There are lots of reasons you might be thinking about moving abroad. Maybe you’re in search of better opportunities and a chance to earn more money, or you might have found that you can get more for the money that you do have if you move. In lots of places the homes are cheaper and the surroundings are nicer so you have the chance to live in a bigger and more beautiful place for the same amount of money. You might just be fed up of dealing with rain all the time and want better weather, or it could be a case of wanting a safer place for your children to grow up. Whatever the motivation is, there’s no denying that its a huge decision, here are a few areas to give some extra thought to.
Work and school
One of the biggest things to bear in mind when you want to move is that you need to be able to support yourself financially. If you’re moving because you’ve been offered a job in the place you’re going to then this box is already ticked. Otherwise you’ll beed to make sure you have the skills that you need to get another job there, or that there are even job vacancies that suit the things you can do. If you have the opportunity to earn money doing remote work or freelancing that can be useful even if it’s during the transition process as you have some guaranteed income that you can get no matter what location you’re in (as long as you have access to the internet!). When you’re moving with a family, your children’s school is of course going to be a top priority. You’ll need to consider what the education system is like in the part of the world that you’re moving to. If it’s not as good as where you live now, then you could look into home schooling. If you’re moving to a very different place in the world then you may have to consider any language barriers and have some extra tuition set up so you and your children can all learn the language.
Visas/ paperwork
It’s easy to get caught up in schools and work when you’re moving abroad and of course these are important. But don’t get caught out by the paperwork side of moving overseas. Visas and residency rules and what you’re allowed to do day to day can change everything, (including whether you can work straight away, access healthcare or open a bank account, or even rent a place in your own name!) It’s also worth looking at things like how you’ll prove your address and what documents you might need translated, and whether your driving licence is valid or needs swapping. You might need to deal with Form 5471 filing requirements for your taxes, there are lots of bits of paperwork that absolutely have to be in order. So make this a priority!
People
Finally, moving away from the friends and family you have at home is never going to be easy. Thanks to the internet and social media/ video chats etc it’s easy to stay in touch these days but it’s never going to be easy being far away from those you care about so it’s something to consider before you go. On the flip side if you’re moving to be closer to family then this could be an easy choice, having a network around you when you move can make the process so much easier and will most likely have you feeling settled a lot quicker.