A leap of faith: moving to a new country alone
A new life for a young professional from Belarus
Get to know Oksana.
A 28 year old data scientist.
She has been working for a Portugal-based company over the past 12 months.
Belarusian data scientist moves to Portugal
Get to know Oksana, a 28 year old data scientist who decided to move to Portugal on her own, and challenge herself to grow and succeed far from home, for the first time in her life.
It was very intimidating to think I would be far from my friends, my family and my girlfriend. However, I was also looking forward to living in such an open minded country, with so many opportunities.
Oksana Kravchenko is a 28 year old data scientist from Minsk, Belarus, and she has been planning on moving to Portugal for a few months now.
The whole process scared her, mostly because this would be the first time she would move abroad on her own. Still, the whole idea excited her - both her and her girlfriend are LGBTQIA activists, and back in her home country they face a lot of challenges when it comes to their personal freedom.
She knows that moving to Portugal would be a great step towards a healthier life, but she needed to be sure she would have a good community, find new friends she could count on, etc.
The bureaucratic part of moving was also quite overwhelming, and a colleague had already worked with moviinn before - this was a game changer for her. All her doubts and fears faded as she realized she could count on the support of people who had been exactly where she was: taking a leap of faith, moving to a completely different country, and adjusting to a new culture.
Discovering and Deciding
I was very stressed that I did not have much time to prepare my move - organizing everything back home and in the new place I'm going to, felt overwhelming. moviinn truly helped from the get go, with finding a place, advising me on which type of visa I should apply for, and supporting me through that bureaucratic process. I couldn't have done it without them. But what really made all the difference was that I felt their support every single day since I met them, and I know they're going to be essential to my integration process. I think that's what really makes them special: how much they care about each of their clients.
Examples of data from our explore page
Oksana's process
"I was concerned with how time consuming the application for the D3 could be - and whether that was the right visa for my profile. moviinn has helped me with the application and it all became much simpler than I thought, giving me time and space to focus on everything I have to do back home to organize my relocation to Portugal."
Oksana's Moving Timeline
After the first call, our relocation specialist suggested applying for a D3 Visa, aimed at highly qualified professionals, which is Oksana's case.
Start of Services
Since Oksana's process had to be done remotely, we supported her with finding a temporary rental home, and then we started organizing all the documentation she needed to get from her university, and other institutions, in order to start the application for the D3 Visa.
Applying for a Visa
The visa was accepted and Oksana moved to Portugal after 1.5 months of working with us.
Arriving to Portugal
After the first 4 months in Portugal, she had an interview with SEF and made an application for a Residence Permit for Highly Qualified Professionals, which is valid for one year and can be renewed for successive periods of 2 years. Now, she is in contact with us to start the process of getting her girlfriend to move to Portugal and join her.
Getting 1-Year Permit
Get to know other stories
Here are some of the stories we've collected from other moviinners, to inspire you on your journey to Portugal.
The Investor
Investment, citizenship, and life quality in Portugal
Discover Patrick and Claire's Journey
The Expert
Cybersecurity expert falls in love with Cascais
Discover Josh's Journey
The Sun-seeker
Finding a peaceful place to enjoy retirement in the Algarve
Discover Ann-Elise's Journey
The Globetrotter
Settling down in Lisbon after years of wandering around the world.
Discover Lina's Journey
The Unstoppable duo
Starting a business together in a new country
Discover Peter and Christine's Journey
The Techpreneur
From Israel to Portugal: an entrepreneur plans to move to Porto with his family
Discover Dave's Journey
The Investor
Investment, citizenship, and life quality in Portugal
Discover Patrick and Claire's Journey
The Expert
Cybersecurity expert falls in love with Cascais
Discover Josh's Journey
The Sun-seeker
Finding a peaceful place to enjoy retirement in the Algarve
Discover Ann-Elise's Journey
The Globetrotter
Settling down in Lisbon after years of wandering around the world.
Discover Lina's Journey
The Unstoppable duo
Starting a business together in a new country
Discover Peter and Christine's Journey
The Techpreneur
From Israel to Portugal: an entrepreneur plans to move to Porto with his family
Discover Dave's Journey
The Investor
Investment, citizenship, and life quality in Portugal
Discover Patrick and Claire's Journey
The Expert
Cybersecurity expert falls in love with Cascais
Discover Josh's Journey
The Sun-seeker
Finding a peaceful place to enjoy retirement in the Algarve
Discover Ann-Elise's Journey
The Globetrotter
Settling down in Lisbon after years of wandering around the world.
Discover Lina's Journey
The Unstoppable duo
Starting a business together in a new country
Discover Peter and Christine's Journey
The Techpreneur
From Israel to Portugal: an entrepreneur plans to move to Porto with his family
Discover Dave's Journey
