What unpleasant surprises await immigrants in different countries of the world?

We are used to evaluating this or that country through the eyes of tourists. We can prepare wish cards with the hope that our blue dream will come true. And then, as the song says, we will have sea, sun, white sand. When the move takes place, the dream place opens up to us from a completely unexpected side. And it often turns out that the negative outweighs the positive. This proverb immediately comes to my mind: “We don’t hide what we have, we cry when we lose it.”

Of course, you don’t want to give up and give up after working so hard, so you have to go through bureaucratic hell and solve the problems on the spot. In order not to bite your elbows, it is better to know in advance the traps that await migrants.

We tell you what unpleasant surprises await people who want to move to different countries of the world for permanent residence.

Türkiye

Opening a bank account in Turkey for a foreigner, especially in foreign currency, is not a problem, but he will have to deal with the national characteristics of communication. By law, a phone purchased from outside Türkiye is blocked after 120 days in the country. Moreover, changing the SIM card will not work either (not even a Turkish card) – it is the unique IMEI number that stops working. Therefore, the smartphone needs to be registered for 2,732 Turkish lira (7,572 rubles). You need a residence permit for this. Therefore, the solution is to buy a local phone and insert a Turkish SIM card into it.

Serbia

Serbia also gained a reputation as a friendly country to Russians. However, entering the country will seem quite confusing. You can stay in Serbia without a visa for 30 days, so you will have to leave the country and enter back, resetting the visa-free stay (i.e. with a visa). However, you do not need to bother with getting a residence permit. True, after each entry into the country you will need to provide a white cardboard (bel cardboard) – a certificate of place of registration, similar to registration. This document is required to open a bank account, use medical services, obtain a residence permit or replace Russian driving licenses with Serbian driving licenses. Moreover, if you do not present the white cardboard when leaving, you will have to pay a fine of 5,000 Serbian dinars (4,150 rubles).

In addition, a non-resident with a passport and proof of registration can easily open an account in national banks, but unfortunately it will be very difficult to use it. The fact is that, according to the laws of the country, residence status is granted to people who live in the country for a year on a work visa or residence permit. And until this time, he cannot transfer money from card to card or top up through the bank’s online application. Moreover, you can transfer money to your account using SWIFT transfer, but you cannot send it using the same method. Transferring money to Serbia is problematic as most Russian banks are under sanctions and disconnected from the SWIFT system. Therefore, the only thing left is to load cash into your account from bank branches. At the same time, prices for food, utilities, internet and other life pleasures have skyrocketed.

Israel

Many repatriates face the problem of not being able to pay for a purchase even if there is enough money in their local bank account. In Israel, everyone mostly uses credit cards, but debit cards are not suitable for every transaction. For example, they cannot pay for online purchases.

In addition, any Israeli bank credit card has a monthly amount limit (2000 to 3000 shekels or approximately 49 – 74 thousand rubles) that cannot be exceeded regardless of whether you have the money or not. Apparently, the Israeli banks’ decision was that the relocatees should not spend money uncontrollably until they found stable employment. Considering rental apartment prices, furniture purchases and other expenses, meeting the limit seems like a difficult task. In rare cases, the relocator manages to convince the banks, but for this it is important to prove that you are a trustworthy person; for example, provide a higher education diploma or proof of regular income from a previous employment.

Thailand

Thailand is one of the most popular destinations among Russians. And not only for tourists, but also for those who want to buy real estate. However, the catch is that purchasing real estate does not provide an advantage in obtaining citizenship or residence permit. Open a bank account or get a visa; No problem. It is worth knowing that the country has a program for foreigners: Thailand Elite Flexible Program, according to which you can obtain a multiple visa when purchasing real estate worth more than 10 million Thai baht (from 24,591,673 rubles). Unfortunately, buying cheaper real estate does not provide such privileges. Another important nuance is that foreigners in Thailand cannot own land, even if it is on the house they buy, so they have to rent it.

Argentina

Argentina is one of the attractive destinations to move to, if only because a visa is not required to enter the country. You can stay there for 90 days and getting a passport and residence permit is not difficult; You can apply for citizenship after living in the country for two years. True, it is worth considering that the country is always on the verge of default, but for remote workers inflation is not so scary. What’s the purpose? Unfortunately, foreigners can only open bank accounts in Argentina in local currency. Moreover, the amount of transactions on the account should not exceed 50 thousand Argentine pesos (that is, 4,963 rubles at the current exchange rate), and you cannot store more than 312,500 pesos (31,022 rubles) in a personal account.

You can also only withdraw money in pesos, which is very expensive. It is almost impossible to buy dollars at the official rate. Therefore, when traveling abroad, it is better to keep your money in cryptocurrency or withdraw money: you withdraw money from ATMs and then bring it back in cash. In this case, the amount over 10 thousand dollars must be declared (as for imports to Russia).

Chinese

Recently, China has become an attractive country for travel and work. Although the country has not yet opened to tourists since Covid, the thought of traveling and possibly moving for permanent residence remains attractive among Chinese learners. Think of the tranquil rice fields and majestic Zhangjiajie mountain range that inspired Hallelujah Mountain in James Cameron’s Avatar.

So what unpleasant surprises will the Emirate have to face? First of all, it is important for couples who want to start a family to know that the child can only study at school where he is registered. Given the high real estate prices and rental housing in good areas, finding a good school is very difficult. That’s why many Chinese get into debt: they take out loans so that their children get a good education (and we’re not always talking about elite schools).

This leads to the second problem, namely a special attitude towards creditors. Those who do not pay their debts face the risk of being blacklisted. The truth is that China has a social rating system. As a result, this not only greatly limits purchasing opportunities (buying property, buying airline tickets), but also creates an element of pressure. In fact, this is public humiliation. For example, in some provinces, your photo and address will be shown before the movie starts.

In addition, in China you can often encounter certain pursuits, which, in essence, are a network of organized criminals. Moreover, laws often prove to be powerless. Hidden cameras are all the rage in the country (and it has little to do with government surveillance). They are placed in schools, hotels, public toilets and locker rooms, and the nude images are then leaked onto the dark web or into closed groups on foreign social networks. Therefore you need to be very careful.

United States of America

Many people face difficulties moving to the USA due to lack of credit history. If in Russia the majority strive to avoid debt, in the United States the first thing they look at when finding a job, renting or buying a house with a mortgage is conscience in payments. So, oddly enough, the first thing is to get a loan to prove that you are a reliable person. Paradox.