Recruitment Guide For Expats

Considering Emigrating? Do your homework.

Your decision to emigrate to a specific country must be based on sound research and a thorough
decision-making process. A two-week holiday on the east coast of Australia or a one-week skiing trip to
the Rockies is not a solid enough basis upon which to emigrate. You must define exactly what you
realistically hope to achieve for you and your family by emigrating - write a list and ask your partner and
teenage kids to do the same. You need family buying.
Once this is complete, you need to research, research, research in order to pinpoint the right country -
even region, city, or town - for you. You need to find out about job opportunities, schools, property
prices living costs and lifestyle, and especially whether you qualify for a visa for the country in question.
Be warned do not make your choice too narrow if you need to find work.
The Internet, expat forums, books, exhibitions and specialist publications are all great sources of
information.
But is emigration for you and your family? Keep asking yourself this question and only when you have a
family consensus based on thorough research should you move forward as the process calls for
commitment and time.
When you've narrowed down your options, consider taking a research trip to investigate further but first
look into visa options. Will you get one? Wanting to emigrate and being able to emigrate are two
different things.
Remember: A research trip is not a holiday, but a hardheaded fact-finding trip. Look for a region that
needs the certified trade skills or professional qualifications and experience. You can offer:
Can you afford to live there?
Is the schooling acceptable?
WhaLs Lhe cllmaLe llke (12 monLhs of Lhe year?)
Do you like the live style?
What are the local skills shortages?
When you return home, see if what you've found out about your potential new home ticks all the boxes
on your emigration wish list. If it does, proceed.
If not, either shift focus to another city, region or country, or ask yourself if your wish list is more dream
than potential reality.

How to emigrate
It's all well and good knowing where you want to emigrate to, but will you be able to qualify for a visa to
get you there on a permanent basis?
Let's look in more detail at how to emigrate. This is all about researching visa options - and these fall
into five broad groups:
1). Skills-based visas - your qualifications and work experience are paramount. Note that Australia, New
Zealand and Canada run points-based systems whereby you have to provisionally score a certain mark in
order to apply. As part of this process, the skills that could qualify for a visa are clearly listed; there are
even regional lists in many cases, where the pass mark required to make an application worthwhile are
often lower than for the national visa equivalents.
Please note that some visas are age-sensitive. For example, if you are over 44 you are unable to qualify
for an Australian skills-based visa (the exceptions are employer nomination and state/territory
sponsored business visas); if you are over 55, New Zealand is also out of bounds in this respect. In
Canada, no age is theoretically too old, but you'll score fewer points if you are over the age of 49.
Use the Internet to research the current situation.
2). Business visas - you have a qualifying investment, relevant experience and/or a promising business
idea. Rarely used in our experience.
3). Family visas - you have a parent, brother, sister or child who is a permanent resident or citizen of
Australia, New Zealand, Canada or America and who is eligible to sponsor your emigration. But you will
need to demonstrate how you will support yourself and get a job. More theory, than practice.
4). Retiree visas - CfLen known as Lhe Mllllonalres vlsa". ?ou have sufflclenL funds (reallsLlcally, aL leasL
AUS$1 million) and satisfactory health to emigrate to Australia on a rolling four-year basis. Note that
Canada, America and New Zealand do not have retiree visas, although America's EB-5 investor is
sometimes presented as a retirement visa because it requires a 'passive' investment).
5) Temporary visas - you are unwilling or unable to emigrate on a permanent basis, so secure a
temporary work permit, working holidaymaker visa or a study visa to help you get your foot in the door.
Of course, all this can be rather confusing (especially when it comes to filling in the forms - or you may
be concerned that you're missing a visa trick and that this will jeopardize or delay your plans. In this
case, many emigrants decide that they'd like the peace of mind of employing an expert to help them get
their appllcaLlon spoL on. 8u1 donL do Lhls unLll you have carrled ouL Lhe maxlmum amounL of personal
research.
There are two broad types of expert help at hand: immigration lawyers/attorneys and immigration
consultants/advisors - most of which are regulated.
Unfortunately, the emigration industry also has a few less-than-expert companies and rip-off merchants,
so caveat emptor apply just as much as it does in many other industries.
Be particularly careful in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Again spend time researching the visas on offer and the qualification requirements especially language
and skills recognition and make sure you can fulfill these and consider moving forward with this at an
early stage. Absence of skills recognition and the inability to satisfy language requirement will kill a visa
application stone dead and employers will not engage as well as the prospect of employing you is to
remote.

Getting a job
In the course of working through the visa options, you might discover that the success of your
application depends on you securing a job before you apply. If so, you have two options: Firstly, find a
job yourself or, secondly, employ a recruitment specialist to help you. As with many things in life, this
comes down to time and money. Do you have the time to prepare a CV/resume, and research and
approach companies, or can you spare the money to employ a specialist who will maximize your
chances of finding a job as soon as possible?
For example qualifying in New Zealand's Skilled Migration Category and securing the popular H-1B or EB-
3 visas for America often require a firm job offer being in place before the application is made. Changes
occur all the time and it is hard for even specialists to keep on top of the regulations:
We need to be brutal here to get a job:
Will you pass a medical?
You need to be on the skills shortage list of the relevant country
You need a tip top personal profile, which goes well beyond a basic CV to succeed
You need skills recognition of your trade or professional skills
You probably need 5 years plus experience in your trade or profession
If you are not a native born English speaker you will need IELTS (www.ielts.org) and the levels
needed fluctuate depending on the jobs applied for. Establish the level and get the grades before
you apply.
lf you donL fulflll Lhese baslc crlLerla you need Lo reassess, as emlgraLlon mlghL be a plpedream raLher
than a realistic option.
Even if you don't need a job, you may find getting one is highly beneficial to your emigration plans.
Although Britain seems to be worse affected by the credit crunch than most countries, the downturn is
global. Competition for work is also global. Why would you employ you?

Time scales
Generally speaking, skilled visa applications for Australia, New Zealand and America take approximately
6-12 months to be processed. However, there are plenty of exceptions to this.
Should you obtain a visa, you are given one year to use it - that is, land in your destination country and
'activate' the visa.
Whatever your emigration timescale, ensure that the passports of all family members will still be valid
by the time you jet off to your new life.
Dont forget the boring bits
Once you have your visa, the emigration trail often turns into a sprint finish - typically in the three
months immediately preceding your emigration. Here are a few examples of what you have to think
about:
Selling your house? Is 3 months realistic?
Kids schooling?
Money matters?
Health Insurance?
Selling unwanted items and preparing others for shipment
Selling your car
Cancelling insurance policies
Bringing payments for utilities and other regular services up to date
Informing key financial institutions and governmental departments of your impending move and
new address
Requesting credit references
Handing your notice in at work
Collating all necessary paperwork in a convenient file. We recommend this from day one
Booking car hire for arrival - and confirming hotel reservations (if appropriate)
Packing essentials to tide you over until the rest of your possessions arrive, and packing carry-on
bags for the flight
Organizing a farewell party
Arranging transport to the airport
Networking plan on arrival? Joining local clubs and attending local social functions.
Emigration is a journey and not a race and takes time. It will be different from home, wherever you
started your journey. It is your responsibility to fit into where you have chosen to live and avoid
comments that denigrate your new live compared to your old one.
Understandably criticism winds up the locals!

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