In this thread, the difficulty of an American simply up-and-moving to Canada is explained in some depth.
Where could an American emigrate with the least amount of hassle from the country that would receive him/her? Assume that the American is either independently wealthy or is highly employable. Assume also that religious matters don’t come to play (I’m given to understand that Israel is pretty receptive toward American (and other) Jews moving there).
DISCLAIMER: I am not planning on or even thinking about emigrating, for political reasons or any other reasons.
It’s pretty easy to retire in Mexico, and not simply because of the proximity. It’s common for people with fixed incomes to do it. I think the officials make it easy because it’s such a common thing to do–they’re used to it, so the paperwork, etc. isn’t a big deal.
If you “need answer fast”, then you might qualify as a refugee. Most western countries accept refugees, though I don’t know how many US citizens enter Canada claiming refugee status.
But it is the Straight Dope, where if I didn’t disclaim it there would undoubtedly within six posts be some snark to the effect of “…another Obama hater threatening to leave…”
I’m under the impression that it’s quite easy to emigrate to most countries as an independently wealthy retiree.
The two factors to consider are
are you going to take a local job
are you going to be a drain on the social welfare system
And those two seem pretty universal for most of the countries I’ve looked at. So if you have a sizable retirement account most countries will be happy to tax you.
It is easy to move to Chile. Some Americans like it here, because they believe we are “Americanized”… And they addapt quite well. That’s just the external aspect, though. We leave our feathers at home.
It’s pretty easy to move anywhere if you are independently wealthy. Most countries would take you in, so the real issue would be whether you want to move to one of the countries where they speak English (assuming that’s the only language you know), or whether you are willing to learn the local language.
It’s easy to move to Mexico, even if you have fairly modest means, though lately I wouldn’t recommend it unless you can afford to live in one of the elite gated communities with guards and such. My sister didn’t have any trouble moving to Ireland, though that was before the large scale economic downturn, so not sure how much that’s changed.
Germany is quite friendly to Americans. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly easy, because you have to learn how the bureaucracy works in another language, but once you understand the process, they take you pretty easily.
As others stated it’s very easy to go anywhere if you have enough cash or have a skill in demand, like a doctor or RN.
Your best bet would be to see if the country has a limited work program, like Australia has programs for working for short periods of time, like a few months. It’s easier to make a case for staying in the country once you’re there, rather than trying to get them to let you in, in the first place
For Japan, the quickest bet would to be to apply to become an English teacher or copy writer or something else which a native English speaker has an advantage.
Not very easy. I have had residence permits in 3 foreign countries (former Soviet Union, Arabian Gulf and Eastern Europe) and tried to get one in New Zealand without success… even though I would have been employing a Kiwi.
We are looking into Germany and even with over $500K available it is not easy at all. Singapore wants you to have about $2m.
Doesn’t Austria have an “invest-to-citizenship” program that wasn’t very onerous? Hmmm, after looking at this site it looks quite onerous, and none too certain. Plus, they want you to surrender your old citizenship, so no walking around with two passports. St. Kitts & Nevis, at $200-350k, looks quite doable however.
I have a friend who keeps talking about retiring to Costa Rico. He and his wife are quite fluent in Spanish. But my impression is that in a third world country the medical care could be iffy. My wife and I keep talking about retiring to the US (what will we do when Quebec separates?) but the lack of medicare is a serious deterrent. But we would save a lot on taxes.
