HI, I'm relatively new here, and mostly overwhelmed by all of the activity in this corner of the internet.
My situation:
I am 26, going on 27. I live in South Africa, a country that no longer sparks my soul. I am employed full-time as a remote writer, I earn around $2,000 a month. I am not alone, I have a dependent in the form of my gracious and kind-hearted mother who saved my life 23 years ago when she adopted me. My mother is retired and one of the great joys of my life is being able to give back to her ten-fold what she gave to me for all those years raising me. My mother's dream is to move to Mauritius, a dream I have come to share quite passionately. The crystalline waters surrounding your island call to my soul like the resolute mountains in my home town once did.
I have been working tirelessly to ensure that my monthly income remains well above the required $1500 for the Premium VISA I so desperately had my sights set upon. The plan, as I had understood it, was that my mother would be allowed to travel to and reside in Mauritius on my VISA as my dependent. We would then start making arrangements to obtain more permanent residence in Mauritius upon arrival. I would set aside a week off of work during which she and I would search for a more long-term rental to transition to, as well as taking some time to get to know the Island.
I started my application on the Economic Development Board's website, and was making significant progress toward finding suitable travel and health insurance, looking into Mauritian banks, rentals, and preparing our current house in South Africa for the market. I found an airline, a prospective date range, even examined the specifications of the plane that would likely carry us to your shores. And then, this morning, on the heels of immense excitement, everything came crashing down.
I spent a few hours on the phone this morning to various entities within the EDB, and the all assured me of the same thing. My mom will not be able to accompany me as a dependent, dependents, as I am now painfully aware, are only spouses and children. I was assured, however, that for an annual amount of $18,000, my mom would be able to bask in the Mauritian sun as a retiree. The issue is this, our house is not vast or opulent enough to justify a selling price of $180,000 to cover the 10 years she'd be able to call Mauritius home, and I cannot afford to bankroll both entrance requirements, I simply don't have that much money.
I am reaching out, with hat in hand, to absolutely anyone who knows of a more financially viable way for me to get my mom and I to Mauritius for a long-term stay that could turn into residence or citizenship down the line. Thank you so much to everyone for taking time out of your day to read this post. I am at wit's end and I hate the feeling that this dream is slowly slipping away.
Kindest regards,
Hopeful future Mauritian resident,
Russ.
