I keep hoping things will change for the better. I keep voting for things to change for the better. Thing are not, however, changing for the better, and if I am going to be coldly rational about the situation here, I have to seriously consider emigration.
I am fluent in English, approaching fluency in German, and I’m working on Spanish. I never finished college, but I managed to become a highly experienced software engineer anyway, so I can reasonably expect to be employable in many places. I have no criminal record. Assuming I bring my linguistic self-education to fruition, in a few years I would be able to integrate into any of a dozen or so nations as a productive citizen.
There is all of Latin America outside of Brazil, and though some (though surprisingly few) of the governments are still dodgy, their potential for malice is limited by not having the vast resources of the US to act upon it. Of the so-called Anglosphere, there are the two non-insane English-speaking countries, New Zealand and Canada. Then there are Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain in Europe. (I suppose that, knowing English and German, learning Dutch would be no great stretch; I can already understand most of the written form of the language.)
So to our friends who live in the aforementioned countries, how hard would it be for someone like me to emigrate to your country and become a citizen? And would you recommend your country as a destination for a somewhat eccentric social democrat like myself?
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My suggestion would be, look also at Ireland and Scotland. Similar to the States, there are job openings for specialists in automation.
The EU is united on immigration policy. Once you have obtained permanent residence status, you are free to move to another EU country. Focus on a country you are somewhat familiar with: language, job opportunity, perhaps ancestry and the general social atmosphere to your liking. Pleasant summer temperatures you will find in Spain, France and Italy. The Nordic countries have a climate similar to Seattle and Vancouver. Germany offers great opportunities with job security due to strong unions. France and Anglo speaking natives will find it to be a tough mix. All these opinions are generalizations, each country in Europe offers the best according to its culture and history. If you like the mountains, Switzerland is awesome for its investment in technology and banking of course.
Sometimes when employed by an American company with international subsidiaries, you get a chance for an exchange program and be employed in Europe.
● Destination UK
● Migration Information Source
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."One question: what’s your age?
Both Australia and New Zealand are pretty easy to get into if you are young, white, and speak English. Being white isn’t supposed to matter, but it clearly does. As does being an American (our bestest buddy, next to Mum [England] and South Africa). Technical job skills are really a plus down here, as young Ozzies and Kiwis tend to work abroad for at least a few years to earn more money.
I agree with your assessment of New Zealand being far saner than Australia, but permanent residency or citizenship in either country allows you to live and work in the other. If Australia doesn’t improve after the next election later this year, our long term plan might seriously include moving to New Zealand.
On the down side. It’s more expensive to down live here than in the US.
I’m thirty-six, so I’m no longer especially young, though I am white and do speak English.
In what ways are living in Australia and New Zealand more expensive than the US? I know the tax rates are higher, but that’s not something I can complain about as a social democrat without descending into Republican levels of hypocrisy. 😉
Everything is more expensive, around twice as expensive in my experience – big and small purchases. Forget living in an economy of scale. The total population of Australia would fit easily into southern California (but they are spread out over a continent the size of the US), so retailers and importers can’t rely on volume sales with minimal markups still adding up to a profit.
Transportation, both to Australia and within Australia, adds a lot to the cost of things.
Labor costs are higher.
And forget finding a decent used car. Car prices are astronomical, and even old clunkers are pricey.
There’s also a lot of protectionism too. It amazes me the number of things that I can’t get here at all, unless it is to buy some Australian made version that is only remotely what I want and for three times the price.
If you do decide to move – bring everything you own. You’ll spend much more to replace things here (if you can find them) than you’ll save on the shipping costs. Even the cost of converting your car to left-hand drive(about $4,000) is cheaper than selling your car stateside and than trying to replace it with something similar here. Of course you should check out Australia’s import duties, which for newer items, including cars, can be very expensive. Most other things are duty free if you’ve owned them a year. Oh, and stock up on your favorite underwear – ‘cuz you’ll never find it here.
If you really are thinking of emigrating, try to do it before you turn forty. The older you get the more “points” you’ll need.