Easiest way to move abroad as a young south african

[binaryman007]

I am 25 years old with 2 years of work experience in software development and have a degree behind my name. I unfortunately don't have a ton of savings but want to move abroad. What are some routes to decent countries that could work within the next 1-2 years? Or how can I get a job offer without a work visa as from what I have read this is quite a challenging thing to do (visa needs job offer and job offer "wants" a work visa already).


EDIT- Hey everyone. I just wanted to say that I finally managed to secure a job to in the Netherlands. So it looks like I will be going this route. I just want to say thank you to all the insights and replies in this post!

 

[binaryman007]

For Canadian Permanent Residency visa, google 'CIC express entry calculator". Put in your real data as of now and then see how many points you get and see how much difference a masters degree or more work experience make by playing around with your numbers. Then go look at what the latest draws cut off (points) were for the last few draws.

I would say that 5 years work experience would be ideal, and to make the move before you turn 30. After 30 you start losing points.

Between NZ, Aus and Can, Canada is the easiest and cheapest to get into if you dont take your specific career into account. All work similar though, you get points for Language proficiency, education, years of work experience and age. You will need proof of each, ie a language test, verification of qualofications, letters from employers etc. The way you verify this may differ.

I am thinking of this route already! It seems straight forward from what I ready.

 

[cguy]

Will linkedin premium really give that many more job offers?

I did the one month subscription for interest. It lets you see exactly who is looking at your profile.

What’s really amazing, is that you’ll see the entire chain of interest in your profile. Eg, For the same company X, 50 minutes ago HR recruiter at X looks at your profile. 40 minutes ago head of HR at X looks at your profile, 30 minutes ago VP at Xlooks at your profile, 20 minutes ago someone you worked or studied with with 10 years earlier looks at your profile. Then you can contact that person, and say, so why all the interest?

So apart from seeing exactly who is looking for you and how it changes based on skills and keywords you change, there are also things like seeing how you would rank for some job if you had to apply and such.

 

[binaryman007]

I did the one month subscription for interest. It lets you see exactly who is looking at your profile.

What’s really amazing, is that you’ll see the entire chain of interest in your profile. Eg, For the same company X, 50 minutes ago HR recruiter at X looks at your profile. 40 minutes ago head of HR at X looks at your profile, 30 minutes ago VP at Xlooks at your profile, 20 minutes ago someone you worked or studied with with 10 years earlier looks at your profile. Then you can contact that person, and say, so why all the interest?

So apart from seeing exactly who is looking for you and how it changes based on skills and keywords you change, there are also things like seeing how you would rank for some job if you had to apply and such.

So currently I am scheduled for an interview by a company in Netherland, if I feel like this won work out I think ill give the LinkedIn a go as well and see what I get!

 

[cguy]

So currently I am scheduled for an interview by a company in Netherland, if I feel like this won work out I think ill give the LinkedIn a go as well and see what I get!

So if you had LinkedIn premium you would see if who from that company looked at your profile. You may then even get a sense of what questions they may ask. Of course, they may just send around a pdf CV/resume too, and they won’t need to look at your CV, but often people look at the candidate’s LinkedIn to see if they know people in common, or any other info that may be missing (resumes can be to short, won’t hint at groups, activities, etc.).

 

[binaryman007]

So if you had LinkedIn premium you would see if who from that company looked at your profile. You may then even get a sense of what questions they may ask. Of course, they may just send around a pdf CV/resume too, and they won’t need to look at your CV, but often people look at the candidate’s LinkedIn to see if they know people in common, or any other info that may be missing (resumes can be to short, won’t hint at groups, activities, etc.).

Thanks for the insight. I will definitely see what I can do with linkedin premium.

 

[Hamster]

Will linkedin premium really give that many more job offers?

Worked for my wife. I myself landed some interviews that way, but ended up sending a cv directly to a company hiring.

You go through the interview process and sign your contract. They'll then organise you a visa and your on a plane in about 90 days.

Csn be much quicker. If all your documents are in order and you are a single guy living with your parents, you could be on a plane 10 days if the stars align.

 

[Hamster]

If you really want an easy way in go through somebody like iSense. There are a bunch of companies like this: they pay for almost everything, provide a lot of assistance and place you at a client for 12 months.

After the 12 months (which is kind of a standard thing here btw) the client hires you and takes over your visa stuff.

Many companies prefer to work through "agencies" like this because they specialize in visa processes, 30% ruling arrangements etc. iSense in particular brings over so many people that they are on a special list and can have visas approved within two weeks instead of the usual 90 days.

And obviously if they see potential they'll try at more than one client because they make they're money off you.

Definitely give them a shot if you want to come here specifically. Germany etc. may have similar setups, not sure.

 

[Stefanmuller]

I am thinking of this route already! It seems straight forward from what I ready.

We did the whole process ourselves with no agency involved, and so did many other people. I'm not sure if I will be able to do it again, the application process and actually getting here and settling in. It is very daunting but must say it is pretty much our greatest achievement. A lot of reading up and a bit of luck along the way got us here.

The Canadian Immigration website has all the info, and is easy to follow, plus join the SACanada group on Facebook which has a wealth of knowledge and people who are willing to help.

It costs nothing to open an EE profile and enter the pool, though at minimum you would need an English test (around R4k) and have your degrees verified (around R3k). Have all your local home affairs stuff in order like passports, birth certificates, police clearance etc. Then just wait. Once selected out of the pool you need medicals done (it was about R8.5k for our family of 4). Once they approve your application you pay the government immigration fees to Canada (about R25k for us if I recall).

 

[Thugscub]

i dont think that would work xD.

Be surprised.

 

[binaryman007]

We did the whole process ourselves with no agency involved, and so did many other people. I'm not sure if I will be able to do it again, the application process and actually getting here and settling in. It is very daunting but must say it is pretty much our greatest achievement. A lot of reading up and a bit of luck along the way got us here.

The Canadian Immigration website has all the info, and is easy to follow, plus join the SACanada group on Facebook which has a wealth of knowledge and people who are willing to help.

It costs nothing to open an EE profile and enter the pool, though at minimum you would need an English test (around R4k) and have your degrees verified (around R3k). Have all your local home affairs stuff in order like passports, birth certificates, police clearance etc. Then just wait. Once selected out of the pool you need medicals done (it was about R8.5k for our family of 4). Once they approve your application you pay the government immigration fees to Canada (about R25k for us if I recall).

Thats awesome. From what I read it does seem like a fairly straight forward process. My biggest challenge is just having the 13-16k CA$ bank balance available upon arriving in Canada. If one would get a job offer though can you bypass this requirement upon landing on the Canadian borders?

 

[binaryman007]

If you really want an easy way in go through somebody like iSense. There are a bunch of companies like this: they pay for almost everything, provide a lot of assistance and place you at a client for 12 months.

After the 12 months (which is kind of a standard thing here btw) the client hires you and takes over your visa stuff.

Many companies prefer to work through "agencies" like this because they specialize in visa processes, 30% ruling arrangements etc. iSense in particular brings over so many people that they are on a special list and can have visas approved within two weeks instead of the usual 90 days.

And obviously if they see potential they'll try at more than one client because they make they're money off you.

Definitely give them a shot if you want to come here specifically. Germany etc. may have similar setups, not sure.

Thanks a million will deffos give them a go!

 

[superlekkerza]

Why? SA is not bad. More pros of living in SA when compared to overseas. Gorgeous weather. Awesome and friendly people. Strong economy. Less crowd. Clean air. 1st world infrastructure. What's not to like? Every country has its own problems. I think SA is way better than over 80% of the world in terms of quality of life.

 

[gimpex]

Why? SA is not bad. More pros of living in SA when compared to overseas. Gorgeous weather. Awesome and friendly people. Strong economy. Less crowd. Clean air. 1st world infrastructure. What's not to like? Every country has its own problems. I think SA is way better than over 80% of the world in terms of quality of life.

I think u need to expand your horizons. SA is great but … strong economy ? 1st world infrastructure ?

 

[Kiemo]

You can do the type of work you do at your home for other countries please bro stay here

 

[binaryman007]

Why? SA is not bad. More pros of living in SA when compared to overseas. Gorgeous weather. Awesome and friendly people. Strong economy. Less crowd. Clean air. 1st world infrastructure. What's not to like? Every country has its own problems. I think SA is way better than over 80% of the world in terms of quality of life.

i cant deny SA have some nice perks, sadly not enough to keep me here.

 

[cguy]

i cant deny SA have some nice perks, sadly not enough to keep me here.

Heh. Often the perks (like weather, nature, etc), are spoken about like they don’t exist elsewhere in the world.