Leaving the Country? How to Break it Down to Your Relatives...

You’ve decided to immigrate but now you must do the dirty work – inform your relatives. How do you go about it?
Your plans are set in action and you’re pretty much on your way to immigrating. Your applications have been sent off and you’ve already consider the layout of your new home. You mind is in your adoptive country. All that needs to follow is your body. But some dirty work needs to be done. Your family have not you’re planning to venture onto the other side. You’ll have to give them a well thought out pep talk. It’s going to be tough, but it is a necessary step that needs to be taken. In fact, immigrating becomes harder if you don’t have the support of your family. How your family will reacts depends on a number of factors. Factors such as how dependent they are on you will count. Consider how often you see one another and how close your any family besides you, you can expect a very shocked and upset reaction. It’ll certainly be harder to inform your some people than others. What matter is how you deliver the message? So, consider these before leaping. Think about your words before breaking the news.

The wrong approach

It would be incredibly terrible to inform your relatives about your plans to immigrate a week before you pack your bags to board your plane. It won’t be a good idea to wait until you’ve obtained your visa to inform your relatives. Instead place yourself in their position. How would you feel if they’d decided to leave the country without telling you about their decision? You’d probably feel excluded, betrayed and disappointed. It will be in yours and your relatives’ best interest to be open and honest about the entire process from the very beginning. Keep your relatives updated about the progress being made. This will ensure that the trust between both parties is not broken and in fact, you’ll be grateful for the support. Your family will not feel excluded.

What do you need to know about the immigration process?

Always remember to ensure that your relatives feel included, positive and reassured. Do away with feelings that your relatives might have that you are choosing another country over and above them. One of the best ways to dispel feeling such as these, it’s key to include them in the process and your decision. Start by simply asking them advice about your concerns and certain issues regarding your decision. You should also be careful about the kinds of questions and advice you ask for. Try to stick to secondary issues such as when to sell your house. Perhaps ask advice about how to break the news to your other relatives.

Steer clear from secondary questions

Try to steer clear from asking a question like whether you should reconsider immigrating. By asking secondary questions you’ll emphasis the positives that will come from your plans to immigrate. Don’t dwell on the negative. Concentrate on the opportunities that your adoptive country has to offer. In fact, ensure that they know that they’re most welcome to visit during the long holidays. Try to remain realistic too. If you’re not sure that you’ll be able to visit your home country every few months, don’t make any empty promises! This will only lead to disappointment.

The lowdown

It is of utmost importance to keep your promise. Remember, this is more about trust than anything else. Once you’ve immigrated, call when you say you will and in effect you will ensure that you maintain your bond with your loved ones. You family will need you to keep seemingly simple promises to reassure them that your relationship can withstand the distance.
   By Lindsay Wagner
Published: 5/14/2008
 
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