This is an important point that I don’t think has been mentioned so far.
The US government requires special bank reporting from foreign banks about the banking activity of US citizens abroad. Foreign banks have to comply with those reporting requirements or else they can’t conduct any transactions in the US.
For many banks, the reporting requirements are so intrusive that it’s simpler just to deny services to Americans in their country.
I have an acquaintance here in Canada who occupies a responsible position in his organization which would normally include signing authority for the organization’s banking matters. However, he is a dual citizen, Canadian and US. He has chosen not to have signing authority, because of the complications it would cause for his organization.
Something to consider for Americans thinking about living abroad: will I be able to access local banking services?
Just one indication that the US government does not trust its own citizens.
Oh, I agree. But retirees moving there? I can see a need to have shopkeepers and such that they can talk to. But at least learn some basic conversation.
May vary with the size of the community you wish to settle in. You could get by in a major city with an established reputation for tourism (but some at least are hostile to over-tourism); in a smaller rural community, where you have to interact regularly with the same people, it would entirely understandable if they started to think the worse of you for not making the effort to learn the language. What else would you be wanting to settle there for, if not to become part of the community?
It is not so much a question of resentment. It’s more about how to cope with everyday life. Registering with the local authorities, for example, if you want to take up residence in a city. Interacting with a landlord: it’s usually very difficult to find a rental apartment, with hundreds of people often applying for a single apartment. How can you find your way around without any language skills? Buying a home is even more difficult, as it is very expensive and very bureaucratic. You need a notary, etc. Sometimes people are willing to speak English, but often they are not, and many cannot. As a tourist, you can somehow get by, but as an immigrant, you cannot get by without a profound knowledge of the language. You quickly become isolated. You may find a few expats from your own country, but social contact is very limited and not necessarily satisfactory. Without the language you are like a fish without water.
We’d welcome a US citizen with his stash of US$ here in the third world - South Africa.
The requirements for Permanent Residence are not very high, and while partly based on your bank account not too stringent. It will just take a while, the Visa to visit will be fast, but the Certificate of Permanent Residence has to wind its way through Home Affairs, a department of government, which by even our standards, is painfully inept and inefficient.
Cape Town is one of the finest cities in the world in which to live. World class restaurants, exceptional health care, great scenery, extremely diverse culture.
But…
We do have a reputation for crime, though. But due to the apartheid Group Areas Act, most crime is perpetrated by poor people on poor people whose families who were forcibly moved. Into “townships”
That said, I often go into Langa, the highest murder rate place in South Africa, as a charity volunteer, and feel safe. Sadly most serious crime here is domestic violence. No one wants to mug me, they want what I (my charity) can give to their community.
We do, of course, have gang violence… like any poor community. But the gangsters, when I see them, just wave and smile. It is not as if I am stepping on their territory to donate dog food to the needy and transport animals in need to the free clinic.
This site has a list of world cities indexed by crime stats:
If you click into a specific city you get more details, and comments. Cape Town compares with Detroit, and New York City compares with Aukland, NZ. Note: the “data” is based on perceptions of visitors, so take with a grain of salt.
I don’t beleive for a second Detroit and Cape Town are comparable even for crime.
It’s despicable to even suggest it.
Detroit is a failed city and a national disgrace for the US.
Capetown is one of the more beautiful/liveable cities in the world and never once did I feel unsafe.
Just avoid the townships.
Small towns in the Western Cape like Montagu are wonderful places to retire with low cost of living and a favourable exchange rate.
Many memorable months spent each year for four years. No car, bicycle was fine and never a hint of fear except crossing the street on a Friday night ( pay day )
IDK about overall crime rate, but the homicide rate in Cape Town is double the homicide rate in Detroit. And an order of magnitude higher than the homicide rate in NYC:
Not sure why I’d want “data” based on the “perceptions” of visitors… (re: @snowthx’s cite).
To make a very long story short, if you can document direct descent from someone born in what is now Canada to the satisfaction of IRCC, and you were born before December 15, 2025, you are now Canadian. Quebec baptismal certificates are fine for this purpose in most cases, as Quebec did not have complete civil birth registration until the 1990s. It took me something like 100 pages of genealogical documentation to prove that my Canada-born grandmother was, in fact, my grandmother, because at first glance the name on her birth certificate had nothing to do with her name on my father’s birth certificate (it’s a long story with many twists and turns). But I was successful in the end and am now the proud holder of a Canadian passport, and am currently waiting for my husband Tom_Scud’s Canadian permanent residency application to be processed.
