Visas & Advice Detail
Five stages of emigration
According to a report in the Independent, 52 per cent of UK adults think seriously about moving to another country at some point in their working life, writes Richard Gregan
Obviously they aren't all doing it or we wouldn't have traffic jams, supermarket queues and congestion charges, but even so there's no question that it's something a lot of people are giving a great deal of thought to. In my 12 years as a professional in the migration industry. I've noticed very specific stages that people go through when considering 'The Big Move.'
Strangely enough, it doesn't matter whether you're a chef or a captain of industry, a single twentysomething or a married man in your forties with a clutch of children. All would-be migrants, in my experience, work through these same five stages:
1) Pre-decision. You feel a vague niggle but you haven't done anything definite about it, although you find yourself thinking more and more about emigrating. The 'push' to take things one step further is caused by things like not getting that promotion at work, house prices going up faster than you can keep up with, winters seeming to get longer each year, or a craving for more sun. Or maybe there's a 'pull' – perhaps you've visited family members in Australia and compared their lifestyle to yours.
2) Decision. Right, that's it – let's go! Now you need to start doing something practical about applying for a visa, this is the time to ask yourself: DIY or Migration Agent? My advice is straightforward: if you have a simple case, the time and the inclination – do it yourself! If you don't, then please be sure to use a properly registered migration
agent. Agents who aren't properly registered have no accountability to you, so if things go wrong you'll be stuck up a gum tree (in the UK rather than in Australia, though.) And don't rely on the information gleaned from chat rooms, many of which have about as much legal knowledge as jail-house lawyers. Caveat emptor ('let the buyer beware!).
3) The Application. This stage involves getting the paperwork right, and having the approval (or visa) in place. The biggest requirement now is patience – if patience were a muscle, yours would be bulging like a heavyweight boxer's by the end of this process. Waiting for your papers to come through takes time an average of 12 months, it's stressful, and there is a disconcerting feeling of being in limbo. Get used to it, or don't go through with it. There are no shortcuts.
4) Pre-departure. This stage is all about planning and there is a never-ending list of things to think about: what to take versus what to leave; finances; selling your property or renting it out; shipping the cat/dog/budgie/goldfish; when to tell people; pensions; timing for jobs; the school year. You simply can't have too much information at this point.
5) Settlement. It's not over when the visa is in your passport – it's just the beginning. In fact, in many ways this is the hardest phase emotionally. You don't know your way around your new town, you're not sure of what brand of beer/beans/breakfast cereal to buy, and you're homesick. I have seen people give up in the first few months and come home, but my advice is always to hang on until you have fulfiled citizenship criteria, no matter what. Then you can make the decision to go home or stick it out.
In my view people with children have an advantage as they are forced into mingling with other mums and dads on school runs, PTAs and sports events. All new migrants who want to feel at home need to form a social circle, even though this often means pushing yourself a bit. Think of yourself as a house plant which needs 'potting on' to a new container. It takes time to establish yourself in your new environment and grow roots, and in my experience it takes people 12 to 24 months until they're able to say: "Glad we made the move, Darl." (This is an Australian term of endearment similar to the Southern English 'love'(?), the Geordie 'pet' or Edinburgh's 'hen').
Some people get stuck between these phases or are married to someone who is. Some people go backwards and forwards between stages 1 and 2. I have seen the pressure build so high in stage 3 that applicants pull out. I have seen stage 4 not given enough attention and the new migrants have an unnecessarily miserable first six to 12 months. Well, you've probably seen it too, on all those TV programmes! Funny how they never show normal, sensible migrants, isn't it?
If you're thinking of emigrating, ask yourself what stage you're at. Can you see yourself moving smoothly through the other stages? For a smooth run from stages 2 to 5 and beyond (which involved becoming a sports-mad, Rules-watching, cricket-cheering, beach-going Aussie), keep communication channels wide open with your migrating family and your support circle. You may become obsessed with the subject, so my advice is to limit yourself to one 'whinge buddy' to whom you can unburden yourself. Don't discuss it with everyone you meet, or you'll become a terrible bore. Keep a business-like attitude and stay focused.
To sum up, my advice is:
Keep your expectations realistic. Living in Australia is very different from being on holiday there;
Keep working on that 'patience' muscle – keep it fit and strong; and
Be kind to yourself. The emigration process is hard, stressful and horribly bureaucratic – but 98 per cent of my clients would say, at the end of it all, that it's totally worthwhile.
Richard Gregan owns and runs Overseas Emigration Ltd, with its Head Office in Edinburgh and branch offices in London, Bristol, Manchester and Belfast.
Read another article about the steps to emigration:
How to emigrate in 21 steps
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