The Afghan brother of one of our clients in Australia applied over a year ago for a Vanuatu permanent residency visa. But despite our reminders (and at times even pleading) he has not got his paperwork in order so we could get it processed.
Now he's panicking. Now the state of things in Afganistan is that he can't even GET the paperwork that would have been easy to obtain just 3 months ago if he'd applied. So over the past week we have been working a lot “on the ground” here in Vanuatu trying to push through an emergency permanent residency visa for the brother on compassionate grounds. It's become life and death.
No doubt you’ve seen the video of swarms of Afghans in the airport at Kabul. They are frantic. Trying to find a way out of their country. But most of them won't make it. The Taliban is taking the city.
Afghanistan is a clear indicator of why the intelligent choice is to have a Plan B. Now, not tomorrow.
Sadly, these people waited to take action until it was too late. Maybe they thought it wouldn't happen – not in THEIR country. After all, look at all the international help they were (supposedly) getting.
No rational person ever says, “I want to wait until I see the flames before I take steps to get fire insurance and form an escape plan.” But tragically, that’s what so often ends up happening.
A Plan B has many facets – having a place to go, an international source of emergency funds, and so forth. My brief is to help you with the “place to go” if you choose Vanuatu as one of your potential bolt-holes. (Note: ONE of – you should have more than one!)
This whole Afghanistan mess is a sober reminder that one of the most important parts of a Plan B is knowing when to take action. Not waiting until it’s too late.
Lance in (bolt-hole) Vanuatu
