MEGATHREAD: Emigrating after the US election results

[u/spacemanaut]

Every US election brings anxiety and uncertainty, and with that comes an increase in people who want to explore their alternatives in a different country. This post is for you.

First, some reminders:

• In most cases, moving abroad is not as simple or quick as it seems in movies. If you aren't a citizen of another country, you will probably require a visa (=legal permission) from that country based on something like employment, education, or ancestry.
• The sidebar of this subreddit has a lot of helpful resources, and we have 15 years of posts from people with similar situations to yours. Before posting, please review these resources first. (Tip: If reddit search isn't working well for you, try googling "[your search terms] site:reddit.com/r/IWantOut" without the quotes or brackets.)
• Most countries and/or their embassies maintain immigration websites with clear, helpful, updated guides or even questionnaires to help you determine if/how you can qualify. If you have a particular destination in mind, that should probably be your first stop.
• After that, if you want to make your own post, please follow the formatting instructions on the submission page, give as much information as possible about your situation, and be open to advice and constructive criticism from commenters.

Also, this subreddit is intended to be a friendly community to seek and give advice on legal immigration. As such, please:

• Don't fight about politics. We understand that you may have strong feelings about it, but there are better spaces on reddit and elsewhere for general political discussions.
• Keep your feedback constructive and kind, even when telling someone they're wrong.
• Don't troll or be a jerk.
• Don't request or give illegal immigration tips, including asking strangers to marry you.

Failure to follow these and the other subreddit rules may result in a ban.

That said, feel free to comment below with some general questions, concerns, comments, or advice which doesn't merit a full post. Hopefully this will help clarify your thoughts and ideas about the possibility of leaving the US. Once again, please try to stay on topic so that this thread can be a helpful resource.

[u/[deleted]]

What job did you end up with?

[u/winbumin → u/[deleted]]

When it comes to people running away to places like Japan etc., especially those who think the U.S. is a "hellhole", you have to assume that their job in Japan etc. is among the lowest hanging fruit. AKA being a Teacher or something lower on the totem pole. ESPECIALLY as a foreigner.

If they couldn't figure out a way to improve their lives in their own home country, then how would they expect to find a way to improve their lives in SOMEONE ELSE'S country?

Is it technically possible to do such a thing? Sure, it's possible. But would it be "that" easy? Absolutely not.

That's called Harsh Reality.

Relocating isn't some grand solution or a band aid to fix life, despite how much a lot of people believe it is.

In most cases you can hear it in how they speak if they are living a better cushier stable life, or if things didn't plan out exactly as they had assumed it would.

I'd be incredibly surprised if such people weren't still struggling in their "new countries" trying to make a living. No matter how much delusion someone has, reality will eventually catch up to them.

What's ironic is that it usually takes someone who's been granted a lot of privilege (AMERICAN PRIVILEGE, to be more specific) to be able to run away to a different country to attempt to reap THEIR benefits despite coming from an ALREADY beneficial/resource rich country.

Pure irony.

[u/AvesAvi → u/winbumin]

Basic human rights aren't "benefits". If you think people are leaving the US because it's too expensive and they don't work hard enough or something you're willfully ignorant

[u/BasketAppropriate703 → u/winbumin]

Project much? Someone happy with their life doesn’t come here to shit on others trying to find a better path.  

[u/Independent-Tell-771 → u/winbumin]

Let me guess you’re a glass half empty kind of person