Many people have a dream of immigrating. I believe that everyone has heard about their friends immigrating to some extent, but will they definitely live a happy life after immigrating?
On many online platforms, we often see some bloggers who have immigrated saying how comfortable they are living abroad, and some bloggers say they have various inconveniences and complain about life abroad. What will life be like after immigrating? Woolen cloth?
Everyone may have their own different answers, so today let us watch a Singaporean documentary, which tells the story of a highly paid female teacher from Hong Kong who experienced her family after they immigrated to the UK. Maybe you have own answer.
1. Deciding to immigrate
1-year-old Fiona is a Hong Kong teacher with a monthly income of 40,000 Hong Kong dollars. Her husband Aman is 40 years old and is a bus driver. Her husband’s income fluctuates, but at the highest he can get 30,000 Hong Kong dollars. , which means that the monthly salary of and his wife can reach up to 70,000 Hong Kong dollars.
You must know that the average salary and the median of Hong Kong residents in 2021 is only 18,700 Hong Kong dollars. By comparison, Fiona's family's income is considered to be above the middle level in Hong Kong, and the annual family income is about 700,000 Hong Kong dollars.
It’s just that in a place like Hong Kong where land is at a premium, a couple, a son and a daughter, four people live in a very crowded small house.
Fiona is very busy at work every day, and her husband comes home late. Fortunately, the two of them earn a good income, so hired a Filipino maid to help with housework and cooking, which saved a lot of time.
With the help of her Filipino maid, Fiona doesn’t have to worry about cooking when she comes back from get off work. She can concentrate on helping her daughter with her homework.
As the saying goes, "If you don't do your homework, you will be a loving mother and your daughter will be filial. If you do your homework, you will be in a hurry."
Fiona cannot escape this law. Her daughter's academic performance is not good. She often teaches her to do homework. Made very anxious. For the sake of her children, she completely lost all her spare time.
Her daughter also complained to her mother that the school assigned too much homework. Fiona also agreed with her daughter's thoughts and felt that why her daughter was given so much homework at such a young age.
Her son is 2 years old and can’t speak much yet, which also adds a shadow to Fiona’s life.
Gradually, both Fiona and her husband felt that such a life was a bit breathless, and they did not want to go on like this anymore, so they thought of immigrating and wanted to change their current situation by living in another country.
After inquiring and comparing, Fiona decided to choose the UK, a relatively convenient country for Hong Kong people to immigrate to.
After a period of research, Fiona began to submit her immigration application online to save some agency fees.
After that, the couple began to fantasize about a happy life in the UK. Fiona felt that after she arrived in the UK, her daughter would not have so much homework while studying in the UK. When she came back from get off work, she would not have to tutor her children and could relax. Watch TV and go to bed early.
And Aman thinks that his family can live in a big house in the UK, put in a big bed, and say goodbye to the crowded life now.
Fiona's daughter feels that she can meet the prince in England and the two can become good friends.
It can be said that before departure, except for the less sensible young son, were full of hope and expectations for their future life.
2. Preparations before immigration
Since the whole family is going to immigrate, it is natural to deal with the assets in Hong Kong. After all, it will be difficult to come back after moving out.
I also have to think about my job after arriving in the UK and how my family will live.
Fiona is responsible for booking the pick-up vehicle and booking temporary accommodation after arriving in the UK.
Aman began to inquire about what kind of jobs in the UK were more profitable. When he learned that being a plumber or a truck driver were both very high-paying professions, he found some masters to learn plumber and electricity maintenance techniques.
And he himself drives a bus, so it will be no problem for to become a truck driver in the UK.
It can be said that the family is fully prepared.
After arranging everything, the two quit their jobs and first said goodbye to the elderly, relatives and friends who stayed in Hong Kong.
Afterwards, the couple went to have a big meal to celebrate the upcoming new life.
After Fiona arrived in the UK, she wanted to take her family on a trip around the UK, but Aman wanted to eat French food next to the Eiffel Tower in France.
In imagination, these all sound so romantic, is simply a desirable life.
Immediately afterwards, Fiona sold her family property and began to pack things to take to England.
Since I will no longer come back to live in Hong Kong, I decided to take all the things I can take with me to avoid having to buy them again when I get to the UK.
In addition to necessities such as clothes, Fiona also brought a rice cooker and a quilt.
After everything was sorted, she found that the official visa to immigrate to the UK had not yet been issued. Fiona once again applied for the "Leave Outside The Rules" (LOTR) express to come to the UK.
When you get there, you can travel and work while waiting for the official visa to be issued.
So, in 2021, Fiona, Aman and their two children bid farewell to their parents in tears and boarded a flight to the UK.
As the plane slowly rose, Fiona looked out the window at Hong Kong, which was getting smaller and smaller. Although she felt a trace of reluctance in her heart, it was gradually replaced by the anticipation of the new life to come.
Only by giving up can you gain something, and only by giving up can you have a better life in Hong Kong. Aman thinks so too.
But is it really what they imagined?
Quote a sentence to describe Fiona's family's life after arriving in the UK, that is: The ideal is too full, and the reality is very skinny.
3. Difficulties in arriving in the UK
For reasons of economy, Fiona’s first stop when arriving in the UK was not London, a big city that everyone is familiar with, but Cheshire in the north of England, which has a population of only about 80,000. Settled in the small town of Crewe.
There are very few small towns, which means that rent, daily necessities and other items will be much cheaper.
got off the plane, and Fiona used her relatively fluent English to find the driver who came to pick them up. After a 3-hour drive, the family arrived at the booked B&B .
The B&B looks a bit old, but fortunately it is spacious. It is a two-story villa. I lived in such a big house as soon as I came to the UK. Even if Aman broke the door lock of the back door when he arrived, it would not affect his arrival in the UK. good mood.
After putting down their luggage, the family went to the local supermarket to buy some food to cope with the next two days.
The first problem they encountered came.
In Hong Kong, Filipino maids do all the housework and cooking, so the young couple doesn’t have to worry about it. Over the past few years, the family has become accustomed to having someone prepare the meals and tell them to eat.
But now in the UK, there are no Filipino maids around, so they have to rely on themselves for everything. Fiona and Aman don’t even know how to use the microwave. They don’t know what can and cannot be put in the microwave when buying food. Just try to come.
After struggling for a long time, had a dinner which was mostly a cold meal.
After dinner, lying on the sofa, Fiona looked at this kind of life and asked, was it the right decision for them to come to England?
This was the first day she came to the UK, and she began to doubt her decision. The difficulties that followed were beyond Fiona's expectations.
Compared to Fiona's pessimism, Aman seems to be much more optimistic. He even said this: "I would rather be a beggar here than go back to be an emperor."
But the life behind Even Aman could not say such words anymore.
4. The rift between husband and wife
The B&B was booked in Hong Kong. The price is naturally much more expensive than a long-term rental house. It can only be used as a temporary over-occupancy, and it is impossible to live in it for a long time.
After settling in as a family, Fiona began to search for relatively cheap long-term rental housing in the local area.
However, due to the small population of the small town of Crewe in Cheshire, it meant that there were very few houses available for rent. Fiona finally found a house with a relatively suitable price. After negotiating the price, she went to see the house.
Aman's expression changed as soon as he entered the house. He complained on the spot why Fiona found such a shabby house. Not to mention the shabby appearance of the house, even the floor inside the house was uneven. It was not much bigger than a house in Hong Kong. .
He said to his wife mercilessly:
"The house we live in in Hong Kong is so small. I didn't expect that the house in the UK would still be so small. The living room is so small. Where do we eat? Where do we put the sofa and TV?"
Fiona She became very angry as soon as she heard about it, because Oman's English was not good, so Fiona took care of all the matters such as visa application, car rental, and house hunting.
She worked hard for a long time, but her husband not only didn't feel sorry for her, but would only accuse her of not doing things well. She responded unceremoniously:
"Can you be more realistic? Everyone wants to marry Daniel Wu , how many people can marry him?"
The couple had only been in the UK for a few days when they started to quarrel. .
At this time, Fiona did not expect that similar quarrels would become more and more frequent in the future.
In the end, Aman had to live in this small house, and his life had to go on. The next thing they faced was to find a job as soon as possible and make money to support their family, otherwise the money they brought would be spent soon.
At this time, no one mentioned the romantic plan of traveling around the UK first and then going to France for a big meal.
5. Difficult job hunting
At first, Fiona took care of her children at home and asked Aman to find a job. He first submitted a cover letter to McDonald's , but nothing happened.
He had to use his driving skills to become a takeaway boy, driving to deliver takeaways to customers.
His English is not good and he doesn’t know the way. Fortunately, the Internet is developed and he has a mobile phone navigation to show him the way and he didn’t find the wrong place.
On the first day of delivering food, he earned 52 pounds (approximately 430 RMB). Working 6 days a week, he can earn about 300 pounds (approximately 2,500 RMB) , which sounds very good, but after careful calculation, a With only 1,200 pounds (approximately 10,000 RMB) per month, it is indeed difficult to support a family of four.
Previously, Aman had wanted to be a plumber, but because his English was not good and he did not have relevant qualification certificates, he could not find such a job for a while.
And it is even more impossible for truck drivers, because in order to become a truck driver in the UK, you must first obtain a truck driver's license. To obtain this driver's license, you must first have a formal immigration visa to the UK.
He can only do odd jobs to make money temporarily.
But even though life is tight like this, Aman still wants to buy expensive mattresses, furniture, and home appliances, but does not want them if they are not famous brands, which makes Fiona very angry.
They don’t make much money, but they spend it lavishly. If they continue to spend like this, if the money is gone and the visa is not issued, their whole family will be deported back to Hong Kong, and they won’t even have a place to live.
The difference in consumption concepts caused the two to have another big quarrel. At this time, they had been in the UK for nearly a month.
Such a life is completely opposite to the original fantasy. Even Fiona's daughter has a prince living in the palace. She lives in such a small house and she cannot see the prince.
Children also learn to face reality.
Time flies. It has been three months since I arrived in the UK. Not only have I not made much money, Fiona has almost spent all the money she brought to the UK. html In 13 months, they spent 50,000 pounds (approximately 420,000 yuan).
At this time, the official visa has not yet been issued, and the savings are almost spent. The money earned from odd jobs in Oman is obviously a drop in the bucket.
Fiona also started looking for a job. She did not have a formal visa, and it was not easy to find a teaching job. In the end, she had no choice but to work as an assembly line worker in a gingerbread production factory.
was a teacher in China, and came to the UK to become an assembly line worker. . Fiona had never thought of such a huge gap before.
She has to go to work at 6 o'clock every morning. After get off work, she is busy picking up her children from school. She also has to cook and do housework. Such days are even more tiring than working in Hong Kong before.
The scene she had imagined before when she came back from work to watch TV and have a good sleep could only exist in her imagination.
However, Fiona's working ability is much better than Aman's. Not long after she worked in the gingerbread factory, she learned that not only the gingerbread factory, but also many nearby factories were short of workers, but they could not find suitable ones.
And she has her own Hong Kong immigration circle, which contains many people who have just come from Hong Kong and cannot find jobs. She can thread the thread in the middle, help the factory find suitable workers, and also help the Hong Kong fellows find jobs as soon as possible. After all, She also knows how difficult it is to find a job when you first arrive in a foreign country.
So she told her boss about her idea, and the boss immediately decided to let her do it. In this way, she changed from an assembly line worker to an office clerk.
Fiona did recruit employees to the factory, but the identities of these employees were embarrassing.
Some of them include dentists, parliamentarians, master's degree and so on. They were doing glamorous jobs in China, but when they came to the UK, they had to work as assembly line workers in order to make a living.
Fiona used her identity as a Hong Kong citizen to carry out the recruitment work in a prosperous manner, and was quickly recognized by the company. The company
provided Fiona with a long-term contract. With this contract, it was equivalent to having a relatively stable job, and she could also use this contract to apply for a loan to buy her own house locally.
This was undoubtedly something worth celebrating for Fiona. She took her family out for a big meal the day she got the contract.
It seems that life is beginning to develop in a good direction, but an accident comes again.
It has been 4 months, why hasn’t the official visa been issued yet?
Fiona personally called to inquire about the situation, but received an answer that was like cold water on the head.
It turns out that their family applied for a LOTR visa when they came to the UK. As a result, the previous immigrant visa was invalidated and they had to resubmit the application.
But the key issue is that when submitting a new application, you must submit new proof of financial status to prove that you can live in the UK without stress for more than 5 months even if you do not have a job.
However, the family’s accumulation has already been spent in the UK in the past four months. How can it be possible to submit a new financial certificate?
The road has come to this, and we have to find a way. Fiona proposed to try her best to save the family expenses, but Aman could not accept such an overly frugal life, and the two started to quarrel again.
In the four months since she came to the UK, Fiona and her husband Aman had had countless quarrels over various trivial matters in life, which rarely happens in Hong Kong.
Even Aman said that the two of them might divorce.
5. Your own choice
The couple has been married for 8 years. They never thought that they would get divorced in Hong Kong. Before coming to the UK, they were full of hope for the future of this small family.
did not expect that it would only take 4 months for them to have this idea.
The documentary ends here. We don’t know whether Fiona and Aman will be able to obtain official visas in the end, or be deported back to the country; whether they will get divorced, or whether they will work together to overcome the difficulties and usher in a new life. .
But as long as their visas are not issued, they are still Chinese citizens and have the opportunity to regret it. However, if they officially move out, it will be difficult to return to China, because the whole world knows that it is very difficult to obtain Chinese citizenship. .
Is the moon in foreign countries really rounder than in China? After these four months of life, Fiona and her family wonder if they will have new feelings.
After the documentary was filmed, some netizens were not optimistic about the couple's choice. Some said: "If you don't do anything, you will die. I believe in Britain and you will die." Others said: "Choose your own path (choose your own path) )...Pu...It’s not easy to cry on the street (Don’t cry on the street)...
We respect every one’s choice, and everyone must be responsible for their own choice. Since you have chosen this path, no matter it is You can only bear the consequences yourself.
Domestic elites VS foreign assembly line workers, how will you choose?
The couple was smiling before they left Hong Kong, but after four months in the UK, it was hard to find a smile on their faces.
Even at the end. After getting the visa, will Aman be able to get a truck driver's license as he wishes? Even if he gets a truck driver's license, will he really get a high salary as others say?
Everything is unknown.
There are many forked roads in life. , go left or go right, no one knows the answer.
I hope Fiona and her husband will not regret their original choice in the end, after all, there is no turning back.
