the importance of quality immigration (like yourself) and will offer reasonable tuition costs and cheaper accommodation (like dormitories).

Other professional training- Usually professional courses which are not in the university standards should be encouraged, as one acquires a real profession (with practical implementation) and is usually cheaper than academical studies.

Professional Immigration

The professional immigration offers a small shortcut compared to the higher education path as you dive straight to the job market in the new country and start your new life. However, you always need to deal with a big disadvantage; since you are not seeking any professional studies, you are not mingling with the local population, and thus might experience difficulties in assimilating in the local culture.

The steps for professional immigration

1. Research- you should research the willingness of employers to accept directly people from abroad, and the immigration laws for foreign job seekers.

2. Financial planning- You should create a financial plan for your life abroad and your cash flow based on the average net salary of your profession.

3. Profession Application- You should first apply for a position; you might use here our job search guide).

4. Immigration application- With your job offer, you should apply for an employment visa in the new country.

5. Language and competence- You should work on your professional abilities (even though you already got the job, you should seek excellence) and study the new language (you are invited to use our language guide for that).

Finally, for a professional immigration I would like to add an important piece of information; an important step is, as always, your mental state. You should always be open to new cultures. Since you are jumping straight to the job market, you should compensate it by going out of your way to get to know the local culture. Remember, you are not a mercenary who only comes for the money. If money alone is your motivation you are going to experience a huge disappointment as no money in the world can save you.

Final Words

Immigration is a great opportunity. Whether as asylum or from prosperity reasons, immigration was always there. With Immigration, can individuals direct themselves to the best magical place in the world for them, where they can realize their god given talents. If you are interested in immigration and find this guide useful, I wish you great success with your journey!