Emigration

Have you ever thought about emigrating? I have.

English: The Last of England by Ford Madox Brown, 1855. Oil on panel. Original in the Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are a few reasons why it will never happen – financial, educational, training and health. And while the first three may be overcome with time, the last will always be an issue. However, if none of these were an issue, I would very much like to emigrate. And those that know me will not be surprised to learn that the country I would wish to make my own is Japan.

Most countries require a minimum bank balance before one can emigrate. While this does vary, the required balance generally amounts to the equivalent of six months living expenses. In other words, most countries prefer you to have enough funds set aside to cover rent, clothes, food, electricity, phone and other bills, transport, education and any other expenses for a period of six months. Now, at the moment, we are flat out paying our bills as they come due.Every know and then I manage to squirrel away a little money for my anticipated Japan holiday, but that is a far cry from the concentrated savings needed to build a six month supply of funds. That’s not to mention the huge cost of actually moving.

For various reasons, which I will not go into here, I did not finish grade twelve. Thus, I do not have a university degree. Since most countries prefer not to allow uneducated immigrants, this is a major disadvantage to me. Which leads me to training. Very few countries are keen to import unskilled labour and about the only thing I know how to do is check-out chick. Another strike.

Of course, as I said, these three things can be overcome with time. I can go back to school. Get my OP, study at university, aq1uire skills, get a decent job and save like mad until I have enough set aside. And, believe me, I am seriously considering just that. However, there is still one last obstacle to be overcome, and I’m afraid it is that one thing that will prevent my family and I from ever leaving Australia. That thing is health. My husband has Tourette’s, Dystonia and another undiagnosed neurological illness. These three issues combine to make him unable to work and require him to have a full-time carer. None of them are curable. Any country we might want to move to would see him as an unnecessary drain on their health system, making it difficult at best to be given permission to emigrate.

I have not researched how any of these issues apply specifically to Japan. However, I am well aware that my dreams of living there are most likely just that – dreams.

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