Emigrating/moving abroad. Anyone done it?

[King Herald]

wisbech said:

it Is relatively easy to work as illegal immigrant in the US - a lot of cash in hand work (restaurants/ agriculture/ unskilled construction etc). Problem is the pay is poor, no health insurance or workplace regulation and if you get caught it is no fun.

We had six Filipino crew members ‘jump ship’ in the USA a decade or so ago. They had shore leave, went out for the evening....never seen again. Some of them were married, back in the Phils as well.

Rumour was they were just absorbed into the massive Filipino underground network and settled into normal life. I’d guess they had fake papers and suchforth made in the Phils and sent over. There are such places in Manila that I mentioned earlier in the thread.

Every port we called into, anywhere in the world, there was always at least one Filipino crew member who had family or friends living and working there, from Saudi to Sydney, Azerbaijan to Algeria. Over ten million Filipinos work or reside outside of their home country, mainly illegal or casual labour. Working abroad is usually the only way they can improve their families lot in life and drag them out of poverty.

[jjlynn27]

Yes. Do it. If you don't like it, do it again. If you don't like the 'system' change the 'system' (sounds better in original version).

[putonghua73]

Has the OP [Nickbrapp] been back to update the thread? Would love to know what he has decided.

evilmunkey said:

im self employed in the special fx industry and am considering relocating to Greece, my other half is from thessoloniki and i have no family left here, her family is my family , and with the job i do it requires travel anyway. i cant see any good reson to stay in the uk to be honest. its become a dismal depressing place and everytime i go to greece it feels more like home. better weather, food, friendly folk and i can still do my job but with cheaper overheads for workspace etc.

Why are you still here? Your possessions should already be packaged and winging their way to Greece, with your one-way airline ticket booked! Greek partner, Greek family, that's a big chunk of the decision making done. A digital nomad would be a fantastic lifestyle (in theory) if I was younger, suitably qualified, creative, etc.

scott15 said:

Thanks everyone who replied to my question.
As has been said I think Canada and NZ are my best choices. NZ as far as I have heard is harder to get jobs, whilst Canada is a colder climate than what I was hoping for I think that I will have to go for the work permit for one of the two and go with it.

I'm a hard worker (and i'd say I'm a smart worker which is even better). So I don't think actually getting the chance to stay would be too hard depending on the employer.

Edited by scott15 on Sunday 21st January 22:39

As others have stated, start doing your research and go for a few weeks to each destination as a tourist first before making any decision. Think of each holiday as 'research'. Once you've been a few times, you can then start to evaluate each country against a set of criteria e.g. work factors, living factors, etc, and make an informed decision as to which country would be a best fit.

[RizzoTheRat]

I moved to the Netherlands on Sunday. As above make sure you know something about the place first, I've worked here as a contractor a few times in the past and really like the place. Only downside so far is I'm sat in the office while the wife is texting me pictures of her sat on the beach

[Nickbrapp]

I’m back to update, as of yet we haven’t decided but have decided we will visit these places over the next 2 years, with a view to seeing what life is really like, we’re just buying a house here so we will always have somewhere to come back too if we want.

This is a 5 year plan, il be 30 at the end of that which is still young enough I think, to then make a informed decision

[RobDickinson]

There are a lot of easy short term visa options that run out at 28 years old etc make sure you check those out.

[ReaperCushions]

Nickbrapp said:

I’m back to update, as of yet we haven’t decided but have decided we will visit these places over the next 2 years, with a view to seeing what life is really like, we’re just buying a house here so we will always have somewhere to come back too if we want.

This is a 5 year plan, il be 30 at the end of that which is still young enough I think, to then make a informed decision

Don't forget.. nothing is permanent. You can always move back or somewhere else.

[Nickbrapp]

RobDickinson said:

There are a lot of easy short term visa options that run out at 28 years old etc make sure you check those out.

Good point, I will do, that’s still 2 years away

[gregs656]

Been in Canada for 7 weeks. So far so good.

[burritoNinja]

We are moving back to the US. Far easier moving back as US citizens. Wife does not like the UK for many reasons. Our kids are US citizens and I just don’t see a future for them here. We miss many aspects of life in the US. Yes the UK has some benefits but just not for us. Miss the wide open space of the mid west and the summers. Of course the USA is not perfect by any means, but each to their own.

[burritoNinja]

King Herald said:

I get the impression that all those types, immigration, customs, TSA etc couldn’t hack getting into the military or the police, and bullying people at the airport is about as close as they can ever get to it.

Eerrr a lot of TSA are veterans. Saint Louise international in Missouri which is closet to Fort Leonardwood has a good few TSA who are veterans. Though some of them are mini hitlers.

[anonymous-user]

Matt Harper said:

caelite said:

Matt Harper said:

Unless via marriage, USA is one of the most difficult countries to legally emigrate to. There is nothing 'easy' about it at all.

That is something I have been wondering about actually. My dad married an American, he is a green carded immigrant there (took him about 6 months to get his work card after getting married).

So with a direct blood relation as a legal migrant and a step-mother who is a born US citizen, could I use that to get a green card, or would it need to be through a employer sponsorship? As you say there is nothing easy about their system, neither my dad or his missus have any idea.

US immigration via family is dependent on a number of factors...

Your father would need to become a US citizen in order to petition for a child. Unmarried adult children (over age 21) are eligible, but are in the lowest lowest preference category. Assuming that you are otherwise eligible, your wait-time, based on current USCIS stats would be about 11 years from when your father attains US citizenship. There may be some very compelling reasons why he would rather not naturalize (there are some quite significant tax implications). In addition, he would be financially responsible for you for a protracted period of time after your arrival and he may not be all that happy to shoulder that responsibility. He would have to demonstrate to INS that he has the means to support you financially, if you are unable to support yourself.

Your step-mother (despite being a USC) cannot sponsor you.

So, the short answer is yes, your Dad could petition for and sponsor you, once he has attained US citizenship - but you'd have a long wait...

Or just do what what my cousin did, go over there from the UK as a student and simply never come back.

Once she had been there a few years she panicked a bit about being caught and quickly married US citizen, which only lasted a couple of years, but she got a Green Card.

She's been there for 25 years now and is more American than most Americans.

Lives on a ranch/farm, drives a pickup truck, always has a pistol in a holster on her belt etc.

It's great fun visiting her as I'm a massive closet redneck and enjoy guns, farms, NASCAR, pickup trucks. That kind of thing.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 4th August 16:14

[ReaperCushions]

Lord Marylebone said:

Or just do what what my cousin did, go over there from the UK as a student and simply never come back.

Once she had been there a few years she panicked a bit about being caught and quickly married US citizen, which only lasted a couple of years, but she got a Green Card.

Edited by Lord Marylebone on Saturday 4th August 16:14

Sounds like a great plan

[milfordkong]

My wife and I are sort of 'Digital nomads' ... We have a home in the UK and an apartment in the French Alps, we split our time between the two which works great. We get the benefits and familiarity of 'home' when we want it and the very different culture, landscape and opportunity for spending time in the outdoors that the French alps offers... We've also done a couple of trips elsewhere worldwide though unfortunately our work is quite limited to UK working hours and the ability to communicate with our clients during those hours - So vastly different time zones can be a little limiting - That there's a first world problem though. I guess Brexit may throw up it's own challenges regarding our current freedom to spend extended periods of time in France working for ourselves but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I feel very fortunate to have got to this position and very grateful for the chain of events that led here ... However my problem is I really don't like what I do anymore and wish I could figure out another way to have the lifestyle we enjoy and do something different for work ... Weighs heavy on my mind. Again, a very first world problem though and i'll not be making any rash decisions.

[anonymous-user]

Just returned after living in Germany for 3 years, age 26-29, I didn’t really like Germany (far to controlling / constrained), but the experience was fantastic.

Just my girlfriend and I, put us to the test (we knew no one), made a few friends along the way, my career progressed nicely and now we are back in the UK with the plan to go again in a few years!

I did get offered a job in the USA but he T+C’s were to my mind a no-go.

[milfordkong]

zubzob said:

Sounds ideal. We are planning on doing very similar. Any tips for the French Alps? We recently looked at a couple of flats in Chamonix but think maybe something more on the edge of things might be more peaceful.

We have a dog which complicates things.

Love Chamonix, but yeah there are benefits to being slightly off the tourist track. Our place is in a small town called Faverges close to Lake Annecy, for us it gives us the best of both worlds, it's a short drive to world class ski resorts in the winter and the lake is fantastic in the summer, swimming, paddle boarding, hiking - It's just a great place to be outdoors, when we're there in summer we picnic by the lake for one or two meals a day and just spend so much more of our time outside.

We also have a dog and we take him every time we visit, the only complication of that is not having the option to fly but I think we'd probably drive most of the time anyway, it's great to have our own car there rather than a rental and whilst the journey down is a bit of a slog we just stick a bunch of podcasts on and it's not too bad. The pet passport thing adds in a tiny bit of extra complication but it's really not too much bother, you just have to pay a bit more for the tunnel and take them to a vet for a worming tablet a couple of days before you come back. Really hoping that scheme doesn't change with Brexit as if we couldn't take our dog that would be a problem.

[Rich_AR]

..

Edited by Rich_AR on Thursday 16th August 13:36

Edited by Rich_AR on Sunday 16th September 10:25

[NAS]

Lived in 5 countries between the ages of 21 and 31, the shortest stint being Shanghai for 6 months when I was 25.

Now in Germany, which was supposed to be for a few years only, but the standard procedure of meeting/dating/marrying a local got in the way of that

I've never regretted it, although having -many- friends I rarely see and Germany (like any country) having some failings, I am very happy to have ended up here. Chances are we will stay here, although with my wife having grown up as an ex-pat kid, we would be open to anywhere really.

Funnily enough, one of the key reasons we ended up together is our shared open outlook to other cultures, experiences and people.

Do it if all I can say.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Originally from Sunderland, left there at eighteen to go off to university. Spent a year back in the North East working after finishing university before heading off to the Isle of Man for a better paid job. That was meant to be three years but spent nearly twelve there. Whilst living there I meet a German girl and we ended up marrying. Moved to the Stuttgart area of Germany just over five years ago. I spoke no German so ended up at language school for around eighteen months. After it became apparent that I wouldn’t get a job in my existing field I totally retrained as a mechanical engineer (CNC type stuff) and now work in sales for a company making air tools and air motors.

I would never say it was easy but if you are prepared to put the work in you can do it. I never thought I would learn a new language in my thirties but now I’m fluent(ish). In fact I now have dual nationality and a young son who is starting to speak in a mixture of German and English. I am blessed with really nice and generous in-laws, which undoubtedly helps.

[catso]

Lived in Italy, twice.

First time as a teenager, moved there with my Family as my Dad got a job there, did the last 3 years of school there and then moved back as the Family came back.

I later got a job there and went back on my own. I really enjoyed it although the company I worked for didn't seem to have much 'drive', favouring a more laid back approach that I found challenging at the time.

After a couple of years I was offered a job back in the UK at one of their main competitors and so moved back to (for me, at that time) a better working environment but now that I'm older/wiser I'd prefer the more relaxed approach - combine that with being less than a couple of hours drive to a (warm) beach or a decent ski slope at the weekends plus food/wine etc. and I'd move back today were it not for family commitments here.