BY Isaac Chanakira
I have watched with deep sorrow the video of Zimbabweans who were recently deported from the UK.
I normally discuss about saving and investing money on this blog, but, I think this video provides some lessons that everyone in the diaspora must learn.
I do not know the full story except what I have learnt form the video and basing my assessment on that information below are the lessons that we should not ignore if you are living in a foreign land.
Some of you may think that this will never happen to you because, firstly, your visa papers are in order, and you are law abiding citizens. According to the video, all these guys have committed some sort of offence in their host country which result in them getting locked up. What scares me though is that some have committed minor traffic offences which ended up landing them in jail. Now, who can honestly tell me that they have never over speed or pass through a red traffic light or park on a prohibited area etc.?
If you are a foreigner, regardless of your visa status, you are always at risk of having the same fate as those poor souls on the video. Whatever documents the host nation has given to you, they can take them back if you misbehave. Do not be a fool and join some local people into some tomfoolery and illegal actives such as smoking pot or sniffing cocaine. The local people can only receive a jail term and that is as far as it goes, but, if you are a foreigner your punishment can go further than just a jail sentence. You can be tossed out of the country after serving your term and there is nothing you can do about it. It is even very easy for them if you are in the country illegally.
In short, if you are in a foreign land, you should be on your best behaviour and know where you come from. No matter how beautiful this land is, its not home and let that sink in your mind. You are always going to be an outcast, so, make hay whilst the sun shines and make the most of this opportunity to build your wealth. How many times have you heard some people saying to you, “Go back to your country”? Not everyone wants to see you there because, deep down, they think you don’t belong, and you are using their resources.
When things are ok in the world, we all want to behave in a civilised manner and tell each other that the world is a global village, and we all belong. When the pandemic started, the whole world went into a panic and divisions were quickly drawn. It was, “each country for itself and God for us all”. The governments concentrated on saving their own people and most foreigners who were caught at the wrong spot, were left to fend for themselves. A lot of international students and visitors were stranded with no one to help them. Such is human nature; they look after their own people first in times of crisis. We are now living in a difficult and dangerous world and each one of us much be prepared to fend for ourselves.
Anyway, back to the lessons from this video
- First and foremost, get your documents in order if you are an illegal immigrant. On the video someone said he was in the UK for 19,5 years. How can you live for 19,5 years in a country and fail to make moves to change your visa status? In 19.5 years, a child can be born and finish high school and get a job.
- If you are a foreigner, regardless of your visa status, do not get involved in illegal shit. Your punishment might be tougher than the punishment given to people born in that country. Be a good citizen and help your community, people in your host country likes that. They can even help you acquire a legal status due to your good deeds.
- Most developed countries offer excellent facilities for studying, for example free internet at the library, joining is also free. Free learning facilities for immigrants. Make the most of it and improve your knowledge. Some foreigners have been sponsored by companies for permanent visa status after they have proved that they can be relied on and are an asset to the organisation.
- There are numerous odd jobs that one can do to get money in most developed countries. Some people work more than three jobs. Try to save as much as you can and do not get tempted to live like locals and splash money around. I have already written an article that can help you save money in the diaspora. Read, “The 5 Easy Things That You Can Do to Save Money in The Diaspora”
- I know some of the people who are illegal immigrants cannot keep money in the bank or invest in the host country because of lack of visa documents. In that case, you already know that it’s a matter of time before the net closes on you, so, during the time that you are free, do all your investments back home. Get someone reliable back home that you can work with and invest as much as you can. Build a house, buy land, start a project back home so that when the time comes, at least you have something to fall back on.
- If you use all your money and behave as if you have a right to be in that country, you will only be fooling yourself. When the net finally closes on you, like those guys in the video, you won’t have anything worthwhile to show. All your worldly possessions will fit in a plastic bag. People will laugh at you, including those who you were sending money to on a regular basis.
I really feel sorry for those guys, and I do not wish the same fate to any of my readers. On the same token, life is a series of choices, sometimes you make good choices and sometimes you make bad ones too. What will be ideal is to make more good choices than the bad ones. You only have yourself to blame or thank for the choices you make in life.
I hope we all have learnt a lesson from this. It could easily be any one of us in that group, but if that happens to you, you have had an opportunity to be prepared for it. I will continue to share what I have learnt about saving money and investing in the diaspora with the hope of maybe helping someone build their wealth and not become a laughingstock of the community
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