4. Timing
The processing of visa applications takes about 6-12 months, depending on the destination country and type of visa . However, it can also drag on for 24 months or more. Find out how long it takes for you. Then plan the time that you will still spend in your old homeland. Make appointments for things that still need to be done in your hometown.
Residence permits are usually applied for in the country after all the necessary papers have been obtained in the home country and certified at the embassy of the country of immigration. The processing time is then between 3 months and … years, for which time you will receive a provisional residence permit.
When you get a visa you have one year to use it. Upon arrival in the destination country, you “activate” the visa. Most emigrants complete steps 7-14 within a year. There is a lot of room for maneuver when it comes to what is done before the visa is issued and what afterwards.
Important: Make sure that sometimes the papers you bring with you are only valid for 3 months in the country of immigration. So don’t get these papers too early.
Important: Make sure that the passports of all family members are still valid for as long as possible when you leave the country. This saves you unnecessary costs and running around.
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