There is nothing more exciting or more complicated than moving abroad. There are many reasons why you should feel excited about your upcoming international move. You will get to live in a foreign country, meet new exciting people, explore the world, learn a new language, and so on. However, since you are moving internationally, you need to prepare everything properly in advance. How far in advance you should start planning an international move depends mostly on your free time and organizational skills. Still, there is a general timeline you should follow when moving internationally with a relocation company Hong Kong. Here is everything you need to know.
Planning an international move and making all the important decisions
There are many things to prepare before your international move. First of all, you need to make some important decisions. If you plan to move more items than you can fit in your personal luggage, you should hire international movers. If you plan to hire movers, then you need to book their moving services at least a couple of months in advance. Usually, this means at least six to eight months in advance. Of course, this time period would also depend on when you make decisions about relocation. Some people do not have eight months in advance. They might have four or even less. For this reason, as soon as you find out or make a final decision about your location, make sure to contact movers. You need to see whether they are available for your moving date or if they are moving to the country of your destination.
Applying for a visa
Another important thing that you need to prepare before moving to Canada from Hong Kong would be your visa. First of all, as soon as you find out that you need to move, you need to check whether you need a visa to enter your new country. Then, you need to gather all the necessary documents for a visa application. This is extremely important to do at least a couple of months in advance. the reason is quite simple. Sometimes, the process for applying for a visa can last up to several weeks or even months. Then, you need to check which type of visa you will need. There are multiple types of visas that you can apply for. Depending on the type, you will need to gather all the necessary documents. Make sure to contact the embassy in your country or check their official website.
Planning an international move and collecting documents
First of all, you cannot apply for a visa without your passport. You need to check the expiration date of your passport. If your passport is soon to be expired, you need to replace it as soon as possible. In general, your passport should be valid for at least three months after you enter a foreign country. Sometimes, they even ask for up to six months’ validity. Then, here is a list of the most common documents you should prepare not only for your visa application but also to bring with you to your new country. These documents should not be older than six months.
- birth certificate
- marriage certificate
- medical records
- bank drafts
- medical insurance documents, etc.
In addition to this, it would be smart to make a copy of all of these documents. Have them notarized.
Arranging a medical checkup and looking for a job
It is also important to visit your doctor before your international move. You should see whether you are in good health. This is also especially important if you are suffering from some chronic illness. This means that you need to take prescribed medicine all the time. Make sure to have enough medicine to last for the first couple of months. It would be also wise to talk with your doctor to see which medicine you can find in your new country. On the other hand, if you are considering finding a job, then you should see whether you will need additional certification or training. Usually, you need to prepare your resume, all the certificates that you have, possibly translate some of them, and so on. As mentioned before, make sure to have a couple of copies ready of your resume and certificates.
Planning an international move and your budget
Before moving overseas, you need to take a look at your budget. First of all, you should do little research about the cost of living in your destination country. This means looking at apartment rental rates, utility bills, the price of groceries, and so on. Then, you need to take into consideration your moving expenses. Do not forget to look into the tax on vacations involved in your home country and your new destination country. You should also contact your bank and get a global account for Internet banking.
In addition to this, if you are moving to a new country where English is not the official language or you’re not speaking the official language of your new country, you should consider a language course. Try to find a language course so you would have a basic knowledge of the language.
Get international health insurance
The last thing that you should do when planning an international move would be to obtain international health insurance. Make sure that you and whoever is moving with you are covered by a comprehensive medical plan in your destination country. In addition to this, you should also check what type of medical insurance you should have once you reach your new country. Usually, you can either get national or private health insurance. It would be wise to look into this before you actually move to your new country. As of now, it would be smart to get international health insurance that would cover at least the first month in your new country. During this first month, you can sign up for long-term insurance.
