Either in regards to the current political situation, or for other reasons. What drew you to the idea of living in another country? Do you think whatever benefits it offers are really worth it, or is the grass just greener on the other side of the fence?
Nope. Gonna fight it out here.
Canada cause it’s close. Netherlands cause of DAFT and bike infrastructure would be so nice
Norway or Sweden, but apparently I’m one generation away from being able to do so.
I’ve been living in Canada for a year now (grad school). Going to hope and work hard to see if engineering can pan out over here.
I would but I am 63, retired, and have 4 cats. My pension is tied to the state and my SS is tied to the USA. I am fucking stuck.
You can still collect you pension and SS even if you are abroad! Some places even have ‘retirement visas’. 4 cats is tough for a big move, though, for sure.
Fuck
My fiancée lives in the US, and we’re in the process of getting her a visa to get her the fuck out of that backwards shit hole
It’s not a case of “the grass is greener”, the US is a fucking joke
It’s a cruel country. I’ve never seen a place so full of hatred and fear
Overall that’s totally fair, but to add some nuisance, it very much depends on where in the US you are
I agree, but the states that aren’t complete backwaters are being specifically targeted by Cheeto, and outside the the major centres, even California is full of complete fucking idiots
You can be wealthy, and live in the most progressive part of 'Murica and still be ruined by a bit of bad luck
I don’t wish to but I’ve thought about it, mainly as an emergency exit in case I get targeted by state violence. But barring that I don’t plan to leave.
Unfortunately, I’m as home grown as they come so I don’t have any other citizenship I would qualify for. And with the level of anti-immigrant sentiment happening in most of the world right now, nowhere seems like a great option. But I’ll do what I have to do if the time comes.
For now, I’d rather keep resisting tyranny here though.
I personally like the culture of my community and am very happy here. If only the thugs would leave us alone things would be great. So having to learn another culture and possibly language to assimilate into doesn’t sound very appealing. I have lived abroad before and it’s harder than I thought it would be.
But I’ll do what I have to do if the time comes.
I may already be too late, depending on how much time it actually takes to secure an opportunity for immigration. e.g. do you even have a passport? Do you belong to one of the groups the government might start targeting? In my mind, it’s clear the trump regime is going to start locking its people in, it’s really common for dictatorships.
I moved to Portugal about three years back. Unrelated to politics, I just wanted a change. Life is overall much more peaceful and enjoyable here. Let me know if anyone has specific questions!
How did you manage to stay long term there? Which type of visa?
I’m here on the D8 Visa, which allows for self-employment, remote work and the like - just not taking a local job. I’m a freelance software developer so this was the correct type of visa, as I suspect it would be for a lot of Lemmings.
You can apply by mail within the US, you ultimately send your passport and a bunch of documents like your birth certificate to the Portuguese embassy in DC. In the end, you’ll get a visa in your passport that lets you enter Portugal for six months. Then once you’re here, you’ll ultimately go to the immigration agency and exchange it for a credit card sized residence title, kind of like a green card.
Any advice/tips for those looking to do the same?
It’s a wonderful place, so go for it! Advice: everything takes forever when dealing with their government, so don’t expect a fast process. Expect it to take 12 to 18 months to get your visa in hand. Start early!
What do you like most about the differences? Did you learn Portuguese / is it pretty common for locals to speak English? What is your favorite food there that’s not as much a thing in the US?
Most people do speak English to some extent, but I have made a great effort to learn Portuguese and am now fluent. You won’t need to speak it to survive or run errands, but it makes a huge difference in terms of making friends and having a social life.
My favorite change is the slower pace of life. There is no rat race here. People work to live rather than live to work, and there’s always time for a glass of wine on a lazy afternoon.
This dish: https://leitesculinaria.com/7642/recipes-portuguese-eggs-salt-cod-potatoes-bacalhau-bras.html
I just spent a month there checking out Lisbon and Porto.
Definitely a lot of things that are different, some things better here or there, but I’ve only got a tiny perspective.
What are some of the things that surprised you over the long term. What are the worst parts of it?
Surprising: the high degree of safety and its effect on the local psyche. Because violent crime is virtually nonexistent, they aren’t ”calibrated" for danger and are prone to tell you that some place is really sketchy, but when you go there it’s fine, just maybe needs a fresh coat of paint.
Worst part: bureaucracy and government wait times. Need anything done? Go here and talk to this guy. Wait, that was wrong, it’s an online form. Wait, the online form doesn’t work. Call this number. Wait, no, go here and talk to this other guy. Then wait 6 months.
EU passport seems like a good option.
Trouble is trying to find a job with transferable skills, being willing to pick up all my roots and move, and fitting into a community that speaks a different language, and ‘jealous passport’ countries that ask you to give up your US citizenship when you claim the new one.
Wish it was easier.
I did moved away from the states a long time ago, for reasons other then political fear. I mean I was afraid of what the US was turning in to but not like it is today. Finding a way to immigrate is a lot harder then it looks, but the EU isn’t the only option. The second part is a lot harder then it sound and it some ways easier. Picking up a second language is easier in a country where everyone is already using it. The hardest part is getting most people to stop trying to practice their English on you and to let you practice you new language on them. And the fitting in isn’t that hard if you are honestly excited about it. Don’t grumble because this isn’t the way you’re used to doing it think of it as new chance to be part of the lucky 10,000 almost every day. But picking up your roots is harder then you think everyday I’m haunted by the fact I’ll never see my old friends and my family again except through a tiny screen, never hug them, never cry on their shoulder, hell never even have them understand what my day was like because they don’t understand all the cultural clues I do. I’ve lost frames of reference to my family and it’s not something I really expected or would have been able to understand if did. It’s weird / hard to have cultural gulfs between you and your family not to have a shared pool of reference.
I wish it was easier too, but I’m glad I did it every day.
Moving to another country is a lot of work. Europe is stereotypically seen as having a lot of practical benefits like walkable cities and generally sane culture around stuff like healthcare. America is a big country though and blue states offer a lot of the same benefits.
Not really to the same levels, and federal fuckery seeps into everything nationwide.
Back alley abortions common in the EU? Because we’re less than one lifetime from the age of septic pregnancy wards and could easily go back if mifepristone gets banned
Ireland. Because I could. Issue is my wife can’t handle change and it would be a hard thing to pull without the other person completely signing on. Honestly im not that motivated because I feel I would be abandoning the place and just stetting it up to be a problem for a lot of people. I mean anyone in the americas whos ancestry is abroad has to think about the native peoples. They got screwed and the only upside is being part of a relatively fair modern democratic country. Then you have to wonder what happens when everyone who is not looking to take advantage leaves. Not just domestically because trump has telegraphed all kinds of foreign military use. Then you gotta wonder if you will be useful to the new country. I mean im older. If that country was actually was at war maybe I would be useful given I still have some years of productive work left but in a status quo way its hard to say.
I need to learn Spanish or German or both. It’s possible I could get approved as a person of German descent, or I could just flee to Mexico/elsewhere in Latin America but I’d need to speak the language.
Nah. There’s work to do here.
I’m also holding out until midterms
The strongest contenders for me would be Ireland or Spain.
My employer does remote work and they have their European HQ in Dublin. That combined with everyone speaking english seems close to ideal in terms of logistics.
As for Spain, they have a special Digital Nomad visa for remote workers, my wife and I took Spanish in high school, and my dad lives in Barcelona after having retired, due to the lower cost of living/healthcare, and also because his sister, my aunt, lives there too.
The wife and I would love to move but that for us would mean giving up every possession and going it from scratch. It’s especially hard to think of because we were both hard times divorces 8 or so years ago and started over with literally nothing . 8 years and we’ve both built a life in an apartment and now have a hella cozy nest. I can’t afford to move any of it to another country. We both aren’t super specialists in our jobs either so that’s not helping. Its gonna have to get pretty bad before we sell it all and leave on basically foot. Sadly I can’t rule out this eventuality. Life sucks now.
