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I'm at a proverbial fork in the road and was wondering if anyone could help a Lebanese out with getting the hell out of this shithole.
I'm a 28 year old electrical engineer who's been working for the past 3 years at a Lebanese-based oil and gas contracting company. I've managed to save up around 30,000 usd in my banks accounts, but due to the recent economic downfall and banks stealing our money and making wire transfers to other countries virtually impossible, I effectively only really have around 12,000 usd (cash I was able to withdraw painstakingly since the end of 2019)
Germany: I have applied to and been accepted at 3 masters programs in Germany: One in sustainable systems engineering, one in cognitive science and the last in organic molecular engineering. I have just enough money to get the student visa ( min required is around 10,236 Euros or around 12,000 usd) Again, since the bloody banks will likely refuse my ability to wire transfer from my account, I can barely just make it with transferring the 12,000 usd in cash that I have on hand. The first program's tuition is around 1600 euros per semester while the other two have no tuition costs. So, basically, I've more or less got myself covered for these programs for one year, at least. (Not sure what to do for the second year when I'd have to renew my student visa, whether Lebanese banks would have started letting us wire transfer by then... Worst case I can try and get a part-tme job?)
Canada: On the other hand, I have taken an assessment and eligibility test and found that I qualify for Canada's express entry under the federal skilled worker program. I did quickly added up the points myself based on what criteria I met and got a 74. (without a having done a french exam)
Here's the conundrum: Should I go with one of the masters in Germany (with the plan on eventually securing a job after the masters) or go for permanent residence in Canada and then either pursue a masters at an affordable(?) state college (if I am able to afford it with my 12,000 usd) or try looking for a job based on my bachelors (American University of Beirut) and my 3 years experience. As a permanent resident, how feasible would it be for me to work part time in order to sustain myself with just 12,000 usd on hand? (to either look for work or apply to masters). Maybe it's worth mentioning that I'm currently at an A2 level of German.
One last thing: I don't know how long I will last here. This is not to sound melodramatic, but the country is bouncing off the rails ever since the economic turmoil of 2019, civil unrest, banking system collapse, hyperinflation, COVID-19 pandemic and recent Beirut port explosion. State subsidies for wheat, fuel and medicine will likely be lifted within the coming three months and so the local currency will most likely plummet in value.
So, given the above information, what would be the better choice? Thank you.
I'm a 28 year old electrical engineer who's been working for the past 3 years at a Lebanese-based oil and gas contracting company. I've managed to save up around 30,000 usd in my banks accounts, but due to the recent economic downfall and banks stealing our money and making wire transfers to other countries virtually impossible, I effectively only really have around 12,000 usd (cash I was able to withdraw painstakingly since the end of 2019)
Germany: I have applied to and been accepted at 3 masters programs in Germany: One in sustainable systems engineering, one in cognitive science and the last in organic molecular engineering. I have just enough money to get the student visa ( min required is around 10,236 Euros or around 12,000 usd) Again, since the bloody banks will likely refuse my ability to wire transfer from my account, I can barely just make it with transferring the 12,000 usd in cash that I have on hand. The first program's tuition is around 1600 euros per semester while the other two have no tuition costs. So, basically, I've more or less got myself covered for these programs for one year, at least. (Not sure what to do for the second year when I'd have to renew my student visa, whether Lebanese banks would have started letting us wire transfer by then... Worst case I can try and get a part-tme job?)
Canada: On the other hand, I have taken an assessment and eligibility test and found that I qualify for Canada's express entry under the federal skilled worker program. I did quickly added up the points myself based on what criteria I met and got a 74. (without a having done a french exam)
Here's the conundrum: Should I go with one of the masters in Germany (with the plan on eventually securing a job after the masters) or go for permanent residence in Canada and then either pursue a masters at an affordable(?) state college (if I am able to afford it with my 12,000 usd) or try looking for a job based on my bachelors (American University of Beirut) and my 3 years experience. As a permanent resident, how feasible would it be for me to work part time in order to sustain myself with just 12,000 usd on hand? (to either look for work or apply to masters). Maybe it's worth mentioning that I'm currently at an A2 level of German.
One last thing: I don't know how long I will last here. This is not to sound melodramatic, but the country is bouncing off the rails ever since the economic turmoil of 2019, civil unrest, banking system collapse, hyperinflation, COVID-19 pandemic and recent Beirut port explosion. State subsidies for wheat, fuel and medicine will likely be lifted within the coming three months and so the local currency will most likely plummet in value.
So, given the above information, what would be the better choice? Thank you.
