How we made the decision to move to the NL - Part 2

Changing our minds

In part 1 I discussed how we had planned on moving to Germany before pivoting to the NL. What happened and why did we ultimately decide to move to the Netherlands instead? Time.

Step 4: Be open to change

We knew about the Netherland’s DAFT Treaty with the US but you had to apply in the country after you moved. Not a decision to take lightly when moving a family, downsizing and renting out a house. Besides that hiccup, it also seemed too easy. And so, we looked towards Germany which offered a coveted long stay visa after 21 months on a Blau Karte.

With time, our particular situation changed and we realized a move to Germany would prove challenging. They recognize they need expats and are rapidly making it easier for people to move there. But we had a wonky situation. This added complexity that didn’t equal a sure path forward. And then, it was almost like we were being beckoned to the Netherlands  …

Cat beckoning picture (taken from the cat museum in Amsterdam). History behind Japanese Meneki-neko

Step 5: Have Patience or not.

We are not impulsive people. If you are, congrats! Ignore this. After two years of planning, our mindset had truly shifted to moving abroad and we felt more comfortable with risks that we wouldn’t have considered two years prior. Like packing up and moving to another country and then applying to stay. Yikes! We went back to our spreadsheet and the NL bumped up to the top of the list. This time, we immediately hired someone in the NL to tell us just how risky it was to apply for DAFT. I’ll never forget that meeting. Being reassured that this was indeed possible, effortless and we could seek support along the way if we needed took a huge weight off our shoulders. And we decided to go for it.

After we decided to move to the NL under the DAFT Treaty, things moved quickly, at first. More on that in part 3.