Relocating For Love

Falling in love is absolutely fantastic. You spend so much time with someone, they take over your world and sparks fly. But what happens when your partner decides that you should move to their home country?

You’d have to leave everything you know behind, from your job to your family and your way of life.

Some people think that it’s a dream, moving to a place you do not know to enjoying all the pleasures a different country has to offer, but is it really as glamorous as it seems?

explores this.

If you are ever in a position where you want to move to another country for your partner, you must remember a number of things: Are you going to find a job there? Are you going to continue your studies there? Depending on which country is the destination, there are few applications which you have to fill in to make sure that everything is in order, especially if you won’t be moving as a married couple.

In Finland, for example, you must apply for a first residence permit if you’re going to staying for more than 90 days. Because you’ll probably looking for a job there as well, you’ll probably get your residence permit within four months or so.

You also have to get a Schengen visa. This is a document which allows you to travel between 26 countries who are part of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). According to the website, however, there are “certain requirements similar to every embassy/consulate that have to be met in order to pursuit the application”.

But let’s say you’re moving to a country in Africa, like Rwanda. What would the procedures be? Easy. You have to submit an application at the Rwandan embassy in the country, otherwise you can request a visa acceptance letter online. But remember, if you’re looking to be employed there, depending on which job you have, you may have to apply for a separate visa.

But don’t forget your health insurance policies either. In Nigeria, you may have to take out kidnap and ransom insurance, depending on where you’re going to live. The best thing to do is make sure you have a specialist tell you what kind of vaccinations you need. Some clinics might require you to carry cash, so do so, just in case you get sick.

Moving to another country shouldn’t just be about the person. It should be about what you want to do. Expatarrivals.com says “the trick to surviving a life-changing experience like this is to be honest with yourself and your partner”. This is because you have much more to lose than they do, you cannot hold it against them if an argument ensues and you say that you lost everything because of them.

It’s advisable to discuss money options with your partner, from opening new accounts to creating saving plans. You might want to buy a house some day. After all, starting a new life requires a complete overhaul of your existing one.

When asked if he would ever do move away for love, traveller Sylver Kibelolaud shared this: “I would say it depends. Obviously for you to consider such, you must be really attached to the person. But you also have to look at finances and activities. Let’s say you are a student, then you will have to transfer to a university wherever you are going. This will require money and your parents to support you until you are settled and get a job,” he said. “If you are working, you’d want to keep working; so you have to look at different opportunities. Being at home while the other person works might negatively affect the relationship.”

He said, however, that it was an option for a previous girlfriend. “I wanted to go study in Germany to get close to my Greek girlfriend. I applied to a few universities and she was also supposed to do so. But then she decided to continue with AIESEC which basically meant we would still not spend as much time together as expected and moving to Europe would have cost my parents. Since our plans were not aligned, we agreed it was too much of a risk.”

Speaking on parents’ support, he said: “My dad has always wanted me to do my Masters since I was in high school. He did not know I wanted to go because of her. But he pushed me to apply. I was just not OK with how much they had to spend on me on undergrad.”

At the end of the day, the decision is up to you.

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