Planning on immigrating . . .

Many people all over the world have desires to immigrate to western countries. Those desiring to immigrate to other countries have their own reasons for wanting to move abroad. The number one reason for immigration is the prospect of a better lifestyle. Indian citizens who immigrate to other countries are known in India as non resident Indians. Hence the term NRI. Many citizens in India wish to join the NRI club by moving overseas. To some being an NRI is the easy path to wealth and prosperity. Some of the common reasons mentioned by people wanting to immigrate to the west are: • There are more job opportunities in western countries. • Salaries are much higher when compared to India. • Education is much better and a move is good for school going children. Probe a little further and reasons such as corruption, pollution and several things that are wrong with India are pointed out as the reason why some of these potential NRI's want to move away from India. While some of the reasons people give for wanting to move away from India do have merit. Many people do not know what exactly is on the other side of the world that they so much want to be part of. As the saying goes, The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. People wanting to immigrate to another country to better themselves is understandable. It is however necessary for those planning to immigrate abroad to get a true picture of what lies ahead before making any concrete decisions.

IMMIGRATING ABROAD?

Before you go and sell the family business and start packing your bags there are some things to consider: 1. Economic conditions in many western countries that were once good locations to immigrate to have changed. 2. It is not uncommon for NRI's to overstate the wealth of the countries they have immigrated to. Some have a tendency to boast about their achievements abroad. So keep in mind that what you hear is not always true. Check facts and don't just go by hearsay. 3. Travel agents and so called immigrant consultants target people with money and try and entice them with guaranteed immigrant visas. All I can say is do your homework before you part with your money. Information that some Immigrations consultants provide is usually available free of cost by the host countries where one wishes to immigrate to. 4. Unless you are a professional or have special skills. The chance of finding employment overseas after immigrating are not that great. 5. Thousands of immigrants work in jobs that they would not dream of accepting in their home countries. It is not uncommon to see new immigrants with masters degrees driving taxis or working on low paying jobs in the United States and Canada. Yes there are labor jobs in factories where employees are paid salaries of 30 and 40 dollars per hour, However such cases are an exception and many high paying labor jobs are gradually disappearing in North America as manufacturing is rapidly moving to countries where labor costs are low. Statistics Canada released a study on January 30, 2007 which states that the economic situation new immigrants to Canada showed no improvement after the turn of the millennium. Despite the fact that they had much higher levels of education and many more were in the skilled immigrant class than a decade earlier. The statistics Canada report goes on to state that nearly one in five of recent immigrants who arrived between 1992 and 2000 were in low income at least four years during their first five years in Canada. Many immigrants form countries like India are mislead into believing that their is a lot of growth in Canada. Several highly qualified professionals are mislead by advertisements that do not give a realistic picture of the problems many skilled workers face here when seeking jobs related to their field. Information for those who do decide to immigrate overseas is discussed on our immigrating abroad page.