What goes into moving globally?
Moving house for many people can be a time consuming and stressful occurrence. You need to take time off work, if you have children there are new schools to be found and if you relocate internationally, there is a whole new culture to deal with! With so much going on it is easy to fall victim to common mistakes that only further increase the difficulty of transitioning into a new life.
On October the 22nd in India, the locals celebrate the day Dusserha. On this day many people of the Hindu faith offer up food to the gods at their local temples and hold special prayer meetings. This might seem interesting but somewhat irrelevant when it comes to relocation. This is a common misconception. Dusserha, is a public holiday for many people and most government branches. So if you were to move to India on the 22nd, you would have no access to stores, most government houses and most businesses. Without forward planning, this type of scenario is common for many people who move overseas. By not knowing about local public holidays, religious observations or customs you can leave yourself stranded. An easy way to avoid this is through knowledge. Before moving to a new country it is always best to research as much possible about your new home, including the local culture and customs, and the general environment that you’ll be living in.
Schooling is another area that can cause unwarranted stress. Education is important for your children and if you are moving within Australia’s borders their study units can easily be integrated and transferred over. However moving around the world and finding schools for your children can be a little more than tricky. What your child is learning in Australia may not be taught at the same time in your new home country (or at all) and they may in fact miss out on an entire unit of study.
This can cause both you and your child to face unnecessary stress. The best way to avoid this is timing. Make sure that if you have a school in mind that you pay attention to the end of year dates and the start of year (semester starting) commencement dates. This is will ensure that your child has the best possible chance to learn at the same rate as the other children and/or can seamlessly integrate their learning with that of their new education system.
Pets are integral members of the family unit, and it is important that you take the time to properly plan for the relocation of your much loved animal. It is easy with so much else on your plate to overlook rules and regulations that apply to taking your pet overseas. For instance if you have a native Australian animal as a pet it may not be allowed to leave our country in order to protect and conserve our native wildlife (see here for a list of animals you can take).
A lot of countries ban the travel of parrots and other birds, deeming them too much of a risk. These laws are strict and if over looked you could be looking at a hefty fine and could risk the life of your house hold pet due to termination. A solution to this is reading up on legislation. Yes, it may be boring; however most government s provide a list of regulations regarding what is animals are legal to bring within their borders. It is best to understand what category your pet falls under and if worse comes to worst then putting your pet up for adoption or giving them to a friend maybe the best option considering that the penalty can be termination.
There are a lot of rules, regulations and considerations one must make when moving to a new state or country, however with the proper preparation and research you can bypass some of the more stressful and hazardous aspects of this process.
Expat International has managed the relocation process for thousands of individuals and families since 1983. With the expertise and caring approach of your personally assigned Global Mobility Manager, we assure that you will seamlessly transition from your old life into your home, in no time at all.
If you have any questions about moving overseas or interstate please check out our website at www.expat.com.au. Or to get into contact with us click here