The WORST and BEST Advice for Immigrants

If you want to move abroad and actually succeed, this video will save you years of pain. If immigration advice was medicine, half of what you hear online would be delicious poison. And I know this because I've seen good people ruin their future just by following the wrong immigration advice. So today, let's separate the medicine from the poison. The good from the bad, basically. Because someone on TikTok will tell you how to move abroad in 30 days for free. And thousands of people will believe them. Like, free? Free immigration? How? So for you, I went through some of the most common, most viral immigration tips from YouTube, from forums, from agents, from friends in the WhatsApp groups. You know them. You know them now. I graded all of them for you, A to F. A is gold, and F means run away very, very fast. And some of these advice, they can get you deported, banned for life, or even put in prison. Yes. So yes, let's do this properly. Because most of this doesn't just apply to Canada. It applies to the US, to the UK, to Australia, to Germany, to any country you're trying to call home. So grab a pen, because your future is too expensive to gamble with bad advice. Number one, this first advice is serious and it seems to be getting more popular. For some reason, this is it. Claim asylum even if you don't qualify because it's faster. Well... Give this an F. No my friend, that is fraud. Asylum is protection for people in real danger and officers are trained to test your claim and a false claim means rejection, loss of credibility and you hurt the chances of real refugees. Real refugees don't get the chance because of you, so don't touch this one unless you qualify for it. The second advice is Be patient. Expect six to 12 months to settle down. I give this one an A. It's a great advice because many immigrants don't manage their expectations. We hear that others took some months to settle down and we feel that's not going to be me. Okay, Geraldine, but please have a realistic mindset. Integration is gradual for many people and if it is taking time, you are not unlucky. Finished people are not after you. It just takes a little time. So be patient. This next one is tricky. This is how it happens. When you are applying for family-owned residency, you may be close to eligibility, but not quite there. Or you see that a certain occupation is preferred by the country, but you don't quite have that work experience. So what do you do? You get creative. People advise you to fix it a little. You know, change your date here, round up a number there, tweak something over there. Hmm. This is bad advice. It's misrepresentation. And immigration officers are trained specifically to catch inconsistencies, like mismatched bills, invented job titles, adjusted income. It doesn't matter how small the change feels to you. Once the document is flagged as falsified, you are not looking at a delay anymore. You are looking at a permanent black mark that can follow you across countries. Because immigration databases, they talk to each other more than you think. That one is also an F. Okay, moving on. The next one is, if you are above 40 years old, forget immigration. Sounds good, but I give this advice a C, because it's generally not true. Yes, the express entry in Canada gives maximum age points to people aged 20 to 29. So after 40 years old, your CRS scores drops. It's true, but that's just one pathway. It's not all the pathways. The Atlantic Immigration Program and the Wura Community Immigration Program, for example, they have no age limits, and they are not point-based like that. Also, PNPs, employer routes, and family routes. There's also the study pathway. Your experience at 42 years old is actually power in many of these immigration programs. Don't cancel yourself because of a number. So at this point, you might be thinking, okay, so what are my immigration options? Well, I'm going to tell you. I will leave a video in the description where I expose all the major immigration pathways in Canada. Make sure you check it out after watching this one. If you need help understanding the different options just as Canada has laid them out, you can book a time on my calendar. The link will be on the screen and in the description too. And I will go through those immigration options with you. Now, advice number five. Someone says, I know a consultant that can guarantee you visa approval. Use them. Ha, ha, ha. Like how? No one, and I mean no one, can guarantee visa approval. They are lying. What they can actually do is to tell you their success rates but to guarantee that your own visa will be approved proper. This one I will give a grade D. If someone guarantees your visa, call them out on their BS. This next one is kind of dicey but I'll tell you what it is and you tell me what grade you think it should get. And the advice is this, if you are struggling to get papers, just marry someone with citizenship even if it's not real. Eh? But what if it's real, Because it can be real, right? My people, please, I need you to hear this one very, very clearly. One thing you want to do, it's called marriage fraud. And marriage fraud carries some of the harshest penalties in immigration law anywhere in the world. In the U.S., for example, it's a federal crime that can carry up to five years in prison and a quarter of a million dollar fine. Fake marriages, they get caught far more often than people think. The inconsistencies always show up somewhere. Your friend did it happy and it went well, so now you want to do it. Okay, good luck. But I also grade this one an F. Now, not just because it's risky, but also because it's one of the fastest ways to put yourself in a prison that may cost you more than it gives you. I know you won't hear it. Now, let's move on to the next one. Never hire a consultant. Do it all by yourself. Or even the opposite of that, you must always hire someone. Never do it yourself. Both of these are somewhat wrong advice. First off, do your own research on the government's website. Every country has one. And if you need help, hire a consultant or at least ask for guidance. Pay for consultations if you need to. Please don't be that person who, in the name of I must do it myself, will get three refusals back to back and you're still saying, I shan't agree. Know when you need help. And on the flip side, some of you don't want to do any research at all. You just want someone to do it for you. Okay, but as they are doing it for you, how will you know the right questions to ask them? Both of these advice, I score a B because no extreme is good. Number eight, this one is a very common error. So let's trash it out here. That is people thinking that if you already have permanent residency, you can leave the country as long as you want. Your PR doesn't expire. My dear, it does sound logical, but this is wrong advice. And I grade it a C. Permanent does not mean forever. Most permanent residences and long-term visas have minimum in-country stay requirements, meaning there's a minimum number of days that you must stay in the country. If you stay outside too long, you can lose your status without ever being told directly. You'll just find out when you try to come back into the country. So make sure that you know what your own permanent residency requires because it's different everywhere and it's rarely what people ask you. This is very, very important. The next one is very prevalent and I bet you've heard it before. They say that you must do care job when you go abroad. Just take the care job when you arrive. Oh, this is a lie from the pit of hell. Yes, care jobs are easier to get and nothing is wrong with them. But to say that everyone will do it? Oh no. If you arrive and you need money, and you need to get a job, there's absolutely nothing wrong with taking an honest job that helps you survive. The problem starts when your temporary job becomes your permanent situation. It shouldn't be. Yes, take the care job if you need it to start. But not everybody starts there. And even if you start there, you don't have to stop there if you don't want to. You can keep applying. You can move into work in your own desired field. At the end of the day, that first job does not have to become your identity. Guys, please let me know your thoughts about this down in the comments. This one is a very well-meaning advice, so let's give it a C. Following from that one is this very sad one, and it says this, that managerial jobs are not for immigrants. Don't even apply. But I give this one a D. Now, I understand where it's coming from. I get it. Many immigrants start low work at first. Employers may ask you for local work experience, which you obviously don't have. In Canada, for example, about half of skilled immigrants lose job offers because they lack Canadian work experience. And many of them are not considered for managerial roles at first. So the delay is great for sure, but impossible is a lie. Please apply for the jobs that you feel that you qualify for. Do what you must. Do the bridging programs if you need to. Learn how to interview in whatever country you are in. Don't stay low by choice, okay? Number 11, this one, you must have heard it. Just come as a visitor and overstay. Find under-the-table work and disappear into the country. Or more, I give this one a D. It should be an F though, but not quite. It sounds like good advice, but it is a trap. In the US, for example, overstaying more than 180 days can get you a three-year ban. More than a year can get you a 10-year ban, plus deportation. Canada too frowns on overstaying your visa and they frown worse on you working on a visitor visa. Moreover, it's hard to get a job on a visitor visa and it's harder to get your papers when you have overstayed in the country. So please don't do this. You have no status and in every country, no status means no protection. You can't complain when you are cheated on. You can't see a doctor freely and you sure as hell cannot plan. You know work the hardest jobs for the smallest So let's speak because you can't say no. So please don't do this. That is not life. Okay, this next one, it usually causes arguments and even fights. And I wonder why. Have you heard the saying that you need to buy a house before you are successful abroad? You're Guys, what do you think? For me, I think that you need safe and affordable housing. And that's it. Don't allow the pressure of, let me show them to put you in trouble. Buying may make sense for you. welcome. Sensing may also make sense for you. Rents on your disposable income, your plans, your location, the interest rates, taxes, and many other factors. Don't let somebody make you feel like renting means that you are failing. Your first goal abroad should be stability, not impressing people. This advice, I give it a D. This next one is like a two-edged sword, and you know it already, so let me just say it. You should always send money back home first, also known as black tax. This one is kind of emotional. And honestly, I understand why people do it. Your family may have sacrificed for you to go abroad and they need your help. So you are abroad. But if you send so much money home that you cannot pay your own rent, you cannot build savings or handle an emergency, you are creating another problem for yourself. So please help your family as much as you can. Make sure you do that, but make the help sustainable. You cannot build a stable life abroad by constantly Destroying your own finances. So find a balance. I give this advice a D. Now we have number 14. This one. We have to square it together because, honestly, I don't know. So, have you heard this advice? Sell everything you have before you leave. Or even the opposite one. Don't sell everything you have before you leave. Which one have you heard? Tell us in the comments. Honestly, there is no one-size-fits-all for this one. Some people will argue that they don't want to have anything to do with their home country. Or they will say that they are not coming back anytime soon. So, why should they not sell everything that they have? Owners may say that they need to sell their assets because they need money to travel and to relocate. And for these people, it makes sense. But owners will say, leave your assets just in case of incasity. It also makes sense. So you see how the opinions differ. Which one do you choose? For me, I think that you may need some of those assets later, but that's me. So maybe don't sell everything, but that's just me, like I said. For you, please don't make emotional decisions just because you're excited about leaving or about immigrating. Think about it very well. I'm going to grade this a B. What do you grade it? Leave it in the comments. Now, number 15. This one here, well, let me just tell you. They say that marriages don't last abroad and then they proceed to advise the wives what to do and then advise the husbands what to do. But to be frank, the stress abroad is real on marriages. It's money pressure, shift work, loneliness, role changes, especially that one. And these things test marriages. But the truth is, it only brings out what was there already. I've seen marriages Thank you very much. Thank you. And I've seen marriages become stronger abroad because they learned to talk. They learned to share their bills openly. They learned to share jobs. And that brings them closer. It just depends on the marriage. So generalizing this way is awful advice. And I give this a C. Dear, please don't enter a new country with divorce already in your mind. Enter with a plan to protect each other. Believe that your marriage will get stronger, not weaker. Now, someone gave me this next advice very early when I came to Canada. They said to me, you should only make friends with people from your own country. But thinking about it, I understand why people say that. Familiarity feels good. Your people understand you and you understand them. You understand the food, the jokes, the culture, the accents. But on the flip side, come to think about it. If everyone around you comes from your home country, you can spend five years abroad without really building connections outside your own kinsmen. It's not very ideal. Because you also need to build relationships beyond your community. What you should do is this. Learn what other communities prefer. Because you cannot be abroad and not be abroad, if you get what I mean. I grade this one a C as well. The next one is a deadly advice, I must say. I've heard people say, if you don't feel at home in two months, you made a mistake. So go back. Ah, ah, now. No, that's too general. The timeline to feel at home differs for everyone. Like I said before, you need to give yourself time. You are in a new country, a new culture. It will take time. So take that advice with a pinch of salt. It's a great sea advice. However, you must know if things are working out or not after about six months. Do your review then. The next advice is a wolf in sheep's clothing, but let's get into it. It's this. Pack ----. Ignore your mental health. Ignore holidays. Just walk and walk and make money. Hey, is your curabie? That advice is a big F, but you will be amazed at how many immigrants get this advice and they factually follow it. Holidays, they are working. Morning, they are working. Nights, they are working. Weekends, they are working. There are bills to be paid, they say. Bills are not sleeping in Canada, they also say. But what about your body? Your body is not sleeping or resting either. Your mental health is not good. And then, when will you enjoy that money you are packing shift for? Please, I beg you, sleep. Exercise. Take a break. Go on holidays. You have only one life. Well, I've said my own. If you have ears, make sure you're here. If you don't, well, that is your decision. Now, I've been hearing people give this next advice to immigrants a lot lately, that insurance is a scam. I give this advice a D, because insurance is not a scam. Anything can happen at any time. And if your family is not protected, it's going to be hell for them. Also, one hospital night without insurance in many countries can wipe out a year of savings. Even tourists are told to buy travel insurance before visiting the U.S. and some countries. So insurance is not about the day when you're healthy. It's about that one day that you didn't plan for. So health cover, life insurance, disability insurance, you name it. It's boring until it saves you. Now, another word advice that I've been hearing is this one. Change your accent when you go abroad. Wow, I give this advice a D because honestly, you don't need a new accent. Nah. You just need to speak clearly and slow down a little. No employer is paying you for sounding American or Canadian or even British. So please don't erase yourself just because you want to be accepted. And did you know that everybody has an accent? So hold yours with your full chest. The same way they can't hear you is the same way you can't hear them. Everyone just needs to be more intentional with how they speak. So please polish your communication but keep your identity. This last one is for my Nigerians, and I kept it for last for a reason. Now, I've heard people say something like, don't work for Nigerian employers, they don't treat you well. No, listen. I've heard the stories as well, and I know that some of you have even believed it. I heard that some Nigerian employers do late salary, no boundaries, and they use their family to overwork you. Usually, these are Nigerian-owned businesses or those who employ you personally. But can they do that though? Well, maybe for those who are working under the table. But tell me, have you ever experienced a Nigerian employer before? Let's know in the comments. How was that experience for you? Anyhow, I do not think that we should turn one bad boss into a whole nationality. There are good employers and there are bad employers from every country. Judge the employer, not their nationality. You need to check your contract and know the labor laws where you are. The truth is that a good Nigerian boss abroad who understands your struggle can actually be a blessing. So don't block your own health. I see some Nigerians shaking their head. Now, also in this regard... Some people will swear that they will never refer a Nigerian for a job. People have reported all kinds of bad experiences and somehow it has become a norm for us and I advise that people dish out. Please again, that is some generalizing you are doing there. Yes, there are bad eggs, but there are also a lot of good eggs, so treat this one with caution. The greatest advice is C. I know that there are many more common and viral advice that I didn't get into, so it's your turn to share any weird, untrue, unwise or funny immigration related advice that you have heard before. Please share in the comments. Let's help each other in our community. And if you're not sure yet which Canada immigration route is right for you, I've broken down the major immigration pathways to Canada in a video that walks you through all of them step by step so you can pick based on your age, your money and your own experience. Watch that video next because what you choose right now decides the next five years of your life. If this particular video was valuable to you, make sure you like it, subscribe to the channel, and share it with that one friend who is getting bad advice from the wrong people. Also, send it to your WhatsApp group, that group where they are giving bad advice as well, because someone you love might be about to make a decision that could change or ruin their future, and you just helped to save them. Also, if you would like to speak to me one-on-one, you can book a time on my calendar. The link, again, is right here. It is also in the description. My name is Shea Obasi and this is the Canadian Train.