Moving to another country.

What if a US citizen decided that they wanted to live and work in, for instance, Switzerland or Germany, how would they go about it ? I've heard that it's not very easy to do. And what about the other way around ? Ideas, comments, experiences ?

 

One step I'd do would be to contact the consulate/embassy of the country one is interested in to ask pertinent information as to what is required to live/work in that country. Any country would have an embassy right in your own country.

The embassies wouldn't be hard to find by googling the yellow pages for an address and or tel. #.

 

You will need an immigration visa. To get into the US, you need to either be accepted to a school, or have a job with an employer willing to co-sign your visa application, or be married or engaged to be married to a citizen. (Different rules for children and refugees.) That goes for most other countries as well. Most of them have a Beaureu of Immigration or similar, and in all developed countries they have websites. Start there, and find out what the criteria is and read all the fine print. You would not believe the bullshit they charge you fees for.

 

So far, looks like a lot of hoops to jump thru. A person that's retiring and wanting to live in another country for say, a few years is going to have a tough time.

 

If you intend to retire to another country it is pretty much the same as US in that you have to prove you are able to support yourself and not be a drain on the host countries finances.

Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries on this side of the pond it is up there with the Scandinavian lands. (Ask Mimsy)

Here is a comprehensive document.

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/policies/citizenship/policies_citizenship_intro_en.htm

This one is easier to get through.

http://www.cpag.org.uk/cro/wrb/wrb192/Right to reside - new rules.htm

 

Aussie is OK but you lot keep calling me pom.

Joking aside,I spent some months in Brisbane in the 70s and it's a great place to be.

 

Thanks for all the info so far, it's much appreciated. I have heard that Switzerland is an expensive place. Just not sure how it compares to the USA. My wife is leaning toward Australia, how good are the healthcare facilities there ? From what I've been reading, Switzerland and Germany are excellent in that respect. Not that I expect anything bad to happen, but, you never know. I've already battled cancer from 2006 thru 2008

 

Health care in Australia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Australia

It would be great if you would have some members, who are living in the countries you prefer, expand a little about their experience?

 

Looks like the quality of health care in Australia ranks up there with the best of them !

 

One of the things you should also think of is the language. In Switzerland a large number of people speak English, in Germany a lot less. In Australia I believe they also speak some sort of English...

 

25 years ago I moved from Switzerland to Japan. At that time it was the company I worked for that did almost everything. Doing it all alone (getting the necessary visas, finding a place to live, moving your belongings, etc, etc, etc) may involve a lot of work.

But as I mentioned in my earlier post, if there is no language barrier, almost anything can be achieved.

 

It is, trust me. It is also expensive, at least to move to the US. There are application fees for everything, and it would be wise to assume the same of any other country.

 

Sounds to me like someone simply wants to get out of the US ASAP lol, Before you embark on any such adventure you will need to find out exactly what you will need, money, criminal background, skills etc etc.
I'm pretty sure Australia is one of the hardest countries to get into, unless they've changed it, (there's a reason that huge rock has less people on it than London, or used to anyway lol)but whatever country you chose your best best would be to contact an immigration lawyer either in that country or maybe one in North America who can tell you what is needed.
Not a good idea to try it without representation as you will most likely go about it the hard way.
I was lucky really, I found myself a consultant who worked for Canadian immigration for 30 years, so he knew the in's and out's as well as some minor loop holes.

You should also be able to find a gov website with a fair amount of info on the subject.

 

Somehow, the application fees for everything does not surprise me ! I do have about 3 years to plan. Hopefully that is plenty of time to have it well thought out before I do anything. Money would not be a problem. Main concerns are the amount of bullcrap I would have to go through as far as forms and legalities. And, the quality of living that a country has to offer would be high on my list. I have no criminal background or anything along those lines that should pose a problem. I've always been a good boy, (or just didn't get caught, lol).

 

As far as BS forms etc, there will be a lot, also a lot of passport type photo's and almost certainly a Whole lot of waiting.
Decide on the country for it's merits, not it's immigration system, with the nations you are talking about if money isn't an issue then it will simply be down to criminal background and reason for moving and possibly skills but that depends what type of application process fits you. But don't assume it will be quick, took me nearly 3 years to complete and that was without any hitches at all.
Find someone you can sit down in a room with and talk to about it, thats the best course of action.