Possibly moving to Macau - Any tips?

Number_25

Number_25

Number_25

Soldato
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23 Dec 2010
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So I'm in a relationship with a Macanese woman who intends to move back to Macau for a few years after she's finished her degree, I've said I'll be up for it as I see it as the "perfect" chance to not only experience her culture, but as a chance of getting something a little different on the all important CV a few years down the line.

I'm currently about to embark into my third, and last year at University - where I study a BSc in Computer Science and I'm fully expectant of getting a 1st class degree. I have been offered a MSc placement at the University of Kent to study IT Consultancy on completion of my degree and I should have that under my belt come July 2016.

In terms on language barriers, I have been learning Cantonese for the past 6 months with varied success - I'm finding that my strong South Wales accent is making the entire process more difficult than maybe it should be. I'm worried that this may hinder my chances in employment as the IT business tends to opt for people that sound a bit more professional than I do.

I know it's fairly easy to obtain a visa, due to me being a British national - but I'm not entirely sure of the process that I will need to undertake in order to get that visa. I would also like to look into the possibility of obtaining Chinese nationality during the period I live there. If someone could explain these processes to me I would be most grateful.

Wages and quality of life are also two things that I've been told I'll take a hit on if I was to move to that region. I've been told that even with a good masters I might find it a struggle to get a decent wage, and due to the high cost of rent my quality of life (quality of accommodation, quality of sleep etc) will also take a hit. Is this right, or could a good, competent person within the IT profession earn a fair bit more and live nicely as a result?

Any tips or advice would be amazing here as there doesn't seem to be much about it online.
 
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Number_25 said:
I know it's fairly easy to obtain a visa, due to me being a British national - but I'm not entirely sure of the process that I will need to undertake in order to get that visa. I would also like to look into the possibility of obtaining Chinese nationality during the period I live there. If someone could explain these processes to me I would be most grateful.
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So far as I can see from a quick check, if you applied for citizenship in Macau, you'd get exactly that - Macau citizenship, not Chinese. You'd also have to renounce your British citizenship, and already be a holder of a permanent residency card - ie, not just a work permit. I'm not sure how that works there, but I know in Taiwan, you need 5 years residence with no more than 3 months out of the country in each year to be eligible for a permanent card.

Legal things change all the time in this area - for example, Taiwan has recently relaxed rules on foreigners applying for naturalization without renouncing their original nationality - and it's something that has given me numerous headaches being a Brit married to a Taiwanese person with a Hong Kong marriage certificate. I sort of make things up as I go along. Not even bothered looking in to how to get her in to the UK when we move back, as rules governing spouses change every week or so. I exaggerate, but it feels that way.

Anyway, I'd strongly recommend considering if you really want to renounce your nationality in order to be naturalized there. To quote their immigration website:

Once the application is approved and otherwise the applicant is a stateless person, the applicant must within 6 months from the date of notification of his/her approval, submit a document which proves that he/she has renounced his/her foreign nationality. Otherwise, the approval will lose effect.
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I can't really see what benefits it would bring - if you're employed and resident for a number of years, you'd likely gain many rights of the locals anyway. Obviously, I'm not speaking with any experience of Macau specifically, but they appear to have a permanent residency system similar to the one here.

As for living costs and standards - again, no personal experience, though I work with one girl from there who's studying here, and she's trying to avoid going back :p Make of that what you will ;)

Edit: I should add, these processes vary massively between countries, and I don't know anyone who's personally applied for a Macau residence/work permit. However, there are similarities, one of which is that it has to be sponsored by an employer on your behalf, and as such, you're tied to that company.
 
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Feef said:
So far as I can see from a quick check, if you applied for citizenship in Macau, you'd get exactly that - Macau citizenship, not Chinese. You'd also have to renounce your British citizenship, and already be a holder of a permanent residency card - ie, not just a work permit. I'm not sure how that works there, but I know in Taiwan, you need 5 years residence with no more than 3 months out of the country in each year to be eligible for a permanent card.

Legal things change all the time in this area - for example, Taiwan has recently relaxed rules on foreigners applying for naturalization without renouncing their original nationality - and it's something that has given me numerous headaches being a Brit married to a Taiwanese person with a Hong Kong marriage certificate. I sort of make things up as I go along. Not even bothered looking in to how to get her in to the UK when we move back, as rules governing spouses change every week or so. I exaggerate, but it feels that way.

Anyway, I'd strongly recommend considering if you really want to renounce your nationality in order to be naturalized there. To quote their immigration website:



I can't really see what benefits it would bring - if you're employed and resident for a number of years, you'd likely gain many rights of the locals anyway. Obviously, I'm not speaking with any experience of Macau specifically, but they appear to have a permanent residency system similar to the one here.

As for living costs and standards - again, no personal experience, though I work with one girl from there who's studying here, and she's trying to avoid going back :p Make of that what you will ;)

Edit: I should add, these processes vary massively between countries, and I don't know anyone who's personally applied for a Macau residence/work permit. However, there are similarities, one of which is that it has to be sponsored by an employer on your behalf, and as such, you're tied to that company.
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Thank you.
 
good luck with living in a sardine tin. macau is the most desity population in the world.

have look around in macau on streetview
 
Tis, though I'd be more concerned about living in a Chinese SAR again. But then, I let my fairly strong opinions of China cloud my judgement somewhat on these things.

Also, worth noting that Macau has very little in the way of IT companies. Gambling, banking, tourism, sure, but I can't imagine that many opportunities in the IT sector.
 
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