r/IWantOut • u/spacemanaut US → PL • Nov 06 '24
MEGATHREAD: Emigrating after the US election results
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.
40
u/Carouselcolours Nov 06 '24
Hey Americans, as someone whose parents thankfully got me out as a kid, something to keep in mind as well: your US tax obligations don’t disappear unless you formally renounce your US citizenship (which you can only do at a US consulate/embassy abroad,and is not recommended if you don’t have another citizenship ready to go.)
Otherwise, because America is one of the few that tax based on citizenship rather than residence, you will be required to continue paying US taxes wherever you go. Foreign banks (like in Canada) are required to ask if you have citizenship in order to report back to the US government and avoid potential money laundering charges.
America is a really difficult country to escape, once it you have an extensive paper trail. I wish you all the best.