An Essential Guide to Moving to Another Country

The world we live in is not only well-connected in terms of tourist and business travel but people get a chance to settle wherever they like. However, moving to another country or even a continent (us Australians can’t have it any other way) is nothing like an ordinary move inside the same city. The logistics of the undertaking are immense so it is useful to have an essential guide that will inform you about the knicks and knacks of moving to another country.

Who is moving?

The first issue you have to resolve is who is actually moving: just you or your entire family. The former is far easier to arrange but if you’re taking your family with you, even if you only have a spouse, then you need to prepare more studiously.

Firstly, if the kids are coming along, try to find them a good public or private school in your new residential area. Furthermore, ask around whether your spouse can work from home or whether they’ll have to quit their job and look for another employer. Finally, taking pets with you means that you must find out whether they need special permits, vaccination or will they be placed in quarantine upon arrival. 

Secure Housing

Next, you'll need to find yourself a place to stay. Depending on your budget, you can either choose a house or an apartment. If it's just going to be you, an apartment will be more than enough. In case you plan to move your entire family with you, you'll need something spacious, like a house. Since this is one of the crucial things you have to sort out before you actually move, you should find someone reliable like property and lease lawyers to help you. They will guide and advise you along the way and provide you with the adequate legal pieces of information.

Moving for work

One of the most common reasons people decide to change their country of residency is the search for work. Some employees simply cannot find any work in their home country or the must look for career opportunities abroad.

Applying for a job overseas has never been easier, as you needn’t attend the interview since you can skype with the prospective employer. However, once you land an international job post, you have to study the labor laws in your new country of residence and research whether you need a work permit or a visa.

The legal aspect of the move

Having mentioned Australia, people who arrive in this country looking for work need a working visa that is issued under the entrepreneur stream. Immigrants are expected to present a viable business plan and agreements with prospective employers before they enter the country.

That’s why future New South Wales, for example, workers often turn to immigration lawyers, who can help them take off the paperwork. When relocating for work to another country, you two will have to hire some professional help to help you regarding legal issues.

You’re in for a cultural shock

Even people who decide to move from the United States to Canada will need a couple of weeks to adjust to their new country, despite the fact that the lifestyles and cultures of the two countries are fairly similar. Just imagine the cultural shock if a person from mainland China arriving to live and work in Australia!

Luckily, the cultural shock you are about to experience is nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, it will take some time, months even, to adjust to living in a new country but you can surely pull it off. Once you make new friends in your new home country, they will help you fit in better and faster. 

Learn the lingo

Speaking of cultural shock, the biggest obstacle to adjusting to a new setting is going to be the language. It is especially difficult learning the basics of a language that is different from yours, like when a speaker of the Sino-Tibetan group of languages tries to learn an Indo-European language.

In order to learn the language faster, you should start leaning it as soon as you find out you are moving to a new country. Sure, the best way to learn a new language is immersion but arriving at your home already knowing a couple of words and phrases of the local language is a huge plus!

Explore the new environment

If we asked you where the nearest ATM to your house was or where we could get a haircut in your neighborhood, you’d probably give us the answer right away. This information might seem insignificant but they are going to be crucial if you want to adapt to living abroad. Even before you start packing, do some research about the everyday, practical matters.

Check the local restaurants’ reviews to figure out where you go for dinner and what’s the best fact joint. Look for banks, hospitals, kindergartens, grocers, etc. nearby, as you create a make a mental map of the neighborhood. Once the move is completed, you can start asking the locals for the businesses they recommend.

We have covered the basics of moving to another country but you’ll find out many more details along the way. Moving abroad is a huge step in life that you need to prepare for accordingly but it is nothing to be doubtful of.