Family of 5 wanting to move.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by AnthonyB

Israel, which is the easiest for foreigners to live in as it has a high number of immigrants, English is practically the second language, and is very developed.

It's still hard though. Not because of the political issues and their associated problems though they have their own place (PLEASE lets not get into them on this forum). Hard because the culture is still very very different and Middle Eastern in flavour and because the residents all speak Hebrew or Arabic and you have to learn them to really function well in the country, which I did.
For practical purposes, it is a very expensive country to live in. Salaries are low, taxes high and the cost of everything is through the roof.


Addition: I read that your wife? had spent time in Egypt. Spent a month there and it is a fascinating country, very stratified though - I know some members of Egypts upper echelons. They do have broadband though, and WiFi and internet cafes and all sorts of comforts for those who can afford them. To me Cairo has the same base as all other big cities have - money. My favorite Egyptian town was Marsah Matruah on the coast, really a holiday town with a relaxed atmosphere and amazing beaches.

yep my wife lived in Misr (egypt). Said she would move back in a heart beat if I wanted to go there, I am a bit iffy on that place though. I know arabic, though not as fluent as I used to be. If i could have my choices of any where to live it would be Some where in UAE. I wouldn't mind Morocco either if they had a better economy.

I want to visit Israel one day, had a chance some years back but things didn't pan out like I would have wanted.

[AnthonyB]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

yep my wife lived in Misr (egypt). Said she would move back in a heart beat if I wanted to go there, I am a bit iffy on that place though. I know arabic, though not as fluent as I used to be. If i could have my choices of any where to live it would be Some where in UAE. I wouldn't mind Morocco either if they had a better economy.

I want to visit Israel one day, had a chance some years back but things didn't pan out like I would have wanted.

Israel is great to visit, especially if you are religious or like history, or both.
We have family from Morocco, Fez and Casablanca. My mother in law went back for a visit for the first time in almost 40 years, unfortunately I didn't have the time to go with her. To see the country through a returning natives eyes would have been fascinating. I've never been but would love to go.

Many Egyptians I know who lived in the US for a while are iffy on it too. They have been involved in pro democracy movements there and are disappointed at the way things are moving politically. And if you are not rich there, life is pretty tough.

[thedtbmister]

might I suggest you consider getting job in the middle east. although you wouldnt be able to qualify for citizenship in most countries since you speak english you wont have a problem here. I currently live in Saudi Arabia due to my Fathers job and I am a Senior in High School here at an American School. Saudi Arabias a lot different then what most people think it is. Anyways if you arent interested in Saudi Arabia try looking for jobs in Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, or Kuwait. These countries are very stable and have a huge expat community since they hire lots of foreigners to help keep their economies running. Word of advice though if you get jobs over here make sure your employer is willing to pay for schooling for your children. Since the American Schools over here are not run by the U.S. department of Education they are "private schools" and they charge tuition. But in a lot of them any families who can pay the tuition can send their children to the school. However I've made great friends at my school and I meet people from all over the world including people from countries like Sri Lanka, India, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Belgium, ect... Though as a fair warning if you want to visit Israel you will most likely not be able to since most Middle Eastern Countries have an embargo on Israel and will not admit anyone with a stamp from Israel in their passport. I believe that Jordan and Turkey do not have that rule but I know for certain that Saudi Arabia does. Oh well I do want to visit Israel one of these days so I'll go a few months before my passport is supposed to expire and then just renew it and have a fresh empty passport ready to be filled with stamps from countries from all over the world. I do plan on returning to the states for college and I want to become a nurse. I think however that I would like to immigrate to Australia or Ireland but I want to spend some time working in multiple countries before settling down into a new country permanetly and later applying for citizenship. Good luck with wanting to move.

[minibrings]

As an expat American that escaped Bush and moved to Australia, was granted permanent residency in NZ (but declined) and who is now a permanent resident of Canada my advise would be to stay put and get involved to change your government (its harder to be involved when overseas). Give your kids a valuable civic lesson on democracy.

The grass is not necessarily greener overseas and from spending time in all 3 countries.

I loved Australia but they are now coping with an economy that is faltering. 1/7 aussies have a bought with skin cancer (hole in ozone above Oz). 1/4 have asthma. Wages are about 20% higher than NZ. More opportunity than NZ. High cost of living and high cost of real estate. the ONLY reason I left Oz was my asthma and allergies were horrible there.. its not uncommon for North Americans to move there and have problems with allergies (as per my doctor). Breathing is kind of important so with great reluctance, I left.

The economy in eastern Canada is faltering though the Western provinces are still doing well (specifically BC, AB & SK). Cost of living varies just like the US but when you add provincial and federal tax, its much higher. High cost of real estate in Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary. If you were really keen I would say Canada as its easier to move back to the US if things don't work out. Too many horror stories of migrants to NZ leaving in a year and having to ship everything back to their country of origin. I'm here as I have family here...

New Zealand is in recession and is coping with the largest exodus of kiwis moving to Australia to work in a long time. Without migration, it would be a country w/ a declining population. 39% income tax (once you earn more than 65k NZD), high cost of living as everything is imported. High real estate prices vis-a-vis income. Some expats comment on the parochial attitude of kiwis. Gorgeous scenery. I love NZ, I am fascinated with the maori culture, but I would not want to live there.

These are all facts that I gather from various sources.

Here are my sources for AUS/NZ, read them.
The Australian, News from Australia's National Newspaper
Sydney Morning Herald - Business News, World News & Breaking News in Australia
NZ Herald - New Zealand's Latest National, World, Business, Sport , Entertainment News and Weather
Moving to New Zealand? (positive views of moving to NZ)
Expat Exposed: Behind the Hype in New Zealand (negative view of migrants wanting to get out of NZ).

In addition to move2nz, find other forums that you can join while doing your research -- try yahoo groups or google groups. I know they have immigration forums for these countries. Also britishexpat.com has forums.

Good luck with your decision. I do not envy you. Its a tough choice.

P.S. I helped register 70 Americans as part of the Democrats abroad group and I was surprised at how many Americans living in Canada had not yet taken up Canadian citizenship. Many were hopeful about this election. This one woman said on November 4 she will decide is she will apply to become Canadian. Not ONE said they would give up their US citizenship. Granted 70 people does not make for a good statistical sample.. just thought I'd share my observation.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by diegosmom

You have to look at where you can get a visa not only to live, but work.....that is key. If I am not mistaken it is difficult for americans to work in Canada for example for the work visa. I would research into where you can easily migrate to and then decide from the list.

Not really. Due to NAFTA there is a NAFTA visa (EN-1 I believe). Basically get a job offer in Canada, cross the border, go to Canadian customs and apply for it. Its a work visa, not a migration visa. I'm not sure if this visa allows spouses to work.

[azoria]

One option to consider is buying property. Even in the EU.

Many countries have very liberal policies toward foreigners buying real estate. Typically, ownership of a property gives the owner[s] certain residency rights in the country. From temporary residency and property ownership it is possible over time to move up to permanent residency status and work permits.

It's a back door however, that requires quite a bit of money.

[Djuna]

Moving to another country isn't easy and the grass is seldom greener on the other side. The US has a lot to offer in terms of different locations/ideas/politics etc.

If you think the US is sliding downhill you can bet your bottom dollar the rest of the world will follow because the rest of the world is dependent to some extent on US economics.

Every western country has its negative side, may I suggest you start looking at the positive side of where you are and work around the perceived negatives.

[HH61]

Might want to look into NZ or Australia