Ask Lemmy

I’ve lived in NYC for 20 years, I’d only give it up for Barcelona

I’ve always thought there’s two kinds of Americans; the ones who have a passport and the ones who don’t.

If they’re willing to explore the world and recognise the US isn’t the whole universe I find them to be totally fine.

Kenya. I have friends there, which would help.

I’d definitely be the obvious foreigner, given that I’m pale and ginger, but that’s worked in my favor when traveling before.

I’m also supposing here that there wouldn’t be quite so many other American expats to compete with.

If I wasn’t locked into this contract with my house I would be applying for work programs in New Zealand on my way to citizenship. When Trump was elected, the first thought that went through my head was, I don’t like winter, so Canada and the Nordics are out. Europe is 0-2 for getting destroyed in World Wars and WW3 is heating up. Africa has its own problems right now, as does South America, and regardless of where you go in Asia it’s not looking good for WW3. So options were Central America or Oceania. I know passable amounts of Spanish, and lived in Central America for a while and I would definitely be OK going back. But if I’m going to move somewhere might as well be somewhere new.

Probably Finland, or another Nordic country. Idk, I just like the cold and the woods and figure those oughtta fit the bill

The Netherlands probably, but with the massive grain of salt that I suspect that choosing a "ideal place to live" without actually having been to that place is likely to result in a skewed idea of what a place is truly like, and as I've never been outside the United States I have that issue when thinking about any other country. I also doubt they or anywhere else that might make my list of ideal places would want me, seeing as I'm just some random factory worker without any especially rare skill.

Honestly lots of Western Europe, but personally: Iceland, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, etc.

Objectively places like Spain, Portugal, Malta, etc. would work.

I have no delusions of ever making it as an immigrant in any of these countries. You need a lot of money.

As a Canadian, it appears to me that most of the Americans who want to move here are doing so because they like and support the way that Canada is currently functioning, and that's fine by me.

Immigrants who want the country to change for them are problematic. I almost think that first generation immigrants shouldn't get to vote, it should be a gift to their children rather than themselves. That shouldn't even need the child to be born in Canada, I'd actually be fine with anyone who goes through at least half their primary education (so let's say grade 7 or younger) here being included if they moved here with their parents when they were younger.

I pursued an engineering BSc with the desire to emigrate but got distracted by the success of SpaceX and wooed by the challenge of Mars colonization. Then the US health insurance industry got in the way, I failed out and didn't make it back until COVID. I graduated in 2022 with the first university degree in my family but was crippled by student loan debt and unable to save to leave. Was finally able to escape the rural Midwest a year ago and made it to a city with plenty of aerospace companies right as everyone stopped hiring. The cherry on top was the CEO of the company whose engineering feats initially inspired me throwing fascist salutes at inauguration.

Odd jobs and parental support have mostly kept me afloat, but they can't help forever and I am a few months out from having to move back. The military industrial complex slid into my DMs recently with the offer of a fat paycheck and loaded resume in exchange for my ethics and morals. They even dangled a carrot of potential transfer to a NASA climate science project after the contract is up, but I'll be surprised if it's still funded by then. Frankly, I broke down when I realized the project I'd be working on.

I'll hear back about the position early next week and I'm desperately hoping it's a no and I'm back to the drawing board, but if it's a yes I'll be starting in a couple weeks. The BBB will very likely lead to losing the best, most effective and enabling healthcare I've received so far, and the salary would cover the insurance plan I'd need to maintain that care. Its a short contract and the salary would also enable me to save enough to emigrate but I already feel compromised. I've dreamed of contributing to space exploration and am instead being bullied into contributing to it's militarization by a country I've opposed for the entirety of my adult life.

I've looked into joining the Ukrainian Foreign Legionnaires and would much rather contribute to European defense against Russia, but I honestly just want to pursue an MSc or even PhD and turn my brain towards mitigating and adapting to climate change. I've worked so fucking hard, dreamed so fucking big and bounced back from defeat time and time again for this? Fuck.

Tl;dr: Masters/PhD in Sweden or Germany but barring that I'll work for any European defense company that will take an american immigrant.

When America sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7764650-when-mexico-sends-its-people-they-re-not-sending-their-best

Why is the difference between immigrant and ex patriot?

I'm Canadian. I don't mind accepting American refugees as long as we also learn to accept refugees from other countries and value them all equally, but our current government isn't doing that.

the country i was to go to is the imagined America of our ancestors like Langston Hughes, the land of equality and opportunity and liberation and diversity, full of immigrants working for their own and their shared futures

Korea is facing a huge population crisis in the not-so-distant future. They already have ties to the U.S., too.

I think I’d like to move to Canada. However, I have no money, and do not have a degree or anything like that. I think the plant I work at has operations in Canada, so there might be the possibility of transferring there. Even if the opportunity presented itself, I refuse to leave my son, so I am stuck here.

Portugal, though I doubt they want Americans any more.

I'm thinking either Finland or Norway. But the only way I could ever emigrate to either of those countries would be as an asylum seeker. I don't make enough money, nor do I have any skills they want. I've got plenty of skills...just not any that are in 'high demand'.

Hey. If yanks get get to Canada, and get in, I'm sure we'd love to have ya.

There's a catch: if you're not fleeing persecution, you're gonna need a skill. It bumps up your score on the big calculation they do, and if you can keep doing the skilled work you may one day afford to live somewhere other than winnipeg.

Canada if possible. My family only speaks English, but willing to "do the thing" to fit in even if that's learning a new language.

I'd also be ok with UK, Australia, New Zealand.

last places would be Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Japan. I know living in these places would be an extreme challenge for my family so that's why they're bottom of my list.

Dream country? Monaco, lol. But more realistically either Canada, Australia or New Zealand