Hanco Visagie

Hanco Visagie came to the Netherlands together with his girlfriend Aor. This was in April 2021.

Hanco, why did you emigrate to the Netherlands?
I immigrated to provide positive changes to my future. The Netherlands has an exceptional standard of living, cleaner, healthier, security is fantastic and a better quality of life. It is quite clear that the Dutch have values and integrity (and this is extremely important to me). The Netherlands has a lot of opportunities, and it is very refreshing to see how people care about their country, and people treat each other with respect (another deal-breaker for me!). Respect and integrity is everything. The fact that Dutch is close to Afrikaans, my home language, is a bonus!

Can you tell us something how you do like the Netherlands?
“Like” is not the appropriate term to use, I love how organised things are. Everything is in place; everything works like clockwork.

Where to start? The two most important differences I was after was safety and opportunity, and that is exactly what I got. I was presented with an amazing offer from summit developers, and my significant other had found a job within exactly 16 days from arrival. That is what I call opportunity.

Some other differences worth mentioning are the cleanliness of the Netherlands, the good economical position the country is in, better healthcare, opportunity for adventure, and finally riding a bike. Not only is it safe to ride a bike, but it is also encouraged.

Please tell us something about the projects you are currently working on.
I am currently working on a project based in Veenendaal, developing software to manage workforce targeting the food and retail industry. One of the first things I noticed was the work/life balance and another very important aspect for a developer is the tech stack. While we are not currently on the latest and greatest, I am being trained in the latest tech and we already have started with migrations to latest. This is a huge bonus for me.

Did the process of emigration go smoothly?
Anyone that has dealt with home affairs before knows that it is like playing roulette, very rewarding when things go well but 99% of times it doesn’t go well. Unfortunately, I was a part of that 99% but fortunately I planned for it, so it did not affect me nor my emigration in any way.

From Netherlands and summit developers, it was smooth as butter. The IND is noticeably clear in exactly what they expect from you, and summit developers on top of that guide you through every step of the process.

Can you explain to the South Africans who are considering to go overseas how you did experience the support from us?
It was remarkable to say the least, I was well prepared for everything coming my way. At any given moment I knew exactly what the status of my application was, and what the following 3 steps were. summit developers is a team of professionals with great knowledge and experience of the immigration process. Not only do they assist with the immigration process, but they also assist with all the steps involved after you have landed such as registering at your local municipality and getting your residency card. They picked us up at the airport, drove us to our home, and welcomed us with a basket of groceries. Amazing!