Have you ever heard of the popular children’s game “Chinese Whispers”? Australian kids have been playing it for decades, and it goes like this: Everyone stands in a line. The first person begins by whispering a phrase into the ear of the next person in the line. The receiver can’t question it or ask for it to be repeated, rather, they have to pass on exactly what they think they heard. The third person does the same, and the message continues to be passed on, and altered, until it reaches the final player. When the message reaches the last person in line, they state the phrase out loud and the kids erupt into a mess of giggles, falling onto the floor clutching their stomachs! Generally, the message has changed so much over the course of the game that it is nothing like the original message.
Sound familiar?
Immigration news has a tendency to follow the pattern of Chinese Whispers, but it isn’t as funny when it’s real life.
If you have been caught by news on immigration changes, some inaccurate information, or some predictions that didn’t come true, then you know what we are talking about. Permanent migration takes time, that is one thing we can’t deny. It is nerve-wrecking enough waiting for the time to pass so you can take the next step in your journey, you don’t need misinformation stressing you out even more. If we have learned anything over the past couple of years, it is that the world is unpredictable, but also that we are adaptable. Changes in immigration laws occur, it’s true, but going nuts with the news is never a good reaction. Here are our top four tips for you to keep your cool.
1. Keep calm, freaking out won’t help anyone.
Strategy is all about making balanced decisions based on probability and fact. It requires a clear head. That’s one benefit to using a migration agent: they can take a step back and help you see your options objectively. So when it comes to reading scary news that could ruin all your plans and dreams, freaking out is the natural reaction! We get it. But when your emotions are running high, that strategy-led clear head of yours shuts off. Our advice? Rather than being reactive, be proactive. Keep calm and follow the next three steps.
2. Don’t trust every source of information.
News is written to make a profit. Any source of information that is making someone money needs to be assessed as such. In order to get more readers, news headlines are dramatic and try to generate a reaction, so they are often misleading. When you come across something that you think might be relevant, check where it’s coming from. Not all news sources are created equally, so don’t believe everything you read! The only trustworthy news source for migration updates is the immigration department, and even their words can be misinterpreted! Changes are often considered by the department and later rejected, so even information that originates in the immigration department can end up becoming nothing more than a rumour. With immigration, nothing is final until it is officially announced!
Oh, but what if you heard it on social media or WhatsApp? Remember what we said at the beginning about Chinese Whispers? Social media is the modern day version of that game!
3. Check if the change will actually affect you.
Once you have confirmed that the news is from a reliable source, you need to investigate further still. The burning question is: will these changes actually affect you? Everyone’s migration journey is different and when changes are announced they are usually done so in a vague manner, making it difficult to know who they are aimed at exactly. Snap decisions by the immigration department are not unheard of, but generally speaking, they will give some warning before changes come into effect. That means that if you are well on your way in your journey, new changes may not affect your eligibility for whichever visa you are working towards. If you figure out that you will be impacted, or you just can’t make heads or tails of the fine print, move on to our next tip.
4. Talk to a migration agent that you trust.
Migration agencies, like 4Migration, have years of experience in the field. We have seen it all! We know how the system works and we know that news (specially about visas) spreads like wildfire. We are here to support each and every one of our clients to make your migration journey as smooth as possible. Of course you may hit bumps along the way, but we believe that a bit of turbulence doesn’t mean you have to ground the plane.
If you are our client, not only will we help you understand whether a rumour is true or not, but we will help you discover whether it will impact your strategy. And you know what else? If it does, we will help you re-route so that you can still reach your final destination.
At 4Migration, we don’t get swept up in the drama of Chinese whispers, and we don’t panic every time we switch on the news. We keep calm, check our sources, read the fine print to see who will be affected, and use our years of experience to come up with a new plan if needed.
Our bonus tip? Sleep soundly knowing that if you’re a 4Migration client, we’ve got you. We’ll let you know when changes that will affect you are put in place, and we will stay with you every step of the way.