Getting Started with International Migration: A Complete Guide

Imagine you are a 31-year-old engineer in Lagos. Your salary has not kept up with prices for years. Friends from university now post photos from Toronto, Berlin and Manchester. Every few weeks you open ten browser tabs about visas, feel lost, and close them all.

You are not short of ambition. You are short of a map. Where do you even start, and how much will it cost?

The short answer: Start by scoring yourself, not by paying fees. Check your age, education, language and work experience against Canada's or Australia's points system. Then pick the country that fits your score and budget. A typical skilled application has 15-25 steps spread over 6 to 18 months. Costs for one person run from about $800-$1,600 (Germany with a job offer) to $7,800-$8,800 (a UK five-year visa). The first thing most people should book is a language test, because it takes the longest to improve and moves your score the most.

Read this guide once from start to finish before you spend any money. The most common first-timer mistake is to pay for tests and fees before choosing the right country. That is like buying the furniture before you know which house you are moving into.

Step 1: Score yourself honestly

A points system is like a job interview scored on paper. Nobody sees your face. They add up your age, education, language and experience, and compare your total with everyone else's. Canada's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is the clearest example, and the factors are broadly similar in Australia, New Zealand and others.

Canada CRS: the core factors

What score do you need in 2026? It depends on your category. General and program-specific rounds in 2026 have tended to land in the mid-to-high 400s, and Canadian Experience Class rounds have run above 500 at times. Category-based draws for healthcare, skilled trades, STEM, education and especially French have gone much lower. French cutoffs in 2026 have ranged from the high 300s to the mid-400s. In short: a core CRS above 470 keeps you competitive in a general draw, but strong French or a targeted occupation can get you invited well below that.

So ask yourself: could you learn French? Moving from zero to CLB 5-7 is often the best single move an applicant can make. It adds points and opens a draw category with a lower cutoff.

Australia: the points test

Australia's minimum is 65 points. But 65 makes you eligible, not competitive. In 2026, those are very different things.

Since the May 2025 tiered priority model for the Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) visa, most IT, accounting and engineering roles sit in lower tiers. Competitive scores for them are now around 85-95 points. Nominated routes are easier. Subclass 190 (state) applicants are often invited around 70-80 points, and Subclass 491 (regional) can work from 65-75 points. For most people in busy occupations, state or regional nomination is now the realistic route. See our Australia skilled migration guide.

Germany: no points, just a checklist

For the EU Blue Card you need:

1. A recognised university degree (check anabin.kmk.org; "H+" means recognised).
2. A job offer meeting the 2026 salary thresholds. As of 1 January 2026, the standard threshold is EUR 50,700 gross per year. For shortage occupations, recent graduates (within three years) and qualifying IT specialists, it is EUR 45,934.20.
3. IT specialists can qualify without a degree if they have at least three years of relevant, academic-level experience within the last seven years.
4. No German is needed for the Blue Card itself, but B1 German unlocks the fastest permanent residency track (from 21 months).

No job offer yet? Germany's Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte), a points-based job-seeker route introduced in 2024, lets qualified people enter and search for work for up to a year. See our Germany Opportunity Card guide.

Step 2: Compare your country options

Canada: Express Entry and PNPs

• Processing: roughly 6 months after an Invitation to Apply (ITA), varying by program. Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) add several months.
• Draws: roughly weekly to fortnightly, mostly category-based. By late July 2026, IRCC had issued about 104,616 invitations across 42 draws for the year, already ahead of the full-year 2024 total.
• Annual target: the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan holds permanent-resident admissions at 380,000 per year, with economic immigration roughly 63-64% of the total and a growing share through PNPs.
• Key programs: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), PNPs, and category draws (healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, French). See migrate to Canada.

Australia: skilled visas

• Processing: Subclass 189: 6-12 months. Subclass 190: 6-9 months. Subclass 491: 6-9 months.
• Places: the 2025-26 program is set at 185,000 permanent places, with the Skilled stream at around 132,500. Nomination places are limited (roughly 12,850 for Subclass 190 and 7,500 for Subclass 491), so timing matters.
• Occupation lists: your occupation must be on the right list. Check immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. The 189 now follows a tiered priority model.
• Skills assessment: required first. Bodies include Engineers Australia, ACS (IT), VETASSESS (general) and ANMAC (nursing). It takes 4-12 weeks.

Torn between the two? See Canada vs Australia for immigrants.

Germany: EU Blue Card and Skilled Worker visa

• Processing: 4-8 weeks after your embassy appointment. Appointment waits vary: New Delhi averages 4-6 weeks, Lagos 6-10 weeks, Manila 3-5 weeks.
• No annual cap on skilled workers.
• Permanent residency: from 21 months with B1 German, or 33 months without.
• No job offer? The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte, EUR 75 fee) lets you search for work for up to a year. It replaced the old job seeker visa for applicants abroad in June 2024.

New Zealand: Skilled Migrant Category

• Processing: 6-12 months.
• Points: a simplified 6-point system, for a mix of qualifications, income relative to the median wage, and skilled experience. A job offer or occupational registration is central to most successful cases.
• Median wage: many settings are tied to the national median wage (about NZD 33.56/hour as of the 2025 update). Check the current figure.
• Places: roughly 45,000-55,000 residence places a year, depending on policy. The Accredited Employer Work Visa is the usual first step.

United Kingdom: Skilled Worker visa

• Processing: 3-8 weeks from outside the UK.
• Salary: since the mid-2025 overhaul, the general threshold is GBP 41,700 (or the occupation's going rate, if higher). New entrants can qualify from around GBP 33,400, and eligible health and care roles from around GBP 25,000.
• Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): GBP 1,035 per year per adult. A family of four on a five-year visa pays over GBP 20,000 in IHS alone. Health and Care Worker visa holders are exempt.
• Employer costs: sponsors also pay an Immigration Skills Charge (up to GBP 1,320 per worker per year), which affects who is willing to sponsor.
• You need a sponsor. A UK employer with a sponsor licence must issue a Certificate of Sponsorship. See migrate to the UK and our UK Skilled Worker visa guide.

Gulf states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

• Processing: 2-6 weeks for employer-sponsored work permits.
• No permanent residency in most cases (the UAE Golden Visa is an exception for high earners, investors and select specialists).
• No personal income tax in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The UAE has a 9% federal corporate tax and VAT, and Saudi Arabia has 15% VAT, but salaries are untaxed.
• Contracts: usually 2-3 years, tied to the employer. Changing jobs can need a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

Step 3: Know the full cost

Most people underestimate migration costs by 40-60%. Think of your money as two pots. The first pot pays fees, and you never see it again. The second pot is proof of funds: you must show it, but it stays yours to live on when you land. Do not mix them up.

Figures below are converted to USD and rounded. Always confirm the current local-currency fee on the official site.

Canada Express Entry

Australia Subclass 189

Germany EU Blue Card

United Kingdom Skilled Worker visa

For the hidden and ongoing costs beyond the application, read the true cost of migrating abroad.

Step 4: Gather your documents

Start 3-4 months before you plan to apply. Some items take a long time.

Needed for almost every country

• Passport with at least 18 months left (recommended, not just 6). Processes often run long.
• Education certificates: original degrees, transcripts and mark sheets for all post-secondary study.
• Credential assessment: WES (Canada), VETASSESS/ACS/Engineers Australia (Australia), ZAB/anabin (Germany), ENIC (UK).
• Language test results: IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, CELPIP, TEF/TCF (French). Valid for 2 years from the test date.
• Work experience letters on company letterhead, signed by HR or a manager, with job title, start and end dates, hours per week, main duties and salary. One per employer.
• CV in the destination country's format.
• Police clearance certificates from every country you lived in for 6+ months since turning 18. Typical times: India PCC (1-3 weeks), Nigeria PCC (4-6 weeks), Philippines NBI (2-3 weeks), Pakistan PCC (3-6 weeks).
• Medical exam from an approved panel physician. Valid for 12 months.
• Photos to each country's size (Canada: 50mm × 70mm, Australia: 45mm × 35mm).

For each document in detail, see documents needed to migrate abroad.

Country-specific extras

Canada:

• Digital photos uploaded to the IRCC portal (not physical photos)
• Reference letters with NOC/TEER code-specific duties
• Provincial nomination letter (if using a PNP)
• Proof of funds: bank statements for the last 6 months showing the minimum balance (unless exempt via CEC)

Australia:

• Skills assessment outcome letter
• Functional English evidence for secondary applicants
• Form 80 (Personal Particulars), listing every address, employer and trip for the last 10 years
• State nomination approval (for subclass 190/491)

Germany:

• Signed employment contract or binding job offer
• Proof of degree recognition (anabin H+ status or ZAB equivalence statement)
• CV in German Lebenslauf format (tabular, with photo; yes, Germany still expects this)
• Motivation letter (Motivationsschreiben) for some visa categories

UK:

• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number from your employer
• TB test results (if applying from a listed country)
• ATAS certificate (for certain research or PhD roles)
• Proof of English via an approved SELT (IELTS for UKVI, not standard IELTS)

Step 5: Plan a realistic timeline

These use 2026 processing times and assume nothing goes wrong.

Canada Express Entry

Australia Subclass 189

Germany EU Blue Card

UK Skilled Worker visa

Eight mistakes that delay or sink applications

1. Expired language results. IELTS, PTE and CELPIP scores expire after 2 years. If delays hit, you may need to retake. Our IELTS tips for immigration can help you hit the score first time.

2. Weak reference letters. The most common rejection reason for Canada Express Entry is letters that do not list duties matching your NOC/TEER code. "Was a valued member of the team" is not enough. Each letter must list 3-5 specific duties.

3. Gaps in employment. Unexplained gaps longer than 30 days raise flags. Write a short explanation for each: parental leave, study, illness, freelance work. Add proof where you can.

4. Police clearance timing. Some countries are slow (Pakistan and Nigeria: up to 6 weeks), and some certificates expire after 12 months. Time them so they do not lapse mid-process.

5. Medical surprises. Untreated tuberculosis, uncontrolled high blood pressure and some chronic conditions can delay or block a visa. So can conditions expected to cost the health system above a set threshold. Australia's significant-cost threshold sits at roughly AUD 86,000 over the assessment period.

6. Name mismatches. Passport says "Mohammed", degree says "Muhammad", bank says "Muhammed"? That causes delays. Get an affidavit or statutory declaration early.

7. The wrong IELTS. Canada and Australia accept standard IELTS. The UK requires IELTS for UKVI at approved centres. Take the wrong one and you start again.

8. Proof of funds that does not count. For Canada, money must be easy to access (savings account, GIC), not locked in investments, property or pensions. It must have been there for several months, not dropped in as a lump sum the week before.

Step 6: Decide if you need a consultant

No major program requires one. A consultant can be worth it if your case is complicated (employment gaps, several countries of residence, past refusals, a criminal record, medical issues), you are applying to several countries at once, or you have little time.

Always check they are registered:

Unregistered consultants cannot legally represent you and answer to nobody. Never pay anyone who guarantees a visa. Nobody can. Learn the warning signs in how to avoid immigration scams.

Frequently asked questions

How much do I really need saved before I start?

Two separate pots. Application costs run from around $800 (Germany with a job offer) to $8,000+ (a UK five-year visa) for one person. Proof-of-funds money is not a fee but must really be in your account: roughly CAD 15,000+ for a single Canada applicant, or a blocked-account balance around EUR 13,000 for Germany's job-seeker routes.

Which pathway is fastest?

With a job offer, Germany's EU Blue Card (6-11 months) and the UK Skilled Worker visa (6-10 months) are quickest, because they skip the wait for an invitation. Points systems in Canada and Australia are slower: you wait to be invited, then wait again for processing.

Can I apply to more than one country at the same time?

Yes, and many serious applicants do, because language tests and credential assessments can often be reused. The limits are money and admin time, not eligibility. Track expiry dates closely, because a language result that lapses mid-process is a common, avoidable setback.

Do I need a job offer to migrate?

It depends on the country. Canada and Australia can give permanent residence on points alone, though an offer or nomination helps. The UK requires employer sponsorship. Germany needs either a job offer (Blue Card) or entry on the Opportunity Card to look for one.

What is the single most useful thing I can do first?

Sit a language test: IELTS General Training for Canada, PTE Academic for Australia, or IELTS for UKVI for the UK. Your language score takes the longest to improve and moves your eligibility more than almost anything else. Worried about age points? Read am I too old to migrate? before you rule yourself out.

The process is long, but it is a straight line. You do not need to see the whole road today. You only need to take the first step, and this week, that step is booking your test.