CHOOSING A DESTINATION

Why, Where and How

Here are several reasons why people migrate. If you are one of those who wish to do so, the first decision you must make is where to go. But before discussing different countries and how to gain entry and residency there, let us see how to choose the right country and also understand the general aspects of migrating as applicable to most countries.

Why People Migrate

We give below some, though by no means all, of the reasons why may find it advantageous to migrate.

1. Improving Your Economic Prospects

It has been a dream of many to emigrate to a rich country like the US, and it may well be yours too. The streets of New York may not be paved with gold, but the US does offer tremendous opportunity for economic betterment and a significantly higher standard of living than most other places in the world.

2. Escaping Persecution

If you find that your country has abandoned the due process of law for a repressive and restrictive government, you may do well to migrate. A number of people from Myanmar (Burma), Cuba, North Korea, etc. Gain political asylum elsewhere if they manage to leave their homelands. People from India, especially Punjab, have also sought refuge or political asylum in the US, Germany, Canada, etc.

3. Tax Saving

Obtaining citizenship of another country, or even just residency there, may save you taxes. Simply speaking, to avoid taxes you have to become a non-resident of your country. The general rule is to stay in your country for less than six months in a year. However, you should check the exact period with a tax consultant.

4. Changing for a Better Environment

You may prefer the beaches of Australia to those of Goa. Or you may wish to migrate because you want to have your children brought up and educated in the United States.

5. Seeking a Better Business Climate

Then, too, you may feel stifled in an environment of stringent regulations and prefer to do business in a freer economy. In India, even after liberalization, the private sector is still shackled with excessive regulation. You may well conclude that better, business opportunities exist elsewhere. Further, in India the government owns and controls telephones (other than cellular), railways, nuclear energy, power, most of the big banks and financial institutions, mines, post offices, airports, and so on. None of these run efficiently. You may decide that the system has become unbearable and go to a country where telephones works, where there are no power cuts, where it is possible to obtain cheap rail tickets and also get better service from the railways, where it doesn�t take days to get cheques credited to your account, and where you do not have to queue up to obtain your everyday necessities.

Where to Go

If you have already decided where you want to go, then we suggest that you skip this portion and move on.

For those who have decided to migrate but do not know where to go, or have several choices available, we list certain factors, which you may wish to take into consideration. This listing is certainly not all-encompassing, and you may have valid reasons for choosing a country based on factors not mentioned here.

Our choice of countries, in order of preference, would be as follows:

1. USA

2. Canada

3. Australia

4. Europe (UK preferable)

5. New Zealand

6. Singapore.

We have not included the Middle East here, as it is not a place where you could go for permanent settlement. However, the Middle East does offer the chance to earn and save considerable amounts of money in a short span of three to four years, and so we have devoted a chapter to it. Japan too is not included in the above list, as it offers no immigration facilities.

Continued......