Part I: Questions to ask before moving abroad/ relocating from Nigeria.

Do you have 6 -8 million naira to relocate to Canada ? And even if you do, you need to have more as settlement funds depending on number of dependents. This list of Questions is the first of a 3 part series and for those who are looking to relocate outside Nigeria with a short list of countries you can relocate to aside the popular options- the US and Canada. There are countries you could immigrate to whose passports will give you visa free access to UK/UK/Canada and most schengen countries.

(If you are interested in Canada or intend to ask me about Canada, kindly scroll to the bottom of this page and reach out to the contact person). Moving on…Here are the countries;

1. Argentina
2. Bolivia
3. Chile
4. Colombia
5. Costa Rica
6. Dominican Republic
7. Guatamela
8. Hungary
9. Honduras
10. Hong Kong
11. Jordan
12. Nicaragua
13. Turkey
14. Ukraine
15. Peru
16. Uruguay
17. Vietnam
18. Dubai/UAE
19. Republic of Cyprus.

List Credit: Asake Agoro.

Now for the questions;

1. What is their human rights history? Especially towards women?
2. What is their racist history?
3. What types of visas are available and how affordable/ easy are they to get?
4. What currency do they spend, what is the exchange rate and how easy is it to send money to and fro Nigeria from there?
5. How do the bank services work?
6. How do the bus/ train systems work?
7. If you are going as a student, would you be allowed to work? If yes, how long? How many hours?
8. If you intend to get a work permit, what are the requirements?
9. What types of jobs are available to immigrants?
10. What is the minimum wage? Is it adhered to?
11. Are immigrants allowed to run businesses?
12. What is the weather like?
13. What clothes do you need to pack?
14. What is the cost of living and the standard of living?
15. Would you need IELTS, GRE, GMAT et al?
16. Would you be allowed to stay back in the country after your period of study as a student? If yes, for how long?
17. How do you renew your Nigerian passport if it expires?
18. Does the country accept the international driver’s license? If no, how does one obtain theirs?
19. Does the country require any Job certification(s) before you are allowed to work?
20. How does one get accurate information of local happenings in the country?
21. Is there a professional association you would need to join?
22. Is there a Nigerian/ African community?
23. Do they require you to speak any other language aside English?
24. Do they require yellow fever card? (Actually, whether they require it or not, just get the vaccination).
25. Do they have malaria there? If yes, how is it treated? How is their healthcare?
26. Does your baby become a citizen if you deliver there? How is the access to drugs?
27. What is the official language of the country you want to move to? If it is not English, Is it difficult to learn?
28. How do they treat immigrants?

These are only General Questions to ask but there are tons more to ask depending on the country you are interested in relocation to.

Here are a few people you can talk to (Medium might ban me for hyperlinking their pages so you might need to search them yourself and reach out). Please be advised that Information is money. These people do not consult for free.

1. For all the list of the countries listed above: Asake Agoro (Search for her on Facebook).
2. South Cyprus: Olatunbosun Matty (Search for him on Twitter).
3. Canada: Dr. Ugo Eliwa (Search for him on Linkedin)
4. Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkey: Talk to me! lol!

That’s all for now. All the best. Please read the other articles in the 3 part series here;

Part II: Study Abroad Advisory Service for Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC).

Part III: Schooling in TRNC: Cyprus International University (CIU)