Apart from the prospect of a prosperous future, many people look to emigrate to the West on account of difficulties in renewing their work contracts and decreasing employment opportunities for their children in the Kingdom.

However, migrating to the West is not easy. There are countless obstacles that migrants need to overcome before they can obtain visas in a Western country.

“I have been planning to emigrate to Sweden through France. I saved the required amount for the journey and fulfilled other conditions for obtaining a visa. But I was shocked when my visa application was rejected because of reasons beyond my understanding,” said Omar Moussa, a Sudanese national currently working in the Kingdom.

He added that he is still trying to get a visa to another Western country. In his view, Sweden, Britain and Germany are the most favorable European countries to migrate to. “However, Canada offers the best prospects for an immigrant from the Third World. But the problem with Canada is that the emigration to that country is not financially affordable for the average man,” said Moussa.

He added that he does not have the money to emigrate to Canada and, therefore, he and others like him turn to European countries despite the high costs of living, falling job opportunities and other obstacles to get visas to those countries.

Even many well-placed expatriates are also planning to emigrate to Western countries because they do not want to return to their home countries, which are plagued by political problems and economic crises.

“I would like to live in Saudi Arabia. But in case my work contract is not renewed and I am forced to leave the Kingdom, I would like to emigrate to Britain or Canada instead of returning to my country. This will, no doubt, ensure a brighter future for my kids,” said Dr. Ali Osman, a medical doctor of Sudanese origin.

Skilled professionals have still plenty of opportunities in Western countries. Many European and North American countries, particularly Canada, support selective immigration in areas such as health, engineering and business to fill the shortages in workers.