Permanently moving to another country? (relocating, job, move to, buy)

[TheCaliforniaBear]

What are some ways a person could go about permanently relocating to another country?

I have lived in a few other countries with a 1 year work visa each time. The particular countries I went to did not have many foreigners living there permenently. And the few foreigners I did meet either, A: owned a business, or B: were staying on 1 year work visas and tourist visas and constantly getting new ones when they expire.

So, aside from starting your own business. How can a person relocate to another country? Which countries have more lax visa laws. Have any of you ever started a business in a foreign country? I know that in some countries, you can buy land there and someho get a visa that way, do any of you know about that?

What possibilities exist out there?

Thanks

[azoria]

The best/easiest way to become a permanent resident of a foreign country is to marry a foreigner. This will usually get you spousal 'rights to reside' fairly easily.

The second best way to move to a foreign country is to buy a residence/property there. This requires substantial money up front, and entails a certain amount of risk and considerable capital.

The most difficult way to become a resident of a foreign country is to attempt to work there. Nearly every country on the planet has fiercely protective employment laws against foreigners. The best you can usually hope for here, is to somehow land a job in a foreign county where you meet an adorable native and then marry them-- see paragraph 1.

The alternative to the above, is to have documentation proving that you are a persecuted refugee. If you can prove that your life is in imminent danger due to religious beliefs, warfare, or political repression, there are a number of countries that may grant you asylum. Um, the US is one of them.....

[Brontosaurus]

"The second best way to move to a foreign country is to buy a residence/property there."Be very carefull with this method - in many countries owning property gives you, as a foreign citizen, no additional rights whatsoever. Remember, you are dealing with two very different groups of people: one the one hand, estate agents are always happy to take your money. If you can't aquire the legal right to live in the property you have just bought that's not their problem. On the other hand, the job of the immigation department case worker is to mindlessly and robotically follow their rulebook - if their decision to deny you a visa ruins your finances that's just hard cheese. In some countries, if you can renew your work visa enough to stay there x years, you get the right to permanent residency. eg 5 years for the UK.

[Threestep2]

What countries are you targeting?