To Americans wanting to flee

[mme_hardy]

Believe me, I get it. But it's not as easy as just "moving to [insert country name]". Other countries have immigration laws, too, and you may not qualify, especially if you don't have STEM or medical qualifications.

• Canada has a points system.


• New Zealand has a points system.


• To move anywhere in Europe, you will need a work permit from that country; requirements vary. If your recent ancestors were immigrants, you may have a right of return; again, requirements vary.

Unless US expatriates are categorized as refugees (highly unlikely) you'll need to apply to the new country, and that process can take months to years.

If you think you'll need to go, get all the paperwork you'll need to file now, and realize that you'll be competing with thousands (at least) of other Americans who have decided to move on. We won't be any more welcome in other countries than we make their citizens. (Hint: not.)

And a side note for transpeople: Currently under Obama's policies you can get a passport showing your correct gender with a physician's statement saying 'you've had appropriate clinical treatment', and there's no requirement to have bottom surgery. This policy will almost certainly be reversed by the Trump administration, so apply for your passport now to get legal documentation of your gender. Many states require bottom surgery.

e: Recessional has an invaluable comment about Canadian immigration.

Comments

[recessional]

And even winning the points system just gets you into a POOL of potential expedited candidates, in Canada, from which various amounts are selected depending on quota, with active if unofficial preference for uniting families. (Also any number of other invisible categories.) US citizens do not get preferential treatment.

If you're not married to a Canadian, your best bet, anecdotally, is to get a job and thus a work visa - not necessarily easy in and of itself - and work here for a while and build connections and then apply.

Also note that the checks to see if your marriage is real are pretty intensive (a friend recently did her landed immigrant stuff and we all were handing over pics from gatherings, chat logs, agreeing to be contacted under oath, etc), and ALL OF IT is Paperwork Hell and Bureaucracy Tango.

It can be done. Lots do it every year. But among other things they make it difficult ON PURPOSE, to make you prove you really want to be here. And yeah refugee status is actually quite difficult to get if there is not a currently active shooting or bombing war in your country.

Being bilingual in French is an asset. Knowing Canadian social mores (yes they are different ESPECIALLY in some areas of What Words For Certain Groups Are Okay) and general-knowledge history is an advantage. Knowing stuff about where you want to settle is a huge asset as it does in fact make it look like you're invested in the country.

Being willing to live in small/northern/more isolated communities is an asset especially if your job/education are professional in nature. (Note: yes, different areas have different levels of prejudice etc and this is a good thing to check up on, and no Canada is not made of socialist roses; on the flipside provinces have Waaaaaaaaay Less Leeway in terms of mucking about with legal rights than states have [I often cannot believe the extent that states have], and honestly I would as a queer woman rather go back to Alberta than move to Seattle. *hands*)

And here ends my random spewcomment. *cough*

[lizbee]

Australia also has a points system, and will not take people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Not even children. We have various levels of work visas, but most don't provide a pathway to permanent residency or citizenship.

[nineveh_uk]

If you can obtain citizenship of any EU country, that allows you to live and work in any other EU country. This is how an Australian friend of mine moved to the UK thanks to Dutch citizenship via her father. So if you qualify for e.g. Polish citizenship it doesn't matter that you don't speak any Polish, you could use it to get a job in Madrid instead. NB the rights are for free movement of "workers", things can be a bit more complicated if you're not working or planning to work and may vary between countries http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=457

[rinue]

I have heard Nova Scotia is somewhat keen to attract US refugees, and has a pilot program going in Cape Breton, although I have not known anyone who tested it.