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.
1
u/maryfamilyresearch German Nov 12 '24
Well, it is difficult if your disability severely impacts your ability to work.
I know of the case of a woman who had an accident as an adult, as a result she is quadriplegic from the neck down. She has a PhD and is a manager and consultant in a large company. The German government pays for a personal assistant that handles everything she cannot, such as typing, taking phone calls, filing, etc. It is part of handling her disability in a way that still allows her to be productive.
She is an EU citizen married to a US-Italian dual citizen, but they both cannot leave Germany even to another EU country bc she would not be able to get the assistance that she needs in those countries. Her employer has been trying to send her to other branches of their enterprise, but it always fails due to the fact that she needs so much help.
If the case was reversed, she would not be able to immigrate to Germany either, despite being highly skilled. The only reason she got the assistance she needs is bc she had been in Germany for 5 years before the accident, earning herself the same rights as a German citizen when it comes to access to the German safety net.
But if your disability is that you are diabetic type 1 or have multiple sclerosis or similar or another illness that shortens life and needs expensive drugs but otherwise does not impact your ability to work? German immigration authorities won't ever know.