Given the upcoming budget speech, which is expected to paint a bleak picture with regards to Eskom, unemployment and higher revenue collections, a lot of South African families and businesses are anxious to look for relocation opportunities abroad.

Further to this, their anxiety builds as they try to figure out if they are eligible to emigrate and what the costs are, says internet portal, Moovguide.

It can cost a family of four as much as R300,000 to relocate to another country, and navigating through all the different procedures involved is a complex and fraught business, it said.

Moovguide assesses at no cost an individual or family’s chances of obtaining visas. If the chances are favourable, Moovguide provides an estimate of total expenses involved in relocation. It then links them up with specialist partner companies and agencies that provide the various relocation services they require.

The partners provide accurate, final relocation costs of services, which range from obtaining visas to household contents and pet relocation, and international money transfers.

Moovguide currently focuses on the four most popular destinations – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK – but plans to include essential services for South Africans who wish to return home after relocating abroad.

High net worth individuals are able to move abroad with relative ease because they have the resources and networks, but for people without these advantages, moving is a complex and expensive business. It places a lot of strain on families, emotionally and financially.

The process involves a number of procedures that each have to be managed separately. Moovguide said its starting point is to ask clients to complete a basic questionnaire setting out essential personal and family information.

The questionnaire enables the portal to assess your chance of obtaining a visa or visas and, if favourable, to provide you with an estimate of all relocation costs.

Examples of estimated costs provided by Moovguide in its initial assessment include:

Only visas and leave belongings behind

Visa costs for a family of four, which include various government fees, medical and language tests and visa agency costs vary depending on location:

R220,000 for Australia;

R190,000 New Zealand;

R180,000 the UK; and

R80,000 for Canada.

Relocate a family of four, household contents and a pet

Based on the contents of a three-bedroom home and a cat – costs, including visas, rise significantly.

R300,000 for Australia;

R280,000 for New Zealand;

R270,000 for the UK; and

R200,000 for Canada.

Moovguide’s founders caution that while visa and other relocation costs are important, clients should focus clearly on understanding their destination country and its culture and assess whether they will be able to successfully integrate into their new society.

They believe South Africans need to understand that their current lifestyle is very difficult to replicate elsewhere.

“You live in a country with great natural beauty, mild weather, excellent food and warm, positive people. All the pros and cons should be drawn up and assessed and the relocation process understood to prepare well for a move,” Moovguide said.

Read: Tax hikes will only push more South Africans to leave the country: Allan Gray