Another half year done ! It is officially winter again in Australia, and summery-rainy in India. And with countries starting to take this vaccine-race seriously (except ScoMo, who prefers a stroll), things are starting to look better. Already countries are trying to remove travel bans, and come up with vaccine-passports, to allow unrestricted and un-quarantined travel internationally.
Yes, very well aware of the fact that the vaccinated can still get COVID, but it won't be as deadly serious as it has been.
Which has brought back the attention to old conundrum- human migration. Unlike birds and beasts who can cross borders unrestricted, human beings need to get permission to move into a new country.
Over on reddit , clueless aspirants have always asked questions on how they can 'easily' move across to a more developed nation permanently, without the hassle of a higher education. And foremost among them are Indians.
People from every career and age group have been asking of the easy way to get out of India. And the answer is cruel. There is no easy way.
Most of the people asking questions about migrating, won't be able to follow through with their plans. They are the early stage of migrating, where they have not yet made a decision where they want to go to. The fact that they are asking questions on a free site for free information means they haven't done the cost and time analysis for a permanent migration.
Yes, moving permanently out of the country you were born into , to a totally new nation , with new rules, languages and culture is one of the biggest decision a person can take. And it is especially difficult when the mgirant is stuck in a third world country like India/Bangaldesh/somwhere in Africa, to a developed nation. And the reason for this is cost. The cost of the visa alone is unbearable , and many times the average yearly salary. And there are additional costs and expenditures that play out when the migrant moves.
But there is also the red-tape that comes from the nations being so different. In India , for instance, many youngsters choose to study courses which don't have a worker demand in foreign nations. Like Art, or History. Nowadays the modern age has given rise to digital nomads, who 'specialise' in digital marketing and social media management. But these professions cannot help one move over, as they do not require special skills. Also courses taught in colleges in India need not be in tune with those taught abroad. This is why a thorough skill assessment is done during the the PR application process, to assess whether the candidate's education and work experience will be relevant in the target country.
But then there are the cut-offs. Countries which offer a points based migration path have upper limits to age, which leads to tricky situations. You could have 15 years work experience, and gain points, but by that time you will also be in your thirties, which means you lose points for age. The reality is this: if you have not migrated permanently by the time you are 30, your chances diminish rapidly after that.
Then there is the language problem. Except for a few countries like US, UK, most developed nations use a different language for everyday conversation. And this poses a big problem for those trying to move to Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands...etc. Even Canada uses French. So moving to such countries automatically means gaining the required expertise in whatever language they use. This means additional cost, and time, to train and take the language test. And yes, the tests are strict, and there are various levels that accurately measure exactly how fluent you are.
And finally, there is the harsh reality that getting a visa to move is just step 1. Step 2 is to get that first job. And there is no guarantee of how long it will take you to land your first job in the new country, after having moved there. Companies are hesitant to make offers to immigrants who have just moved in. The afore mentioned differences in language and culture are some reasons, but most employers are just not willing to take that risk, until they can get a proper reference from you. I have heard stories of people who spent upto 6 months looking for jobs, and had to return when they couldn't land one.
Moving countries is not easy, and needs investment in money , time, and patience. And most important, a plan. Like most things in life, there is no easy way out.
But people have done it, and continue to do it. And that means that it is not impossible. The pandemic has dealt a blow to the migration plans of many millions, and changes in the way people and companies work means things will be visibly different from now on.
To summarise, most aspirant migrants wont' be able to do so. But for those who are committed to the cause, and willing to go any length, maybe, just maybe, they could.
How much are you committed ?
