Moving Out of the Country

[Deep State Witch]

My husband saved off this article for us to look into.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2024/11/06/want-to-leave-the-us-the-best-countries-for-americans-to-move-to/

Want To Leave The U.S.? Countries Welcoming Americans With Open Arms
Interest in how to move out of the U.S. has been growing in recent years—but following the results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, it has reached a fever pitch. With news that Donald Trump is returning to the White House, searches for popular moving abroad terms—“the best countries for Americans to move to,” “best country to move to from USA,” “leaving America,” “where to move out of the US,” “where to move abroad”—have spiked dramatically. According to Google Trends, queries for “how to move to Canada” increased by 400% by 8 p.m. on election night.

Short list:
Spain
Albania
Italy*
France
Portugal
Monaco
Canada
Mexico
Costa Rica
Panama
Ecuador
Colombia
Vietnam

*Italy has a far-right government and is openly hostile to LGBTQ+ people.

[crimycarny]

1. I'm one of those 400% looking up how to leave the country

Even before Trump's win, I had been researching countries to retire to outside of the US. Not due to politics but more along the lines of a change after losing my son to suicide.

A co-worker and her husband have done a ton of research on moving to Mexico and that is their plan. I'm going to ask her for some help on this as I will be looking seriously into leaving the US.

Panama is another option I've been looking at. Canada is very hard to get a residential status, that would be a great option for me otherwise.

[Farmgirl1961]

44. My spouse and I have a meeting in a couple of weeks with someone who helps folks move to Panama

We are looking at the pensionado program. For us, whatever we decide to do, it will be a gradual - toe in the water kind of thing. We have acreage in Central Oregon. We have family and friends here...but we certainly do fear the future and want to explore our options.... even if it ends up being something like a vacation or short-term stay (away). If we go someplace (i.e., Panama) and find we like it a lot, we'll spend more time there, exploring our options and considering whether we want to move there or continue an extended stay. I kind of feel like I would always want some kind of base in Oregon... but of course that idea could change, depending on how the future unfolds.

[SoCalDavidS]

2. Why Is Denmark Not Mentioned?

It has been at the top of my list because of the many Socialist policies they have.

[TheProle]

3. If you hurry you can get there in time for blackface Christmas

I'll be here trying to fix my country

[SoCalDavidS]

7. Aren't You Nice

Good luck with that. This country is a shithole, and it's only going to get worse.

Good luck fixing the Supreme Court in the next 40 years, because Conservatives are going to control it for at least that long.

Good luck fixing the fact that half the population here are Pieces of Shit, who are bent on destroying the Democratic party.

[misanthrope]

34. Not just "destroying the Democratic Party"

From my life experience in Alabama and what I encounter online, they want to inflict pain on "others."

[Deep State Witch]

5. I Don't Know

I'm just sharing what was in the article. Possibly because of cost of living or ease of getting a visa?

[marybourg]

20. Because they don't want us. They are a homogeneous society.

That’s why they share so well. They are more hostile to immigrants than we are. I knew a young couple where the husband had just earned a Ph.D from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and who wanted to stay in one of the Nordic countries. None would take them.

[SoCalDavidS]

26. I Guess I Can't Blame 'Em. I Wouldn't Want Us Either. nt

[happybird]

27. Their requirements are high.

Looked into it years ago.
https://lifeindenmark.borger.dk/settle-in-denmark/danish-citizenship/conditions-for-foreign-citizens--acquisition-of-danish-citizenship

[SoCalDavidS]

33. Thanks For That

I suppose it's because a lot of people want to emigrate there.

[Jk23]

43. You need to be the right kind of white.

If you are a Slav or southern European, you are going to have a rough time. (If you are Black, forget about Europe for now.)

[GenThePerservering]

4. This comes up every time

a rethug wins.

[SoCalDavidS]

8. Look At The Last 2 Rethugs To Win

"W" was the Worst president this country had ever had.

"T" came along and said, "Hold My Adderall"

But I'm sure the next one will be much better.

[misanthrope]

35. "The next one" is already there

He is smugly smiling in the VP's slot.

[WarGamer]

6. A number of those require quite a lot of money...

The cheapest I can think of is Thailand... deposit 20K USD in a Thai bank and you get a Visa... you can renew every year as long as you have 20k in the account on application day.

Means you can deposit 20k in an account... live off of it for 12 months... and put a fresh 20k in there to renew visa.

Thailand is wonderful.

[Sailingdiver]

56. That's our bailout plan.

My wife is from Thailand. We have property and a house in the Khon Kaen area. Love the country, the people, and the food. Don't get over there as often as we'd like.

[WarGamer]

60. awesome!!

[ForgedCrank]

9. This is

my f****** country and I don't roll over.

[Deep State Witch]

12. I understand that

Believe me, I do. But, for some people getting out may be an option. I am just posting this information to share. I'm not judging anyone either way.

[meadowlander]

22. I have but one transgender life to live, and I'm living it in a country that doesn't

- automatically assume I'm a rapist or pedophile
- deny me access to health care
- want to erase me from history and public consciousness.

It's not a question of "rolling over" and I think you should consider the position of privilege from which you're making that statement.

I left the US after George W Bush was reelected and it was the best decision of my life. The societal cancer that led us here today has deep roots and no likely remedy within my lifetime.

I still vote. I still make my voice heard. But I'm not going to make myself unwell standing in the direct firing line of a society that is fundamentally sick and broken.

[ForgedCrank]

24. Don't

call me privileged.

[meadowlander]

25. Are you transgender? An undocumented immigrant? A pregnant rape victim?

If not, don't tell people who are that they are "rolling over" if they chose to do something with their life other than stick around to be abused and targeted.

If it's not your ass directly on the line, don't judge and act like you're morally superior to people whose asses are.

[ForgedCrank]

36. It doesn't

matter what I am. Your comment is rude, disrespectful, and insulting to me. You have no idea who other people are or what they have been through or done in order to make it though every day in this world. Don't attempt to classify me into a group, that is also insulting. I am me. I'll say whatever the hell I want. If you wish to not see that, you know how to avoid it, the website has a function for that and it is quite effective.
In addition, I never said shit about other people, I said "I" don't roll over. It's a simple concept, and the words I typed are what I mean, your interpretation is neither required nor accurate. If I considered myself to be morally superior (another direct insult), I would tell other people to check their privilege for not understand my life challenges. but I'm not, so I won't.
Now, leave me alone if you can't refrain from insulting me in every post.

[valleyrogue]

55. I wish I could recommend this post a thousand times. n/t

[Lonestarblue]

10. Thanks for posting. Albania sounds interesting.

[groundloop]

11. An acquaintance moved to Portugal and loves it......

I've been half heartedly looking at Belize, partly because their official language is English and I'm just too damned old to want to put forth the effort to learn a new language.

[Deep State Witch]

14. High Crime

Belize has high crime, poor health care, and bad infrastructure.

[Quakerfriend]

32. Yes, very high crime! Many countries on the list

have dangerously high crime, compared to the US.

[Fiendish Thingy]

13. Canada is lovely, however...

Trudeau, bowing to political pressure from the right, just reduced the number of PR visas for 2025-26 by 20%.

Don’t know if you apply before the end of the year if you get included in the higher 2024 quota.

For any country one is considering emigrating to, do your due diligence - healthcare, taxes, political stability, environmental issues (much of Spain is underwater right now), etc.

[moondust]

18. Canada has an online eligibility check.

Do you want to come to Canada, or extend your stay? Find out if you are eligible to apply

I tried it years ago but didn't qualify.

[Fiendish Thingy]

19. The "check eligibility" link is either broken or crashed

It goes to a generic page of contents.

[moondust]

21. It works for me.

The first page starts off with six questions:

What would you like to do in Canada? (required)

How long are you planning to stay in Canada? (required)

Select the code that matches the one on your passport. (required)

What is your current country or territory of residence? If you are presently in Canada, you should select Canada. (required)

Do you have a family member who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and is 18 years or older? (required)

What is your date of birth? (required)

Then there are more pages.

[Fiendish Thingy]

48. The site must have crashed when I clicked

Lots of folks trying to view it probably.

[LoveSucky]

28. I would probably wait on Canada until after their election next year.

[bdamomma]

40. Welcome to DU!

[Fiendish Thingy]

50. It takes 18-24 mos to get a PR visa anyway

So it would be after the next election.

[bdamomma]

38. I read it wrong

Last edited Thu Nov 7, 2024, 09:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Sorry I thought it said 1 post, unless I read it wrong.

[Fiendish Thingy]

49. Um, I've been here 20 years

Were you responding to someone else?

[The Wandering Harper]

15. must be nice to be wealthy

[OldBaldy1701E]

17. Yup. (n/t)

[meadowlander]

23. You don't have to be wealthy to immigrate. You just need to be committed to it.

If you look at the required skills lists for those countries you can see lots of jobs that aren't super-high paying - chefs, agricultural workers, dental hygienists, electricians, etc.

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/already-have-a-visa/one-off-residence-visa/2021-resident-visa-scarce-lists/long-term-skill-shortage-list

You might need to commit to a four-five year process of retraining for a new job but you can do it without being rich if it's what you really want.

[The Wandering Harper]

37. yea, must be nice to be wealthy

how do you think a four to five year retraining process is gonna work out for a disabled person scraping by on $13K / year, on top of everything else?

[meadowlander]

39. Worked fine for me. I'm disabled and immigrated with less than $1000 in the bank when I was unemployed.

I just had to take out student loans and live on beans and rice for ten years.

I didn't say it was easy. I said you don't have to be rich to do it.

[Saoirse9]

16. I ruled out Portugal

Thinking about Spain now. I speak a tiny bit and it is an easy language to learn.

[moonscape]

58. Continue hearing such great things

about Portugal. Why did you rule it out?

I’m too old and sick, so asking just from curiosity. Was it language?

[Saoirse9]

62. There was some special tax deal

They had to entice people to move there. That deal is going away. Plus I am reading that housing is more expensive there than it is here.

[Skittles]

29. I will NEVER abandon my country to fascism

FUCK THAT

[Initech]

31. You might want to rule out Canada for the time being.

Our far right is having an influence there and polls are showing Alex Jones backed Pierre Poliasshole with a strong chance of upsetting Trudeau in the next election. And with Trump winning, it's looking like an increasingly real possibility Canada will join the fascist verse.

[bdamomma]

42. Oh

don't let Canada jump on the wagon, be normal. I hope Trudeau wins. When is your election?

[Initech]

45. I'm from California.

[duncang]

41. My granddaughter already planned a move.

Prior to the election. She’s been planning to move to Canada for awhile. This just is motivating her more.

[Violet_Crumble]

46. Wouldn't it make more sense to move to a solidly blue state like California?

No matter how bad things got, I'd never leave my country to the forces of fascism. Of course, our democracy is far less fragile than that of the US, so it's easy for me to say that....

[valleyrogue]

53. Of course, moving is a choice, but moving because of Trump is a coward's way out. n/t

[helpisontheway]

47. We are looking at Portugal..The have a passive Visa

It is for people that have monthly income but don’t work outside the home. Only hold up is two of our sons. Our youngest would go with us. He is an educator and he said we were not leaving him here. 😂🤣😂 We are former military family so we would love being able to explore Europe. And we have free space A flights back to the United States.

[RainCaster]

51. An interesting array of opinions expressed here

I'm glad for the variety of thoughts, ideas, priorities and desires that we all have in DU.

[valleyrogue]

52. This far right nonsense is worldwide. There is NO escape.

I will stay, thank you. No other country appeals to me at all to live. It costs a ton of money to move overseas, and I am not about to be too far away from the family I have left. I am too old besides. Most countries have mandatory retirement ages, so there is no way I could continue to work.

[KentuckyWoman]

54. Not me

I'm too poor to move. What little family I have is here. Yes the MAGAs hate me but tough shit. I'm staying put.

[usajumpedtheshark]

57. Good bye and good luck

I'll be moving about 6 feet down. Hope the wife and kids will be okay.

[Deep State Witch]

59. Montenegro

I also have a friend that's a PR in Montenegro and loves it. Pretty much everyone speaks English, or at least she can get by in other languages.

I've also considered Croatia because that's my mother's heritage. However, property is super expensive there because it's so popular.

[nilram]

61. Consider the southern hemisphere.

Lower risk of nuclear fallout from the northern countries.