Relocating abroad as a creative: three designers share notes on navigating the logistical maze

Relocating abroad as a creative professional is an exhilarating thing, yet also wildly daunting when faced with the mountain of paperwork and admin. At its core, moving to a new city, especially abroad, is all about careful planning and deep research. Whether you’re moving to New York, Berlin, or London, understanding the logistical intricacies can make or break your transition – from securing the necessary visas to navigating the complexities of housing markets. For the second chapter of our story about moving abroad, we spoke to three designers – Khyati Trehan, Arthur Foliard of Koto, and Suzy Chan – to gain insights into their relocation journeys, focusing on the vital (though slightly less glamorous) side of the process: logistics! Visa process: the first hurdle Securing a visa is often the first and most significant challenge, an ordeal laden with intricate paperwork, stringent eligibility criteria, and the seemingly endless wait times for appointments. For Khyati Trehan, a designer who moved from India to New York City to work with Google Creative Lab, this was her biggest hurdle, particularly the daunting O-1 visa petition – a saga worthy of its own narrative. “Even after the approval, the wait time to book an appointment to get the visa stamped on the passport in India was months because of both COVID and a backlog of previous applications at the consulate,” she explains. The challenge didn’t end there; synchronising the visa’s timeline with the potential start date of work, not to mention coordinating the move with a partner undergoing the same gruelling process, added another layer of complexity. “In fact,” she adds, “I had to shift my start date several times and I’m very grateful that Google was super cooperative and understanding.”