Moving Abroad as an African: Assessing Racism, Employment and Integration Before Choosing a Country

Expatriation is often presented as a simple promise: move to a wealthier country, earn a degree, find a job and immediately improve one’s living conditions. Yet a lasting settlement also depends on less visible realities: being able to rent accommodation, being hired with equal qualifications, moving around without fear, building relationships and planning for the future.

For Africans and Black people in the diaspora, these issues take on a particular dimension when racial discrimination, prejudice or severe insecurity linked to immigration status are reported. No country can be reduced to one individual experience, whether positive or negative. But ignoring the difficulties reported by students, employees, entrepreneurs or migrant workers can lead people to prepare for departure on incomplete grounds.

The right approach is therefore not to seek a universal ranking of countries to avoid or favour. It is to compare a specific plan with real living conditions, sector by sector and city by city. Financial, linguistic and social preparation for expatriation is just as important as obtaining a visa.

Everyday racism can affect an entire life path

Discrimination does not always take the form of an insult or an assault. It may appear through rental refusals that are difficult to prove, ignored job applications, repeated identity checks, denied entry to certain places, or the constant reduction of a person to their appearance and presumed origin.

This accumulation is often described as mental exhaustion. It can affect a person’s sense of safety, self-confidence and ability to feel at home, even after several years of residence. Someone may have a job, pay taxes and speak the local language while still feeling that they are continually viewed as an outsider in the country.

China, India, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Spain, France, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and several countries in Central and Eastern Europe are among the destinations often mentioned in accounts by African expatriates. However, the difficulties described vary greatly from one context to another: rejection in housing, exoticization, occupational segregation, racist violence, isolation or dependence on an employer.

It would be unwise to conclude that all residents of these countries share the same prejudices. However, people considering settling there would benefit from seeking specific information about available remedies, associations, diaspora networks and lived experiences in the city they are targeting.

Employment: a degree does not guarantee a career

A country may offer respected universities, scholarships or an active labour market without guaranteeing fair professional integration for foreign nationals. The gap between promise and reality can be considerable when a degree earned locally leads only to precarious, low-skilled or informal jobs.

In some accounts, African workers find themselves concentrated in the most demanding sectors: agriculture, logistics, delivery, security, construction or services. In Italy, the issue of agricultural labour and caporalato is notably associated with precarious working conditions for migrant workers. In Spain, the highlighted risk is that of becoming permanently confined to a low-wage economy or undeclared work.

In other countries, the difficulty lies less in the complete absence of work than in a glass ceiling. Being hired is one step; gaining access to skilled roles, progressing to positions of responsibility and receiving pay comparable to that of local colleagues is another.

Before leaving, it is therefore important to check whether qualifications are recognised, the requirements for entering the intended profession, the language genuinely required, pay levels and the nature of the proposed contract. A realistic solution in the event of job loss must also be planned.

Housing and immigration status: two major vulnerabilities

Housing is often the first test of integration. An explicit or disguised refusal, disproportionate guarantees, excessive rents or being confined to certain neighbourhoods can trap newcomers in an unstable situation. These difficulties are especially severe when residence permits, registered addresses and employment all depend on one another.

In the United Arab Emirates, the sponsorship system is regularly described as creating strong dependence of employees on their employer. Losing a job can then quickly call into question the right to remain in the country. Accounts also report confiscated passports, delayed wage payments and overcrowded accommodation for some workers.

The possibility of putting down roots should be examined with equal care. Living in a country for several years does not necessarily mean being able to obtain citizenship, access retirement benefits, bring one’s family over or confidently plan children’s education. An expatriation viewed solely as a financially profitable interval can become difficult when years go by without prospects for lasting stability.

Safety goes beyond crime

The safety of a migration plan includes protection from violence, but also access to money, healthcare, documents and legal assistance. In Russia, the risks mentioned for foreign students are linked to a wartime context, international isolation and possible difficulties receiving funds from abroad. Concerns have also been reported about pressure placed on some foreigners to take part in dangerous activities.

In China, the events that occurred in Guangzhou in 2020 have left a strong mark on perceptions within the African diaspora. Africans there reported being targeted during the Covid-19 pandemic, notably through denied access or housing problems. Such an episode is a reminder of the importance of knowing which consular authorities, associations and legal organisations to turn to in a crisis.

Safety is also social. In a country where one knows nobody, does not fully master the language and where complaints of racism seem to be taken lightly, an incident can have far more serious consequences than for someone with a local support network.

Social integration should not be treated as a minor detail

The quality of a settlement also depends on the ability to build connections. In highly homogeneous or closed societies, some African expatriates describe surface-level politeness but few opportunities to form lasting friendships with local people. Exoticization—persistent stares, intrusive questions, comments about hair or skin colour—can reinforce this feeling of distance.

Having a supportive community does not mean living only among people from one’s own country. It means being able to rely on informed people, find community spaces, obtain reliable advice and avoid facing administrative or discriminatory difficulties alone. Intercultural relationships themselves require vigilance: a person’s background must never be used to justify control, isolation or coercive control, as this article on the risks of isolation and abuse in mixed-race relationships points out.

How can expatriation be prepared more realistically?

Before signing a contract or buying a ticket, it is useful to consult multiple sources and distinguish travel from settling down. A tourist stay, a university course or a temporary work assignment does not provide the same experience of a country as living there for several years.

• Speak with several African or Black residents who are established in the intended city and professional sector.
• Check the real cost of living, the security deposit required for housing and the amount remaining after expenses.
• Read the employment contract, visa rules and the consequences of contract termination carefully.
• Identify associations, lawyers, anti-racism groups and consular representations that can be accessed locally.
• Set aside emergency savings and prepare a plan for returning or relocating.
• Assess the language, social norms and the possibility of developing a network outside the workplace.

Leaving is neither a failure nor a guarantee of success. Staying is no more so. A responsible decision is based on verified information, a realistic budget, a human network and an honest understanding of possible obstacles. The level of pay or the prestigious image of a destination should never overshadow one essential question: under what conditions will it be possible to live there with dignity, safety and autonomy?

FAQ

Should Africans avoid certain countries?

There is no answer that applies to everyone. Experiences vary according to the city, immigration status, field of work, language, financial resources and available network. However, reports of discrimination, insecurity or dependence on an employer should be seriously examined before any plan is made.

What criteria should be considered before moving abroad?

The priority criteria are safety, the right to stay, access to skilled employment, recognition of qualifications, housing, the cost of living, access to healthcare, remedies against discrimination and the possibility of building a social network.

Why is immigration status so important?

When a visa depends on an employer or educational institution, job loss, a dispute or an administrative difficulty can jeopardize the right to remain. It is essential to know the time limits, rights and alternatives provided for under local regulations.