Possible move to Mauritius

22POSTS

15 years ago

Good morning all,

I'm a first time poster on this forum, based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Recently myself and my partner decided we would like to move to Mauritius and as with many others, we have a number of questions.

Here's a little about our background. I have 20 years experience in the IT trade, covering all aspects of the job from support through to web design and device programming, most recently iPhone and iPad development. In the UK, I make around £36k a year, not including a business I own which specialises in iPhone app development, which makes a further £10k a year. I have no degree level qualification at the moment but have started on the path to obtaining one. I'm an incredibly motivated and hard worker. I also do portraiture photography - though not sure this would be useful or not.

My partner works in a childrens nursery and has many years of experience and qualifications. She also has no degree but plenty of training in all aspects of childcare. She is skilled in learning new languages quickly and has a good base of Dutch and French already. Her father was Mauritian born, though proving this may be tricky as his name changed after he moved to the UK.

I'm visiting Mauritius in two weeks time to take a first look at the island and see if it's a place we could be happy. If all goes well, our plan was for me to move over alone initially and establish somewhere to live / job etc. Then months later, she would sell up everything else in the UK and move too. It's a big move for us and would require selling up everything we have, most notably our home. I suppose I've various questions so I better get a move on. :-) I apologise in advance for the length of this post!

1. Would it be better practice to start applying for jobs now while in the UK? Are interviews ever done 'over the wire' via things like Skype - or is a visit required? How does this usually work? Given my overview above, would I be the kind of worker which would benefit Mauritius?

2. I've looked at some of the positions advertised in ICT and note that most ask for a Degree level qualification. How rigid is this? Having worked in the industry for 20 years, I consider my experience very extensive. As said before, I have started a degree but it will be a number of years before it's complete.

3. My business is currently registered in the UK, though I'd like to move it with me. Has anyone done this? What's involved?

4. Can property be purchased or do you need to be a resident first? If my partner can prove her dad is Mauritian, would she manage to gain citizenship based on that?

5. Is it possible for a non-citizen to start a business in Mauritius?

Any pointers would be great. I've lots more questions but these ones are annoying me the most. :-)

Thanks,
JT

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Yud ViP

7031POSTS

15 years ago

Welcome on Expat.com JT

JayTee Member

22POSTS

15 years ago

Thank you. :-)

Hopefully I'll get moved and it'll be me answering these questiosn in the future.

musheer Serial expat

264POSTS

15 years ago

Hi Jay,

Glad to know you want to move to Mauritius! It is indeed a wise Idea to come over to Mauritius before you decide. I cant answer al your questions, but will answer some of them to the extent that iknow.

1. Would it be better practice to start applying for jobs now while in the UK? Are interviews ever done 'over the wire' via things like Skype - or is a visit required? How does this usually work? Given my overview above, would I be the kind of worker which would benefit Mauritius?

It would make a lot of sense to start applying online, before you come. This will give you a head-start and a feel for the remuneration and roles available.
As for interviews, i depends from firm to firm. Some imght be happy with a telephonic or video interview based on your CV, while some others might ask for a visit on a finalization stage.
Yes, your experience would help in Mauritius.

2. I've looked at some of the positions advertised in ICT and note that most ask for a Degree level qualification. How rigid is this? Having worked in the industry for 20 years, I consider my experience very extensive. As said before, I have started a degree but it will be a number of years before it's complete.

I would think having 20 years experience will more than make up for the lack of degree.

3. My business is currently registered in the UK, though I'd like to move it with me. Has anyone done this? What's involved?

I think you can do this, go through this website for the same : http://www.worknlive.mu/menuid1.aspx
its the Board of Investments webpage

4. Can property be purchased or do you need to be a resident first? If my partner can prove her dad is Mauritian, would she manage to gain citizenship based on that?

Part one, property can be purchased by foreigners on the IRS Scheme which requires you to put in minimum of 500,000$ (about £300,000)

part two, I would think yes, but I am not a local, and someone else will be able to answer this better.

5. Is it possible for a non-citizen to start a business in Mauritius?

Any pointers would be great. I've lots more questions but these ones are annoying me the most. :-)

Feel free to ask us more questions

Hope this is of some help!!

Cheers,
Musheer

JayTee Member

22POSTS

15 years ago

Good morning,

Thanks for the response. I'm currently updating my CV to include all the latest developments and will start applying for jobs fairly soon. There's less than two weeks before I visit anyway so I'll know if it's a possible future home. I can't wait - very excited about it all.

Strawb Contributor

104POSTS

15 years ago

Make sure you do plenty of exporing then! I would imagine if you're into IT then Cyber City would be a likely option. Beware of Port Louis though as it's a huge bottleneck and most people that work North of it tend to try live there and vice versa with the South.

I'm moving out in 5 weeks.

I can't think of 2 places more differnt than Northern Scotland and Mauritius! I can't see you NOT wanting to move there once you've been though. The biggest challenge I reckon is the whole starting a new life thing. If you can't do it here though, then I wouldn't bother trying anywhere else lol.

JayTee Member

22POSTS

15 years ago

Hi Strawb,

I also do a lot of photography work - so the big camera is coming with me so I can get photos across the island - really can't wait. I'm going to do heaps of exploring in the limited time I have. I'm fairly sure already that I want to move to Mauritius - it's just the logistics of it all which worries me.

Ideally I'd like to start an iPhone / mobile development company which can be mostly run from home - though for the outset I imagine I'll need to get a job to start things off. I suppose at the start, I'll just work wherever I need to work until things settle down (that's assuming I can get a job!)

So you're moving out in 5 weeks? That's pretty awesome. Are you going to a job over there? Family with you?

Strawb Contributor

104POSTS

15 years ago

I've got a job in Grand Bay. I wasn't actively looking to move out of the UK, it was just the right opportunity at the right time but now it's agreed I'm hoping we can stay for the medium to long term.

My company are arranging most of it for me which is handy (and cheaper!), but I will share my experiences with all on here as I go along so feel free to ask away once I get there!

I would also be interested in your views too as I only spent 2 days in Grand bay for an interview so didn't get much chance to see the Island. Grand Bay was enough to make my mind up though!

My other half (wife as of 28th!) is staying behind for a month or so just to get a few things at home sorted first.

It IS very exciting int it!

JayTee Member

22POSTS

15 years ago

Well, I was talking to the other half earlier today and I'm going to blog the whole experience - complete with photos (starting in 12 days time). I'll post a link once the domain is up and running.

Anyway - I really hope your move goes well for you. Stay in touch - we may be neighbours. lol...

JayTee Member

22POSTS

15 years ago

#10

Is it okay to post a link to the (very basic) blog I've just started up. There's no financial gain / advertising on this blog - it's purely to show other people all the steps involved in moving country, from conception to either success or failure (not sure which yet).

musheer Serial expat

264POSTS

14 years ago

#11

Hi jay,

The thought is great and am sure will help a lot of people. You might think of posting the Blog in the "blogs" section of the forum, the menu button for which is on the left handside of the page.
Since a lot of Expats visit the Blogs, you are likely to have more hits and help more people this way, than posting a link which will eventually not be visible as more threads are added on!

Cheers,
Musheer

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#12

Done, though the blog is a bit light at the moment because we're only just starting the process.

douglas1969 Contributor

169POSTS

14 years ago

#13

why would you move to MU if you are in IT. why not move to an IT capital?

douglas1969 Contributor

169POSTS

14 years ago

#14

i see your point. everyone needs to make their own choices.

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#15

Yeah, pretty much what Jeanne said. If I were really interested in money, I'd probably stay here and make lots of cash from iPhone applications (it's already started happening). However, it's quality of life that I'm really after. Personally I'm tired of the UK, it's politicians, it's stupid overweight taxes for wages, pensions and anything else they can steal from you and the horrible weather that we get all year round.

Just a change of place, a change of culture, people, food, weather and everything else which will be new and exciting.

douglas1969 Contributor

169POSTS

14 years ago

#16

I hear you. Best of luck.

I myself am on here because someone is recruiting me and I am trying to see through the pitch and get an idea what MU might be really like. I think where ever you go, you have to go where the work, the money and the jobs are. There is no place where an employer likes to watch employee's sitting around doing nothing -- especially in IT where it's so easy to transfer job functions geographically.

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#17

Yeah I totally agree. IT is a good field to move with. For me, it will be mostly iPhone stuff which I can sell from any country. A full time job doing this would be nice but non essential. I'm not reall career driven so as long as I can live comfortably with my family then I'll be happy. :-)

AndrewM Active member

35POSTS

14 years ago

#18

Hi Jay,
I'm based in the UK and am in the process of setting up my own company to work from home in Mauritius. It's not that straighforward I'm afraid. You'll need to apply for an Occupational Permit from the Passport+Immigration office and the Board of Investment. There are 3 types - Investor, Professional, and Self Employed:

Investor: The business activity should generate a turnover exceeding MRU 4 million annually with an initial investment of USD100, 000 or its equivalent in freely convertible foreign currency.
If there is more than one investor in the same company applying for an Occupation Permit, the turnover criteria should apply in respect of each applicant (i.e MRU 8 million for two applicants, MRU 12 million for three applicants, and so on)
(2) Professional: Basic salary should exceed MRU 45,000 monthly
(3) Self-employed: Income from the business activity should exceed MRU 600,000 annually with an initial investment of USD 35,000 or its equivalent in freely convertible foreign currency.

I'm going down the Investor route, but you may be able to go the self-employed route, but you will need to invest £22,000 and draw a minimum salary of £12,000 per year. given that you only make £10k from the business currently, you would likely have to run the business as loss making initially. I'm using an approved local Trust Company to do all the paperwork and their charges are quite high as I'm going for a GBL1 type of company (which is offshore for tax advantages). You will have to show to the BoI that your business can benefit Mauritius. They do look at your CV and like to have degree educated people, but that's not to say that your experience wont swing it.

Regarding buying a property, as has been mentioned you can only buy via the IRS scheme, prices start at $500,000, but in reality I havent found any that cost less than $1.5-2m. The IRS scheme gives you the right to apply for permanent residency but does not confer any right to work - so its kinda aimed at rich people with second homes or the wealthy retired.

Hope this helps.

Andrew

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#19

Thanks for the post Andrew, very interesting stuff.

Instead of starting a business I'm looking to land a job in Mau instead and continue doing my programming and design work out of hours. Until I start releasing games, the revenue will never really be huge for my company - but the games are coming!

What line of work are you going to be doing from home?

stephenn Active member

57POSTS

14 years ago

#20

For what it's worth, I'm not aware of many Objective-C developers here. That might be a good thing. The iPhone, while popular, is out of the reach of most, and given the technology development here in Mauritius, that probably means there's not that much demand for local iphone app development. So, you'll be wanting to maintain international contacts and develop your own apps. Might be worth contacting the local Apple authorised resellers here to get an idea of what the scene is like, paoma.mu and LEAL comm.

Not living in an IT hub (and despite all the buzzwords and advertising brandished, Mauritius is not one) will mean that you'll have to suffer the bandwidth or rather lack thereof. There's also a lack of tech culture. These may or may not be an issue.

Degree helps, but it can be made up with by experience and certification.

douglas1969 Contributor

169POSTS

14 years ago

#21

stephenn wrote:
There's also a lack of tech culture. These may or may not be an issue.

Hi Stephenn, thanks for the great and useful posts. Through doing a little bit of regular resaerch on the side, I am also getting the impression that the IT industry might be very rudimentay in MU. Mostly call centers and a some telcos. I may be wrong.

@JayTee -- perhaps one strategy could be focus on web services as a day job, as there seems to be indicators that there more work in that, and do the iPhone on the side in evenings

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#22

Well, the good thing about iPhone development is that you can do it anywhere and have the choice of developing either for businesses or for yourself. I'm aiming to move into the gaming market soon anyway, so it's likely I'll pursue the game ideas I've been saving up unless there seems to be an opportunity from a bigger business.

My day job is likely to be in project management and systems administration which is what I do most of the time. As the IT sector is on it's way up in Mauritius just now, that should be attainable.

I'm also in the progress of doing the degree at the moment but think it can be done anywhere.

Thanks for the interesting posts though - it all helps me to shape my picture of how things should work out. In hindsight I should have posted to see if anyone wanted to go for a drink while I was in Mauritius!

Wandlewed Contributor

143POSTS

14 years ago

#23

Hi

I assume you've visited the island by the time of my posting. I'm not Maurician but visit regularly and have property there. I can't assist with the work aspect but know the country fairly well. Ebene seems to be the IT hub and some nice (albeit expensive) bars. Learn Creole! Drink always welcome!

Regards

Wandlewed

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#24

Hello,

It will be two weeks tomorrow since I arrived home from Mauritius and despite my efforts I haven't really heard anything on the job front, though there is always a backup plan. :-) it's a really nice place with good people but without a job agreed in advance it's unlikely to happen. Having said that, these things take time so we will see how it goes.

My Dutch friends really want me to move to the Netherlands so I've got some talking to do with the other half about what to do next. (on my return from NL)

Nothing is ever easy! :-)

bleu2011 Member

1POSTS

14 years ago

#25

hi Jaytee
just found your posts and i would like to know if you have moved to Mauritius. Am currently planning to move there as soon as possible but i am not too sure. i am going there with my two small children while hubby will stay here for a while.
just wanted to know if u hv moved and if u like it.
thks

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#26

Sadly I've not been able to get a job (or an offer of a job) since I visited Mauritius. It's pretty weird because I'm fully capable of most ICT roles, from management to technical. As a bonus, I'm about to release my fifth iPhone App to the store but even that doesn't seem to entice potential employers. What I did notice is that PHP development seems to be the order of the day in Mauritius and in all honesty, I didn't want to go back to web programming again.

So to answer the question, no. I haven't moved there (nor to Netherlands which I was considering for a while). However I do have a longer term plan. I'm currently working on my first game production for iPhone / iPad - so if it goes well, I'll BUY my way in to a comfy retirement IRS property. It'll take a bit longer, but that's the way the cookie crumbles!

Wish you all the best in your move however. It'd be a great place to live I think.

Nadeem ViP

1287POSTS

14 years ago

#27

Your reference to iphone application made me remember one incident. One of my clients got his permit application refused... and he was precisely into the development of Iphone / Ipad applications which he sells on the store. When I lodge the appeal, we were convened to a meeting. He took out his Ipad, and \the officers on the panel went 'WAAAOOW... What's this?". Then I understood that his application was refused because they didn't have a single clue what his business was all about! After that he got a straight 3-year WORK PERMIT.

JayTee Member

22POSTS

14 years ago

#28

I suppose that does go some way to explaining things. Well, it seems my skills in the realm of iPhone / iPad development are still unrequired.

On the plus side, my game is coming along nicely.

Nadeem ViP

1287POSTS

14 years ago

#29

JayTee.. Tell us when the game is released! I'll organise a game party with some officials (I got myself an Ipad) - may be the winds will blow your way!

celebrate1989 New member

3POSTS

14 years ago

#30

[moderated]
Reuben

Nadeem ViP

1287POSTS

14 years ago

#31

Celebrate, whilst I understand the commercial move behind your book...and do not doubt for 1 second on its usefulness... I'm wondering what would make a foreigner BUY it when loads of free information are available everywhere. By telling us WHY we need to buy, instead of using what's already available for free and useful as well, you make score a goal. I'm curious to know... Could you please enlighten me? Thanks.

Also curious why moderators do not think that this is free publicity ... Something they are utterly against on this forum. They almost automatically delete links to website .... !