# Where should I move? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073 "2008-10-22T16:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/21 "2008-10-23T08:41:49Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Why not consider Toronto? > […] It’s on my list now! Any handy linkys for jobsites? > [@Cider\_Depot](#): > > Most anywhere is Australia will meet these criteria. Plus the Aussie dollar is plummetting against the greenback, which could give you a pretty good exchange rate. > > Although crime does seem to be on the way up. Or so the papers say. Beer’s cold, though. 😉 Australia is some sort of dream-land for many people here in the frozen north (myself included): everyone spending their days on the beach surfing and bbq.s at night 🙂 I have some friends who’ve gone there (to study) and they all really enjoyed it. Any special place in Australia you recommend? And same there for jobsites? > [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > If you want to do a trial period of some kind, I would trade you my condo in Denver for your place in Reykavijk for a period of 1 to 6 weeks. Thank you very much for a grand offer! That would be very interesting. But it’ll have to wait a few months until I know what my money is worth 😉 > [@Chimera](#): > > Minneapolis. Right in the middle of everything. > > […] > > Lots of top companies, a good job climate and a decent education system. That’s one part of the US I must admit I’ve never considered, sounds like a nice place. And I think I can enjoy American Football and get up to speed on Hockey. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/22 "2008-10-23T08:45:36Z")
> [@Gleena](#): > > Second Australia, with your age and education (not sure what your M.Sc. is in) you could probably immigrate on points. Go here: [http://www.immi.gov.au](http://www.immi.gov.au) > > There’s a host of good information here, but there’s also the points test, you get points for your age, education, English ability, profession, etc. and if you have enough plus about $3k you can immigrate. > > It’s not cheap, but here is good. Weather is good, beer is good, jobs are good, economy not utterly in the toilet, and there’s this Opera house and a big ol’ bridge (but you might like Melbourne better.) > > Cheers, > G Thanks a mill for the link! I’ll be sure to check it out. My MSc is in International Business, so I hope I’m “needed” everywhere 🙂 > [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > No love for London? The streets probably aren’t quite as clean as you’re used to but crime isn’t what it’s made out to be (I never have any problems) and it’s an awesome place to live. What you can’t find/do in London isn’t worth having/doing, in my opinion. Lots of love for London! It’s a really great town and I’ve truly enjoyed all my visits there. But in addition to all that, it’s also a really expensive place to live, right? I’m just afraid you Brits will throw me in prison (or just punch me in the face), since Brown has put us on the same list as Al Qaeda 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/23 "2008-10-23T09:48:52Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Thanks a mill for the link! I’ll be sure to check it out. > > My MSc is in International Business, so I hope I’m “needed” everywhere 🙂 I know you didn’t ask me (a Yank expat in Sydney, BTW) but here’s some job sites: [http://www.mycareer.com.au](http://www.mycareer.com.au) [http://www.seek.com.au](http://www.seek.com.au) Those are the big ones, there’s others. Send me a PM if you want to know what it’s like to live here from a expat’s perspective, and what my immigration experience was like. I did a spousal visa but I looked into immigrating on my own without getting married. It was doable, but married was more…certain? Easier, anyway. (I was a bit older than you.) Cheers, G ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/24 "2008-10-23T09:50:47Z")
> [@Gleena](#): > > I know you didn’t ask me (a Yank expat in Sydney, BTW) but here’s some job sites: > > [http://www.mycareer.com.au](http://www.mycareer.com.au) > [http://www.seek.com.au](http://www.seek.com.au) > > Those are the big ones, there’s others. > > Send me a PM if you want to know what it’s like to live here from a expat’s perspective, and what my immigration experience was like. I did a spousal visa but I looked into immigrating on my own without getting married. It was doable, but married was more…certain? Easier, anyway. (I was a bit older than you.) > > Cheers, > G Thanks a million! I’m off to check them out. And thanks for the heads up on PM, I’ll send you one once my planning gets further. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/25 "2008-10-23T09:56:42Z")
I’d never punch you **WormTheRed**! The most I’d do is give you a playful slap. 😉 Yes, Iceland has become a bit of a bete noir here since a lot of our public money fell into your economic black hole, but I don’t think the public would hold you personally responsible. As for an expensive place to live, it’s not cheap but then it’s no worse than living in Sweden. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/26 "2008-10-23T10:22:07Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I’d never punch you **WormTheRed**! The most I’d do is give you a playful slap. 😉 > > Yes, Iceland has become a bit of a bete noir here since a lot of our public money fell into your economic black hole, but I don’t think the public would hold you personally responsible. As for an expensive place to live, it’s not cheap but then it’s no worse than living in Sweden. And Sweden’s cheap compared to Iceland, so that must’ve been a brain-freeze of some sort when I thought it was expensive 😉 Now I need to check out London a bit better. ---
**Author:** ![criminey.jicket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@criminey.jicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/criminey.jicket)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/27 "2008-10-23T10:33:51Z")
**Worm** , here are some links for employment in Canada: For federal government jobs across Canada, see [Service Canada Job Bank](http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/prov_en.aspx?Student=No). For other jobs across Canada, see [monster.ca](http://www.monster.ca/) or [Workopolis](http://www.workopolis.com/work.aspx?action=Transfer&View=Content/Common/WorkLoginView&lang=EN&theme=work). For BC Government Jobs, see [BC Public Service](http://www.postings.gov.bc.ca/?p=Search_Wizard#searchTop). For other jobs in BC, see [BC Job Network](http://www.thejobnetwork.com/goToSearch.asp?FieldId=&CityID=&keyword=&AffiliateId=1120&isInternal=&Managerial=&ExtCompanyId=) or [BC Jobs.ca](http://www.bcjobs.ca/index.cfm). ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/28 "2008-10-23T10:43:19Z")
> [@criminey.jicket](#): > > **Worm** , here are some links for employment in Canada: > […] > . Neat! Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/29 "2008-10-23T10:43:34Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Now I need to check out London a bit better Don’t limit yourself to just London, mind - remember that the cost of living in any other British city is substantially lower. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/30 "2008-10-23T10:49:51Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Don’t limit yourself to just London, mind - remember that the cost of living in any other British city is substantially lower. But I don’t know anything about any other British city (apart from Oxford), which seriously hinders my searching. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/31 "2008-10-23T12:11:10Z")
Manchester is pretty groovy - it’s pretty much the only other place in the UK I’d consider living. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/32 "2008-10-23T12:17:16Z")
And Manchester even has a nice proper football team 😉 So the country list as it’s looking now: 1: UK - by far the easiest, but they might hit me. And it wouldn’t be that new 😉 2: Canada - loads of jobs according to the job sites and looks generally nice and friendly. Not too much of a hassle to get a work permit either. 3: Australia - sun, beach, quite a few jobs, but it’s faaaar away. I just realized that if I become a Swede (which I can), I can work without a permit for 3 months. 4: US - seems like quite a lot of jobs, loads of interesting places, but quite a hassle to get a work permit. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/33 "2008-10-23T14:28:25Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > And Manchester even has a nice proper football team 😉 Manchester United rules OK! (My stepfather was from Manchester…) More Toronto info… Newspapers: [The Toronto Star](http://www.thestar.com/) (centrist/liberal; the largest paper) [The Globe And Mail](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/) (business-conservative; the business Paper of Record. [The National Post](http://www.nationalpost.com/) (socially conservative) [The Toronto Sun](http://www.torontosun.com/) (populist-conservative; think “English tabloid” but with some actual news. Sports, crime, tits, stereo ads.) These are the major English-language dailies. There are at least three Chinese dailies, plus ones in Italian and Spanish. At one point I counted 14 daily newspapers, most of them small. And there are uncounted weeklies in all sorts of languages and viewpoints. [The Weather Network’s forecast for Toronto](http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/caon0696) Discussions of the city: [Urban Toronto](http://www.urbantoronto.ca/). [Spacing Magazine](http://www.spacing.ca/). [The Torontoist](http://torontoist.com/). ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/34 "2008-10-23T15:37:48Z")
If you’re thinking about the US, you should definitely look at New York City. That’s pretty much the major business hub of our country, and there is a definite demand for people with a background in international business. Crime is low as long as you stick to the safe areas, but it can be pretty expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/35 "2008-10-23T16:04:44Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > 4: US - seems like quite a lot of jobs, loads of interesting places, but quite a hassle to get a work permit. The short answer is yes (I got your PM, by the way). Unless you are so outstanding in your field that you are in the top percent or two internationally (have won a Nobel Prize, that kind of thing), you are going to need an employer to sponsor you for a work visa (and presumably down the line for a green card). I can go into more detail later (I’m really under the gun at work today), but [here](http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=1847c9ee2f82b010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=1847c9ee2f82b010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD) is some basic info on work visas and employment-based green cards. I can look into a couple of other ideas later, such as whether Iceland has a treaty of commerce and navigation with the U.S., which would potentially make you eligible for an E work visa in the U.S. if you can get a job offer from an Icelandic employer with operations in the U.S. But in general, it’s going to be very tough to get a work visa; there is an annual quota of 65,000 H-1Bs, which has been used up almost instantly once the quota opens for the coming fiscal year (the Federal fiscal year starts Oct. 1, which means you can file petitions for Oct. or later start dates 6 months before, or April 1 - this year, the regular H-1B quota was accounted for more than twice over by the end of the first week in April). More later - I have to go back to the 200 pages of additional stuff that needs to be incorporated into a waiver that needs to be finished today. (And I don’t work for the Feds, BTW - I work for a private law firm with a substantial employment-based immigration practice.) ETA: [here’s some more FAQ-type info.](http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=9f7b597a46f7b110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=91919c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD) Good luck, however it goes - I don’t envy your position. Yours in solidarity with the Huddled Masses, Eva Luna Immigration Paralegal ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/36 "2008-10-23T16:32:21Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > San Francisco probably has the most personality of places I listed, and you wouldn’t stand out or be unable to read the signs. I can’t comment on the hurdles that there might or might not be to get in, however. I suspect that being an English speaker makes it decently easy. Extremely dirty and smelly city, high crime and murder rate, very high housing costs. The OP asked for “But I like my streets clean, crime low and my beer cold.” and that’s only one out of 3. Note that I think I’d like to live in Iceland, myself.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/37 "2008-10-23T16:35:03Z")
Only places I can recomend are Tórshavn and Oslo, having never lived anywhere else. You should feel right at home in Tórshavn, it being basically Iceland with fewer volcanoes and more sheep. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/38 "2008-10-23T16:39:44Z")
Norway would be an “easy” way out - we’ve had a bit of a buzz of Icelandic immigrants the last few months (including a gorgeously pretty girl who moved accross the hall from me :p) and it’s easy to get entry. The economy is robust, the people are friendly-ish, language wouldn’t be a barrier (since you already have a valid claim of being the one speaking Norwegian properly :p) and we have a good work market. I wouldn’t recommend Oslo, though - while there may be a lot of jobs and such around here, immigration has been badly handled, crime is on the rise and prostitutes, beggars and junkies are rampant throughout the downtown. Stavanger should seem like a good place for you - lovely people, low crime, clean streets, nice weather in summer and not at all bad in winter, the oil industry capital of Norway making executive jobs a dime a dozen, no estate tax and decent culture life. Also very scenic surroundings, you’ll be with the fjords all around you and, IIRC, there’s direct routes from the Stavanger airport Sola to Reykjavik in case you want to visit your family and friends back home. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/39 "2008-10-23T16:47:11Z")
> [@Gukumatz](#): > > Stavanger should seem like a good place for you - lovely people, low crime, clean streets, nice weather in summer and not at all bad in winter, the oil industry capital of Norway making executive jobs a dime a dozen, no estate tax and decent culture life. Also very scenic surroundings, you’ll be with the fjords all around you and, IIRC, there’s direct routes from the Stavanger airport Sola to Reykjavik in case you want to visit your family and friends back home. Bother. I think we’ve lost him. Come to think of it, _I_ might go there… ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/40 "2008-10-23T16:51:49Z")
> [@Septima](#): > > Only places I can recomend are Tórshavn and Oslo, having never lived anywhere else. You should feel right at home in Tórshavn, it being basically Iceland with fewer volcanoes and more sheep. Þórshavn is a bit to small for me, but it’s a lovely place to visit. And isn’t your airport seriously dangerous? Or have they changed it since parts of the Danish General Command crashed? > [@Gukumatz](#): > > Norway would be an “easy” way out - we’ve had a bit of a buzz of Icelandic immigrants the last few months (including a gorgeously pretty girl who moved accross the hall from me :p) and it’s easy to get entry. […]. Yeah. The easy way out would be Norway or Sweden; but if I went to Norway I’d probably end up in Oslo (my brother lives there), with Stavanger being a close second. I’ve also lived in Norway for a couple of months (in the iddy biddy tiny village of Gudvangen, by Sognefjorden). And of course, the helluva plus with Norway are the wages. Damn, you people make a lot of money (compared to Sweden), which you then need considering the cost of living. But I’m kinda looking if a place I haven’t lived in yet. To experience something new - Scandinavia is my backup plan 😉 And **Eva Luna** , thanks for the advice! So if I go further with the US I either need to bug our export companies… or of course… How you doin’ 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073.md?page=3)