For those of us who thrive on planning every detail, the journey of emigration has been a real test of patience, trust, and flexibility. We are the type of couple who love knowing exactly what’s next, where we’re headed, and how we’ll get there. But this journey? It hasn’t been that simple. Instead, it’s been a reminder that sometimes, you just can’t plan everything.

When we first started this journey, we quickly realized that we couldn’t do it alone. We relied heavily on information from others who had already gone through the emigration process—everyone seemed to have their own version of the “right” way to go about it. With hundreds of conflicting pieces of advice, we found ourselves overwhelmed. So, after a long, careful meeting and much back-and-forth, we decided to go the ancestral visa route, which required us to depend on family for documents and information we didn’t have.

That’s when the waiting game began. We needed Keagan’s father to retrieve his birth certificate, but there was a catch—he didn’t have one. Then, we hoped his grandmother would have his grandfather’s birth certificate, but they had been separated, so that wasn’t the case either. We then had to rely on a company, All4Travel, to help us get his father’s document. What should have been a relatively straightforward task turned into anything but. You can read more about that frustrating experience in our post on missing documents.

Eventually, after messaging distant family members and tracking down leads, we were finally able to obtain Keagan’s grandfather’s birth certificate through his half-uncle. But as we were nearing the finish line with that, we hit another obstacle. The next challenge involved finding accommodation for our application. Bronwyn's grandfather’s house was already occupied by her parents and sister, so it couldn’t be used. Luckily, we were able to stay with at her uncle, which made things a little easier.

Finally, after sorting out accommodation, we faced yet another hiccup—our final savings statement. It’s only generated every three months, so this caused another three-month delay in the application process. This meant we had to depend on the bank to get things sorted, further setting us back.

Every step of this journey has been full of bumps and setbacks, and there were many times when we felt frustrated by how much we had to depend on others—whether it was family, companies, or even distant relatives. As people who are used to controlling every aspect of our lives, this has been humbling, to say the least.

But here's the thing: despite all the hiccups, the delays, and the unexpected obstacles, we know that this journey is 100% worth it. Emigrating to the UK is our dream, and even though it hasn’t been easy, we are closer than ever to making it a reality. If you're anything like us and prefer to have everything figured out, brace yourself for a bumpy ride. But know that, in the end, the challenge makes the journey that much more rewarding.

So, as frustrating as it may be, hang in there. Trust that every challenge you face along the way is just part of the process, and, ultimately, it's all worth it.