Expats must choose between leaving or staying put

To stay or to go is now every expat’s worst conundrum.
As the covid-19 pandemic tightens its grip on the majority of countries worldwide, expats are faced with their worst dilemma – whether to stay in limbo or return to the home country, leaving their dreams behind. It’s not just the risk of contracting the virus or even dying from it, it’s the fear they won’t be allowed back in should they take time off to check on loved ones in the home country, added to which is the total confusion as regards flights, entry visas and new lockdowns.

Governments all over the world seems to be unable to help by reassuring expats working, retiring or running businesses in their jurisdictions that they’ll be allowed to return and resume normal life should they opt for a visit home to check on family and friends. The reason may well be that the governments themselves have no idea what’s going to happen next and how it will affect them, but that’s hardly the fault of the hundreds of thousands of expatriates caught between a rock and a hard place.

The numbers involved worldwide are staggering, with Australia a home from home for some 7.3 million, just under 175,000 migrants in the UK, some 300,000 Brits in EU member states and millions more scattered across the rest of the world. Not all are retirees or entrepreneurs, with those on work visas having most to lose including a regular salary.

For expats in the UK, should they lose their jobs before they’ve been resident for five years, they also lose their right to stay. The same is usual in the majority of other expat destinations and, given the present circumstances, a dearth of official advice is probably the only certainty.