Emigration Curiosity

So with me doing the deed this year (at last) and hearing on the various grapevines about how many people are thinking of doing it and whatnot, I am curious as to how much it has picked up with all of SA's new round of woes.

Are any of you planning to leave the country?

- If so, are you in a planning phase or are you onto the next step of looking for work and doing passports, etc. Personally, I know of 4 people that are in an advanced phase and easily 7 others who are planning to. That's not even family yet, of which I think the remainder of mine, will be almost all outta here within the next year to 18 months.


Where are you hoping/looking to move to?

- Most of the people I've mentioned, including myself, are doing the usual UK/NZ/OZ/Canada thing but there are the odd ones who are looking at going to places like Croatia and Japan and Thailand.


Just solo or only with family?

- I'll be leaving with me mum (not leaving her here) to the UK and once she's settled and hooked up with extended family and stuff, I'm going to try my luck at Canada or USA.

I am leaving SA for good in the next 2 years.
I've got a USA (Providence Rhode Island) trip planned at the end of October till then end of January 2016.
Once I'm back I'll get all my stuff in order be gone for good.

Unforuntately I can't take my parents with me, my dad isn't keen and my mom won't leave my dad behind..but maybe in a couple of years once SA is a steaming pile of shit they'll change their minds.

All I can say is the cost is high but worth it.

The missus and I have spoken about it before, but haven't really done anything substantial about it. Also our destination is uncertain if we do decide to emigrate. It would either be Australia or Canada.

If we do leave it would only my wife, kid and myself. My dad has also threatened to move out of the country, but he wants to go to the US, which I am not very keen on doing.

There are 2 guys working with me who are both in the advanced stages of moving to Australia. Both already have visas, have done the english exam things, etc.

Well As you know I left with my brother and mother. My dad didn't want to go but He is considering it now.

As joker states the cost is extremely high but its worth it. From all the crap with eskom it will destroy the economy.

the weather may suck in the uk(though Its my type of weather)just everything works here. You can take the bus or the train anywhere.

Certain things like meat aren't that great but how long will that stay like that in sa. I can walk the streets at night,or during the day :p

I don't regret leaving. Just regret my friends aren't so lucky.

It can take time though like visas and what not(my mom had to get a visa)

we are in the process of... been dealing with emigration lawyers for the past six months. but i have to do what i think is right for my kids - but damn will i miss Africa

and i will never support Australian rugby

Arg...This is such a touchy subject with my misses. You see she studied 6 years part time for her Lawyers what whats. She feels that it was a waste if we leave and she wouldn't know what else to do if we did immigrate. She really has love and passion for going to court and I would feel like I have robbed her if I really pushed her to immigrate.

I could live in Brazil as most of the family is there and my ma is planning moving there now. But jeez to learn the language could be a nightmare. Would much rather prefer some place like Canada though.

Are any of you planning to leave the country?

Yes, waiting for the final visa (which has already been submitted) then buying plane tickets etc. Other visas are already ready. Planning to leave June/July.

Where are you hoping/looking to move to?

Australia

Just solo or only with family?

Taking family.

A friend of mine moved to Australia end of last year and they are absolutely loving it, no doubts,regrets, nothing.
I personally, would never leave this country... as crappy as it can be its my home:)

I will be leaving for Israel for work opportunities to help my brother with his Gold and Silver selling business sometime in the next 3 months.

i have been offered the opportunity to move to the states, but as im still busy studying part time for my LLB that would mean i would have to start over on that side. however if i complete my degree here i can still practice law there i can just not do divorce and criminal matters (which i dont want to do in any event as i dont like the whole appearing in court thing). also getting married next year so need to get that over and done with as well.

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Originally Posted by Wenzdayz

i have been offered the opportunity to move to the states, but as im still busy studying part time for my LLB that would mean i would have to start over on that side. however if i complete my degree here i can still practice law there i can just not do divorce and criminal matters (which i dont want to do in any event as i dont like the whole appearing in court thing). also getting married next year so need to get that over and done with as well.

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Just a random Q.
What would require you to become qualified there in Law?Bar exam?

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Originally Posted by Wenzdayz

i have been offered the opportunity to move to the states, but as im still busy studying part time for my LLB that would mean i would have to start over on that side. however if i complete my degree here i can still practice law there i can just not do divorce and criminal matters (which i dont want to do in any event as i dont like the whole appearing in court thing). also getting married next year so need to get that over and done with as well.

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I'm sure your wife loves that you are thinking of just getting it over and done with :D

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Originally Posted by ArchieChoke

Just a random Q.
What would require you to become qualified there in Law?Bar exam?

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Afaik he'll have to do some bridging courses on the differences and write exams to prove his ability.

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Originally Posted by ArchieChoke

Just a random Q.
What would require you to become qualified there in Law?Bar exam?

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you will need a certificate of good standing form the law society here and then you just go write an admittance to their bar exam i think. my old boss is doing that this year. California law is very similar to our law and if your in the commercial law business even better cause business law is similar around the globe. i think new yorks law is also quite similar.

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Originally Posted by Wenzdayz

you will need a certificate of good standing form the law society here and then you just go write an admittance to their bar exam i think. my old boss is doing that this year. California law is very similar to our law and if your in the commercial law business even better cause business law is similar around the globe. i think new yorks law is also quite similar.

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Thanks I will use this information when the time arises.:p

As you probably know I want to live in Mauritius but need money :(

I'm seriously considering it, especially after another horrible week. Have a contact in Brisbane, Australia who's been badgering me to come work for him for years now. I think I might just bite the bullet and do it. Finances won't be an issue, as I can sell my house for at least a R400k profit today.

Problem comes in with family matters - as some of you might know, my father-in-law passed away December last year and my mother-in-law stays with my wife and I now. If the wife and I move, my mother-in-law has to come with. My wife doesn't want to do that, because she would be "stealing" her mom away from her older sister and our nice would "grow up without a grandmother". There's loads of family politics going on there, so it will make things tremendously difficult. My parents (mom especially) is encouraging me to make the move though... She even got a Swedish contact for me this week to see if I can go there. Jag gillar det mycket!

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Originally Posted by FarligOpptreden

Problem comes in with family matters - as some of you might know, my father-in-law passed away December last year and my mother-in-law stays with my wife and I now. If the wife and I move, my mother-in-law has to come with. My wife doesn't want to do that, because she would be "stealing" her mom away from her older sister and our nice would "grow up without a grandmother". There's loads of family politics going on there, so it will make things tremendously difficult. My parents (mom especially) is encouraging me to make the move though... She even got a Swedish contact for me this week to see if I can go there. Jag gillar det mycket!

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It's never easy. Best of luck with the decisions that you need to make.

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Originally Posted by FarligOpptreden

I'm seriously considering it, especially after another horrible week. Have a contact in Brisbane, Australia who's been badgering me to come work for him for years now. I think I might just bite the bullet and do it. Finances won't be an issue, as I can sell my house for at least a R400k profit today.

Problem comes in with family matters - as some of you might know, my father-in-law passed away December last year and my mother-in-law stays with my wife and I now. If the wife and I move, my mother-in-law has to come with. My wife doesn't want to do that, because she would be "stealing" her mom away from her older sister and our nice would "grow up without a grandmother". There's loads of family politics going on there, so it will make things tremendously difficult. My parents (mom especially) is encouraging me to make the move though... She even got a Swedish contact for me this week to see if I can go there. Jag gillar det mycket!

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Then can't the mother live with the older sister then. I don't think its fair on you if you have an opportunity to get work and live there and not to be able to go and give it a shot bec of one person. I know It sounds selfish but I would do it.

I mean even of my mother or brother didn't come with I would of still went, and my dad is by himself in sa. He Really considering selling up and moving over.

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Originally Posted by Tsar

Then can't the mother live with the older sister then. I don't think its fair on you if you have an opportunity to get work and live there and not to be able to go and give it a shot bec of one person. I know It sounds selfish but I would do it.

I mean even of my mother or brother didn't come with I would of still went, and my dad is by himself in sa. He Really considering selling up and moving over.

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Sister-in-law doesn't have a house big enough for her to stay in - they live in a smallish townhouse with their daughter with next to no spare parking. At least we have a sizable home, driveway big enough for 4-5 cars and no children. So she lives comfortably with us and helps out with some bills at the moment (which is immensely appreciated, considering my current work situation). She is a dear and loving person and I would actually enjoy having her on the other side, but like I said, POLITICS.

As much as things can suck in SA at times, I'll be leaving way to many friends/family behind, won't be able to do it

Friends, as much as I love some of them, can't figure into me staying somewhere where I have to put up with bullshit. Family is different but even then, if they wanna put up with the kak and not even entertain the thought of leaving .......

Luckily my really good lifelong friends think similar and are over there or thinking about it. Likewise my immediate family.



Really interesting reading everyone's replies, it may seem like only a handful but I reckon it would have been way way fewer some years back.

It's sad for me to see so many people that want to leave the country, but it's totally understandable. Most people I know that have emigrated are enjoying their time immense, but I also know that they always say the grass is not all that greener on the other side. Yes, we have a plethora of issues in this country, but it's not all fun and games in other countries. Every place has it's problems and issues.

I myself will probably never emigrate. Despite all the issues I love this country too much. I will probably one day get the opportunity to work oversees via my company as we expand globally, but it's always on a 2 year working contract. I'll do something like that, but I'll always want to come back to SA.

This is just my opinion and I have no problem with people wanting to leave the country. All I'm saying is remember that every single country has it's issues. There is no such place as a Utopian state that's perfect.

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Originally Posted by Mephisto_Helix

Friends, as much as I love some of them, can't figure into me staying somewhere where I have to put up with bullshit. Family is different but even then, if they wanna put up with the kak and not even entertain the thought of leaving .......

Luckily my really good lifelong friends think similar and are over there or thinking about it. Likewise my immediate family.

Really interesting reading everyone's replies, it may seem like only a handful but I reckon it would have been way way fewer some years back.

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Tons of people have already left though. At the company that I work for lots of the people who resigned actually emigrated. Both of my brothers emigrated. Basically everyone in my sister-in-laws team was also in the process of going. I think you'll be surprised if you see how full the test hall is for IELTS test. They basically can't keep up with demand and it's often the case that people have to wait a few months to get a slot to write the exam.

Left during December already for Europe. Solo. Planning on moving again in like a couple years. Just need to decide where. Thinking something Scandinavian maybe.

Things have been really good this side. Family aside I miss little about SA (so far).

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Originally Posted by Wyzak

Tons of people have already left though. At the company that I work for lots of the people who resigned actually emigrated. Both of my brothers emigrated. Basically everyone in my sister-in-laws team was also in the process of going. I think you'll be surprised if you see how full the test hall is for IELTS test. They basically can't keep up with demand and it's often the case that people have to wait a few months to get a slot to write the exam.

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Actually considered making the move a couple of years ago (around 2011/2). Wife and I booked for IELTS, but at the last minute we decided to to go through with everything. I only got the cancellation conformation email in January this year. :D

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Originally Posted by DieGrootHammer

It's sad for me to see so many people that want to leave the country, but it's totally understandable. Most people I know that have emigrated are enjoying their time immense, but I also know that they always say the grass is not all that greener on the other side. Yes, we have a plethora of issues in this country, but it's not all fun and games in other countries. Every place has it's problems and issues.

I myself will probably never emigrate. Despite all the issues I love this country too much. I will probably one day get the opportunity to work oversees via my company as we expand globally, but it's always on a 2 year working contract. I'll do something like that, but I'll always want to come back to SA.

This is just my opinion and I have no problem with people wanting to leave the country. All I'm saying is remember that every single country has it's issues. There is no such place as a Utopian state that's perfect.

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I get that man, I think most people who are leaving or have left still love this country. I know I do. But yeah, the impact of crime and power and increasing costs and degradation of any service has sealed the deal.

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Originally Posted by DieGrootHammer

It's sad for me to see so many people that want to leave the country, but it's totally understandable. Most people I know that have emigrated are enjoying their time immense, but I also know that they always say the grass is not all that greener on the other side. Yes, we have a plethora of issues in this country, but it's not all fun and games in other countries. Every place has it's problems and issues.

I myself will probably never emigrate. Despite all the issues I love this country too much. I will probably one day get the opportunity to work oversees via my company as we expand globally, but it's always on a 2 year working contract. I'll do something like that, but I'll always want to come back to SA.

This is just my opinion and I have no problem with people wanting to leave the country. All I'm saying is remember that every single country has it's issues. There is no such place as a Utopian state that's perfect.

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No country is perfect, but SA isn't even in the middle any more if you were to rank the countries by some scale which could represent utopianness. Every country has issues, but the scale of their issues is far less than ours.

Have you ever been out of the country?

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Originally Posted by Mephisto_Helix

I get that man, I think most people who are leaving or have left still love this country. I know I do. But yeah, the impact of crime and power and increasing costs and degradation of any service has sealed the deal.

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Then it's for the best bud. Life's too short to sit somewhere you are not truly happy. Why not make the change? If you have the means and convictions then go for it. What is making me nervous is that, if things continue the way they are now, I may have no choice but to abandon ship and flee my beloved country.

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Originally Posted by Wyzak

No country is perfect, but SA isn't even in the middle any more if you were to rank the countries by some scale which could represent utopianness. Every country has issues, but the scale of their issues is far less than ours.

Have you ever been out of the country?

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True, SA is suffering from some sever issues. But I am still living a very happy, normal life doing everything I want and love. I can have that In SA. Yes, the shit we have to deal with is bad, but it's not enough to make me up and leave.

And yes I've been outside of the country, and know quite a few people that are living in Europe and Canada. I am still happy in SA.

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Originally Posted by Mephisto_Helix

Friends, as much as I love some of them, can't figure into me staying somewhere where I have to put up with bullshit. Family is different but even then, if they wanna put up with the kak and not even entertain the thought of leaving .......

Luckily my really good lifelong friends think similar and are over there or thinking about it. Likewise my immediate family.



Really interesting reading everyone's replies, it may seem like only a handful but I reckon it would have been way way fewer some years back.

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A few years back even two years I didn't think I would of moved(always wanted to)but honestly thought I wasn't going to leave sa. Though years ago when we got high jacked,must of been 2000 we nearly did move to the uk but my mom didn't want to. Now look funny how things are in life.

For me it wasn't about the country but the people. I.E the idiots that run the country. Also The economy of sa is in danger.

But I am happy with my choice.

I have had the usual 3.5 year stint in the UK and made some great mates there, but I will never be able to permanently leave SA. I must be naive, but there are so many chances to make something great in this country.

I think it might also be a small degree of fear of the unknown, not knowing what will await in a strange country.

My wife's gran is from Norway and I would love to do a few years there (looks amazing) and some island somewhere must certainly need some more hands! But in the end I will always come back to SA. This is my home and I am not going to abandon it for some schmuck running amok. (no, I am not blaming or accusing anyone leaving of anything!)

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Originally Posted by oltman

I have had the usual 3.5 year stint in the UK and made some great mates there, but I will never be able to permanently leave SA. I must be naive, but there are so many chances to make something great in this country.

I think it might also be a small degree of fear of the unknown, not knowing what will await in a strange country.

My wife's gran is from Norway and I would love to do a few years there (looks amazing) and some island somewhere must certainly need some more hands! But in the end I will always come back to SA. This is my home and I am not going to abandon it for some schmuck running amok. (no, I am not blaming or accusing anyone leaving of anything!)

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I don't blame you for not wanting to go to the UK :P There are places that are a lot more similar to SA in the world, without so many of the negatives.

I'd love to leave the country, I unfortunately just don't have the means to. I'm not incredibly unhappy here, but I am worried about where things are heading.

Are any of you planning to leave the country?

I want to but that means leaving all my family behind and that just doesn't work for me. :/

I'm not at the point where I'm planning to emigrate, but I have thought about it and I have discussed it with my wife. Both of us lean more and more towards emigrating. We love SA and all our family is here, but if it becomes unbearable here we'll start making plans. I just have absolutely no idea where to start. I don't even know where I would want to go.

As some may recall, I left SA in September 2014 to begin a new life in the UK - London specifically, and living in this city is a bit of a unique beast in many ways, and I love it already. London is a fantastic gateway to the rest of Europe, and it's a great place to take my career to the next level, bristling with job opportunities.

It was a combination of things that drove me to make the final decision, but the state of SA's politics, social problems, and economy was no small factor.

I left by myself - this was not a whim as I'd been considering it for many years, but the planning and execution happened very rapidly. One day I realised that I could talk about it all I wanted to, and wait around for something to change, or to change my mind, but that wasn't happening, and I might be missing out on a life adventure otherwise.

Being a British citizen made the UK an easy destination, and aside from a bit of paperwork when I arrived, I've been assimilated into the system without trouble. Lining up a decent job before I left was fortunate, as I fully expected to still be on the hunt when I arrived.

Aside from the obvious statements - I miss family and friends - I don't miss much about SA itself. The weather and 'outdoorsy' lifestyle is probably the only major life-altering concession to living in the UK, and in London at least, it's not terrible (so far). Other missing elements are things I can work toward attaining again.

By and large, my day to day quality of life hasn't changed significantly, and in terms of cultural, lifestyle and consumer appetite, I am more than satisfied.

I realise that I may have had an easier time than some others will, but I'm well on track to being settled down and stress free (in relation to the immigration) within a year of arriving.

For the time being, I am very happy in the UK, and while I can't predict that I won't get the wanderlust again in a few years, a lot of things will have to change in SA for me to consider settling there again for any length of time.

Awesome feedback James, it's always nice to hear of someone who embraced the change and is making a full go of it. I have friends over there much like you, they have settled and are loving it compared to when they were here.

Too many people mope their days away there and then convince themselves it's not SA so it's shit and then give up and tell their sad 'horror' stories about stuff being super awful.

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Originally Posted by Mephisto_Helix

Awesome feedback James, it's always nice to hear of someone who embraced the change and is making a full go of it. I have friends over there much like you, they have settled and are loving it compared to when they were here.

Too many people mope their days away there and then convince themselves it's not SA so it's shit and then give up and tell their sad 'horror' stories about stuff being super awful.

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I heard my fair share of that. Told them atleast I'll have electricity.

Ah didn't know you're in London James. Need to add you on steam then - getting 15 pings to London.

When my PC arrives anyway.... (supposed to be 2 days ago :/)

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Originally Posted by HavocXphere

Ah didn't know you're in London James. Need to add you on steam then - getting 15 pings to London.

When my PC arrives anyway.... (supposed to be 2 days ago :/)

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You in london?

Not in England. European fibre link though so good pings to most EU places