[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Edit: I'm interested in programs like these Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS) - link

Would urge you to check https://www.thegradcafe.com/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/gradadmissions/

P.S: I'll always remember your blue Vento being driven around in Aundh.

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

How does one evaluate which are the good colleges for a particular area of focus (for masters programs)? After nearly ~15 years experience, the bug is extremely on me to continue my learning journey (been itching for a few years). Asking here assuming some of the folks out here would have gone through the education route in the past.

First of all congratulations for the thought process. You live only once and you certainly have to take the step and get bitten by the bug, no matter how old you are. I worked few years in India just to save up for my masters education.

I took the education route, not because I wanted to emigrate, but I really wanted to learn a lot more and in-depth about Automotive Engineering. The reason to emigrate being: there were not many colleges in India with Masters focussing on Automotive systems. When I looked for colleges abroad, I initially narrowed down to Europe and then towards Northern Europe and the Nordics, as personally the far east and far west did not enchant me like Europe in terms of diversity. After studying in the Netherlands, doing my master thesis in a German Tier-1 supplier, am currently living and working in NL for the past 10 years. Here are the steps I would suggest for anyone choosing for a college in Europe:

1. Course based on own motivation is king - You first have to have a burning desire to learn more about your subject of interest. Then it becomes easy to live and adapt to a foreign country, while you are studying. I have seen some my fellow college mates returning back to their home countries because of lack of interest during the course. Some at early stages and some at the end of their course. Always choose the course and then the college/university.

2. After course comes the country - Research about the country, culture, customs, major industries and what type of jobs/businesses would be interesting for you when you graduate and if these are in abundance if at all you want to settle there.

3. Most European countries have nation wide rankings of their colleges and esp. for the course. Some courses in some colleges would be ranking even in the top 10 world rankings. Usually these are in local languages. Google translate is your friend, but Do it the hard way. Type what you want to search in google translate. Then copy the translated term (eg. in Finnish) and paste it in whatever search engine is famous in your land of emigration. Then you get hits on local news about rankings colleges etc. all in Finnish. Gets you quickly to the right news than some Foreigner trying to explain in English about a Finnish course.

4. Think about further than Masters - For eg. when you are done with Masters you might feel more challenged and wanted to pursue a Doctoral work in your field of interest. You never know. So plan further than masters.

5. Enjoy your student life no matter what - In the university where I studied, there was also part-time students (who were working in Dutch & German Automotive companies) who are almost 1,5 times older than me at that time at a different stage of life with family and kids. But in class, they were all equally fun and curious to learn.


Tips:
1. Start learning the language of the country where you are going to emigrate to. Gets you headstart and helps in your search for things.

2. You can also work part-time in some countries and not so in some other. So check your local laws.

3. Fees is different for EU nationals and sometimes zero for students from the same country. But, we, the third world citizens who emigrate are considered by EU countries as the 'rich folk' (I seriously laughed every time when I was repaying my student loans about this rich folk myth) who can afford and are charged pretty heftily. Try for scholarships if any in offer. Usually there are EU wide and nation wide scholarships for futuristic courses (Read: which mainstream students who want a mainstream job don't bother to apply) which might save you a part of fees or offer 'fully paid one semester abroad' type of offers. Check recent ones. I am outdated.

Hope it helps! And wish you the very best!

[ScarySkulls]

Originally Posted by 1985Darkkid85

Glad your having a good time in Canada in the province of Nova Scotia.
When my wife and I try to calculate our tentative CRS score, we hardly are getting 405.
The current going rates are up to 460 in the weekly draws.

Looks like our Canada dreams are probably over, unless we luck out from one of the PNP like Alberta, Saskatchewan or British Columbia.

Manitoba is also ruled out for us as we currently do not have any relatives or friends in that province.

Age also is not really on our side, we are 35.5 and 33 respectively

1) Age - You may be surprised to hear this, but the vast majority of new families that I have been seeing arriving in Halifax over the past 3 years have been in their thirties. They are coming here, settling down successfully, making friends etc. So I wouldn't let that hold you back.

2) PNP - Yes, definitely apply for the PNP programs to get your score up. These programs exist for that very reason.

3) Friends & family - While it is definitely nice to already have a support system here before you arrive, once again, I would not let that hold you back. Furthermore, if you don't like it wherever you are, you always have the option of moving to where you think you will enjoy it better.

4) Halifax / Nova Scotia - Yes, definitely a good time here. I like to call it the "Chandigarh" of Canada. A relaxed pace of life, an international airport for connectivity, good business opportunities and all of the Indian food & related supplies that we would need. We do fly up to Montreal, Toronto, New York, Boston every now and then (or at least used to before Covid) to catch up with friends & family, do some shopping, urban sightseeing etc. but having to live there every day appears to be more of a hassle than we are willing to handle right now.

Best wishes in your decision eitherway.

[Indian2003]

Originally Posted by carthick1000

Fees is different for EU nationals and sometimes zero for students from the same country.

Hope it helps! And wish you the very best!

Norway is the only country left where all education is still free to all students. It does not matter where they come from.

They give grants and student loans to foreign students but loans have to be paid back. Students from third world countries do not have to pay back if they return to their home countries and use their education there.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

After nearly ~15 years experience, the bug is extremely on me to continue my learning journey (been itching for a few years). Asking here assuming some of the folks out here would have gone through the education route in the past.

Go for it @ninjatalli. Just go for it. I did just this and can relate to your desires.

I wanted to do a certain post graduate course from a top American University as a 20/21-year old but couldn't because I didn't get the grades in the entrance exam to qualify for a full scholarship and my father could not have afforded it without a full scholarship. But later in life, much later, I went back to the same University and same school did a similar course more suited to my then experience and stage of life. It was one of the best decisions I took. Further by that time I could afford to fund the fees, living etc on my own effortlessly. Today that alumni group is invaluable.

[sunilch]

I know this thread is about 'Legal Immigration' to a foreign land but thought I should share this. While this covers stories of people who are living in those 'Foreign' nations illegally as they face most of the issues, the basic idea is the same. And this isn't limited to just UK (Though UK may have large number of such issues due to large immigrant population), such issues can be found in CA or US too.

If you start looking for stupidity, you will find it right next to you. No matter where you reside or work. So essentially whether you are in India or any other nation, what matters is the company you keep and the decisions you make.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVpaCyO8f5o

[Indian2003]

Originally Posted by sunilch

I know this thread is about 'Legal Immigration' to a foreign land but thought I should share this. While this covers stories of people who are living in those 'Foreign' nations illegally

In 2009 while working at a refugee camp I met a young Indian guy who had applied for political asylum. I took him home for a meal and he laid out his story about his travel from India to Norway without a passport.

He told me he had travelled on a fishing boat to Iran and crossed the mountains on foot. He had passed through almost the same countries when I hitchhiked from India. There were road blocks everywhere and I told him i did not believe him

Then he changed his story. He had taken an Air France flight, bypassing immigration at Delhi airport, helped by corrupt immigration officers and employees of Air France. In Paris he was smuggled out of the airport before being taken to Norway in a truck. He sent his passport back to India. He was thinking of going underground.

He had been involved in a failed goat business and pulled his father in law down with him. Money lenders were involved and He needed money to pay back.

The Indian embassy is very quick to issue papers to failed asylum seekers and asked him to play with open cards and tell them exactly what happened. There was at least hope and the worst he could get was a rejection which was the likely outcome.

The story ended well for him. He told them the truth and they offered him a temporary residence and work permit on humanitarian grounds for 4 years. He had 2 jobs for 4 years and returned to India a happy man.

It was very interesting when he looked me up to offer me money which I declined, for all the help.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by Indian2003

Then he changed his story. He had taken an Air France flight, bypassing immigration at Delhi airport, helped by corrupt immigration officers and employees of Air France. In Paris he was smuggled out of the airport before being taken to Norway in a truck. He sent his passport back to India. He was thinking of going underground.

......

The story ended well for him. He told them the truth and they offered him a temporary residence and work permit on humanitarian grounds for 4 years. He had 2 jobs for 4 years and returned to India a happy man.

That is one of my points or issues with people in general. The amount of effort and/or sacrifices that people go through to settle in foreign land is astonishing. And all this because there is an image that some developed nations have developed over decades that everything is heavenly in their land

If they would have put in the same amount of effort/sacrifices in their Native, there wouldn't have been any need to go to a different country. And this is not just limited to India btw. Many developing nations suffer from this phobia.

However, I am not at all discouraging people to travel and work in different countries for fun and experience.

This guy was lucky and smart it seems. That it was Norway, it helped in getting that 4 year permit to work. Other countries such as US or UK would have either sent him to Jail or immediately back to India


Also, please take these videos with caution. Essentially they too have an agenda of their own when they make these films.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by Indian2003

Then he changed his story.

My white colleague introduced me to a Desi guy who was the manager at a bagel shop. He had claimed to have an MBA from Bangalore University. He had a clean accent, but the English grammar was horrendous. He knew nothing about Bangalore, & knew no Kannada. After a month or so when I went to his shop again, he says you probably figured out I have no MBA and winks at me. He was in the Merchant Navy, reported sick/malaria while in SFO, then ran away from the hospital. Married an older woman of Vietnamese origin, but a US citizen - to get his residency, then divorced her. He owned 2 bagel shops, now married to a Mexican woman who helped him run the shop. The first & last time he went to India was after 15+ years of absolute struggle. It was not clear if he did this visit through the normal route.

A large %age of Indians are economic opportunists, we have a zeal to survive, to make our lives better (at any cost), to thrive. And this spirit takes us to all parts of the world.

I follow Cycle_baba on YT, this guy stays with Desis all over Africa. It is amazing to see all these Desis thrive in places like South Sudan and Ethiopia. I am sure they all have their own exciting stories of how they setup their base.

[sdp1975]

More Indians mull shifting base abroad amid Covid pain.

People feel the governments in overseas countries provide value for their money and taxes. The second wave has made people realise how important infrastructure is for a country. People feel if they are not going to be taken care of despite earning so much and if the government is unwilling to spend on healthcare, they see no reason for living here.

Source

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

More Indians mull shifting base abroad amid Covid pain.



Source

I hope the barrage of emigrating Indians don't put pressure on healthcare abroad and make things easier at home.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

More Indians mull shifting base abroad amid Covid pain.


Source

Most of the Indian HNI’s have already established bases abroad, being welcomed with visas and benefits. With the deteriorating situation and healthcare collapse its natural for one to seek better options abroad.
As many well of Indians have realised, even if you have wealth at your disposal doesn’t guarantee you options here for basic healthcare treatment with eye watering bills and questionable practices.

Government policies aren’t helping either. Being at the top of the wealth pyramid one gets more exposure to the winds to come and the actual situation. If one has the means, exploring shifting base abroad but comes naturally. Also many such havens are much much easier to do business in and being Indians we have all the qualities required to thrive in challenging situations.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

Most of the Indian HNI’s have already established bases abroad, being welcomed with visas and benefits. With the deteriorating situation and healthcare collapse its natural for one to seek better options abroad.

Originally Posted by sdp1975

More Indians mull shifting base abroad amid Covid pain.



Source

This type of migration has been into works for over a decade, if not more, already. I know for sure that many countries post the 2008 financial crisis started selling PRs in return for small (for HNIs) investments. Even US does the same. That is how even Rupert Murdoch got his PR in US immediately. Just that the investment needed for a US PR is way more than what our regular HNIs would want to shell out

Moreover this applies to all countries - developing and the developed. Each year there are certain number of US citizens who give-up their Passport for some other country (Germany being very famous among them).

HNIs giving up their Passport or obtaining PR in other countries is not that of an issue to be honest. They migrate where the best economic opportunities are. Think about Shapoorji Paloonji Mistry (The current Sr) as an example. He is a citizen of Ireland but spends a lot of time in India because that is where his primary business is.

What will be a problem when an average Tax-paying Rahul or John starts purchasing PR in other countries.

As far as non tax-paying Raja or Tony is concerned, we don't need to care about them. Let them go to other countries and suck their systems/benefits. They also send a lot of money back to India as their dependents are here. Those remittances help India.

Spending lacs of INR to move to other countries in illegal manner, taking risk with your life and then sacrificing your life there is not worth the risk or effort. Equal amount of sacrifices in India or your home country will give you more rewards.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

A large %age of Indians are economic opportunists, we have a zeal to survive, to make our lives better (at any cost), to thrive. And this spirit takes us to all parts of the world.

Isn't that the prime motivation of emigration when young, regardless of country of origin?

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Isn't that the prime motivation of emigration when young, regardless of country of origin?

We are talking about extremely broad generalizations here. In using the term "economic opportunists" here are my observations with very small sample sets, knowing I may be very wrong.

If I look at my adult son (and a few relatives) who were raised in the USA, they would not want to emigrate anywhere. He likes travel, and the experiences they get abroad, but emigrating is certainly not on their mind. They certainly do not have a ladder of countries that they would like to go settle in. They feel they get what they deserve (more or less).

China and India have something in common. We have large populations with several young people feeling they are not able to get what they deserve, they are not able to reach their max potential. So they let go of what they already have, and reach higher. They have some education, some job, and lot of hunger to do better. A lot of confidence too. So they seek better economic opportunities at global economic hubs. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, UK, USA, etc. People have a ladder, if not here, at least here. I know I did in the 90s. If not USA, then Europe, then Singapore, then Aus and so on. I don't know how my ladder would look today.

Among these two, Indians are even more special. There are Indians who import Honda Activa scooters, garments, sell it in West Africa, and thrive as traders. Living in a comparatively well off, close knit Indian communities, but in harmony with the locals. This is different from people who want to go conquer a country and rule over them. China is trying to do some of this in West Africa. We all know how the colonizers behaved. Indians have never been about that.

I cant say this about Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, or other countries torn by war/violence. They are running away to save their lives, so I cannot call them economic opportunists. They have "anywhere but here" attitude.

PS: Broad generalizations have lots of holes, lots of exceptions. Feel free to poke.