Finding Peace in Limbo

Thriving While Waiting for Your Work Permit as the accompanying spouse

Text by: Kate von Knobloch

Juni 10, 2024

Waiting for a work visa can feel like an endless rollercoaster of emotions. The uncertainty and impatience can be overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure if a work permit will ever materialize. However, this limbo phase can also be an invaluable opportunity for personal and professional growth.

The Emotional Rollercoaster while waiting for a work permit

Living in limbo while waiting for a work permit for accompanying spouses is a unique challenge. It’s a time filled with anticipation, frustration, and hope. Acknowledging these emotions and understanding that they are a natural part of the process is crucial. Recognizing and embracing these feelings can help you manage them more effectively.

Understanding Your Emotions

Anticipation: The excitement of a potential new chapter in your life can be exhilarating. It’s essential to harness this positive energy and use it to fuel your preparations and planning.

Frustration: The waiting period can often feel like an insurmountable obstacle. Accepting that frustration is a normal reaction can help you find healthy outlets for this emotion, such as exercise, hobbies, or connecting with others in similar situations.

Uncertainty: Not knowing when or if the work permit will arrive can be paralyzing. This uncertainty can make it difficult to plan and can lead to feelings of helplessness. It’s important to focus on what you can control and continue taking steps toward your goals, even in the face of uncertainty.

Hope: Maintaining hope is vital. Visualize your future success and remind yourself of the reasons why you embarked on this journey in the first place. Keeping a hopeful outlook can provide the motivation needed to navigate this challenging time.

Taking back Control while waiting for your Work Permit

While many factors during this waiting period are beyond your control, there are aspects you can manage. Many accompanying spouses pause their career decisions while waiting for their work permit, leading to a rush and lack of preparation when the permit finally arrives. Suddenly, questions arise about whether the chosen path is still the right one, and application documents may not be ready.

To avoid this, it’s crucial to stay proactive:

Career Decisions: Continuously reflect on your career goals and consider if your current path aligns with your long-term aspirations.
Preparation: Keep your resume and application documents up to date. Be ready to apply for positions as soon as your work permit is approved.
Skill Development: Use this time to acquire new skills or improve existing ones. Online courses, workshops, and certifications can make you more competitive in the job market.

Many people pause their career decisions while waiting for their work permit, leading to a rush and lack of preparation when the permit finally arrives.

Empower Yourself: Preparing for Your Career Move While Awaiting a Work Permit

My career transition coaching program is designed to give you back control during this waiting period. It offers meaningful and productive activities to prepare you for your career move, no matter when your work permit arrives. Based on the renowned and extensively tested Firework Coaching Program, my certified 3-phase model supports career restarts and changes. This program includes:

Phase 1: Profiling: We take the time to deeply explore who you are. The goal is to create a clear picture of your personal and professional values, strengths, passions, and preferences. This blueprint serves as a benchmark to evaluate each career idea against your vision of a fulfilling professional life.
Phase 2: Dreaming: This is a highly creative stage where we generate numerous potential new career paths that could inspire your career change. The aim is to think big, look beyond conventional ideas, and explore all possibilities.
Phase 3: Realization: We closely examine the most promising options developed during the Dream Phase. Through a creative and empowering process, we turn your vision of an exciting and suitable career into a solid action plan, ready to be implemented.

Interested in learning more? I offer a free discovery call where we can discuss your situation and how my coaching program can help you. This call is a great opportunity to regain control and start preparing for your future career today.

Understanding Work Permit Regulations

For those looking to understand work permit regulations for accompanying spouses, the Permits Foundation is an excellent resource. Currently, approximately thirty-five countries, including the UK, The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, allow spouses and partners to work freely. In the USA, married spouses can work under certain visa categories, though there are processing delays. Some countries, such as Japan and Malaysia, allow spouses to work but with specific conditions.

It’s essential to check the detailed arrangements, which depend on the visa of the assigned employee and any conditions attached to the spouse, partner, or other family members. To find out more and view a detailed map, visit the Permits Foundation website. This resource can help you stay informed and better navigate the complexities of work permit regulations.

I hope you found this blog post helpful for your current situation. Let me know if I can be of any help! I offer the opportunity for free 1:1 discovery calls to discuss your situation and I also offer free monthly global coffee dates where women from all around the world meet to discuss their global lifestyle decisions. You can safe your spot here.