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I am disenchanted with the USA and would like to relocate to another country. I need a country with a truly open and fair (if there is such a thing) immigration policy, yet one that is low-crime and has good police powers. Health and safety is my main concern, after what I've learned about the various countries in terms of expating. I would like to retain my American citizenship, because I will soon be living on a pension (with health benefits) and in several years, additional social security income. I will have at least $25,000 per year on the pension (through my husband) and hopefully I will soon be able to work. I've been unemployed for many years due to disabilites that are basically resolved. I really need a country that will allow me to work. I plan to get a vocational medical skill, either here or in the new country. Also I'm very open to teaching English -- I've been a volunteer tutor of various subjects off and on since I was in high school, including EFL currently via the Internet. However I have no degree, so possibly no school will hire me for pay. I don't know if my husband is willing to relocate out of the country. Sorry it has to be this way but I will leave without him if he refuses to move with me.
If I'm lucky enough to find an appropriate country, I will rent as long as necessary and then hope to buy a property with open zoning that will produce an income. I would like to be an on-site boardinghouse owner/landlord, as it would be appropriate for me, virtually regardless of disability. Of course, I will visit the country before making any committments.
I'm very dissatisfied with the amount of expat and immigration information I have so far and if others are like-minded, hopefully this will be a continuing thread. As long as I'm able, I'll keep checking back.
You may need to elaborate a little about what you mean by "open and fair immigration policy". If a country has low-crime and good police powers, then it will probably be more desirable to many immigrants which means they can set the bar higher about who they will allow into their country. I would describe this as "fair", but certainly not "open". Alternatively, if a country had a very "open" policy, in that they made it very easy to immigrate, then I'm not sure whether you will be able to meet your low-crime, good police requirement as it may not be the most desirable place for people to move to.
I think you will mostly have to look at developing nations for what you want. The immigration policies for most of the developed nations with which I am familiar will generally set a degree as a minimum qualification for any skills based immigration visa. Another option in developed nations is to have enough money to make large investments in the country, but as you mentioned you want to make sure you will be able to keep collecting your pension I'm guessing that this is probably not an option either. Finally there is the option of being transferred by a large company, but you say that you have been unemployed for many years, so that's out too.
Teaching English in a non-English speaking country may be your best option to look at, but I've never explored this option myself so can't really offer you any accurate advice, sorry.
There was a thread a while ago discussing retiring to a third world country. You may want to have a look through and see if you can get any ideas. I don't know how useful it is, but here it is: //www.city-data.com/forum/world...ld-county.html
Yes, you should peruse the thread that MarcNZ pointed out.
Living as an expat has its own set of issues to deal with, and I am a bit leary that you might be bringing some "baggage" with that would not bode well. Are you sure that there are not other alternatives for you in the USA? Someplace different, someplace cheaper? It is not that easy to make friends with the locals overseas; they may appear friendly, but it is usually politeness that their culture dictates.
Yes, you should peruse the thread that MarcNZ pointed out.
Living as an expat has its own set of issues to deal with, and I am a bit leary that you might be bringing some "baggage" with that would not bode well. Are you sure that there are not other alternatives for you in the USA? Someplace different, someplace cheaper? It is not that easy to make friends with the locals overseas; they may appear friendly, but it is usually politeness that their culture dictates.
I second this motion.
You can find WILDLY different attitudes, climates etc. here in the US without having to go through all the trouble of expating.
You don't say what you are disenchanted of here in the US but it's quite possible that you are in a rut after your illness or have mild depression etc. as a result? Your comments about leaving your hubby behind if neccessary are also telling.
Why not find some inexpensive communities in the states, move there, rent for a bit and see if you like it?
Lastly, have you considered the whole medicare\medicaid situation and how that works outside the US?
Immigrating to another country is usually a whole bureaucratic issue. Most developed countries have strict immigration policies unless one is super rich. (For example, Australia doesn't accept immigrants above the age of 45 unless they have an Australian sponsor.)
I know that there is an expat community of English speakers (as well as Italian speakers) in Guayaquil Ecuador where I taught English for a year at a local university.
As for the medicare/medicaid situation, I believe you can't use that outside the USA although you can receive social security payments out of the US.
Marknz, agree that low-crime and open immigration don't normally go together. I guess there is no "hidden diamond", maybe not even a "CZ" but just trying to find out if there is any decent place that will accept me. I will click that link for the third world country. Thanks.
Marknz, agree that low-crime and open immigration don't normally go together. I guess there is no "hidden diamond", maybe not even a "CZ" but just trying to find out if there is any decent place that will accept me. I will click that link for the third world country. Thanks.
Chava61, I know I would need to pay out of pocket for health insurance. The problem I see so far with this is that all the policies have seen have lifetime maximums on certain benefits. Of course, that's unacceptable. Curious about your experience in Ecuador. Can you tell me more about crime, police powers, public transportation and employment? Thanks.
teak, the quick reply option came up for this post. I'm not very good with forums so hopefully I'll learn. Anyway, what do you mean by "baggage"? Dissatisfaction with USA? I don't see the connection. No, I have not been happy with the USA for many years -- too much emphasis on private transportation, lack of community, high crime and visa laws that are too restrictive. Do you know that widowed pensioners from a spouse cannot re-marry in USA without losing their pensions? Also there is no domestic partner visa, as there is in Canada, so sponsoring someone in a case like this is prohibitive. I know there is a lot of anti-American sentiment in the world, but I must say I really want to leave.
mathguy, a few months ago I placed the same question on the yahoo answer forum and got the same reply -- stay in USA. I don't like the laws here, including marriage laws. Few people know that in most states, marriage income is not equally owned. A supported spouse is entitled only to SUSTENANCE from the supporting spouse. This is unacceptable. Actually I was severely depressed until the past two years mainly due to unfulfilled emotional needs. However, I'm sure many people want to leave the USA, whether they suffer from depression or they don't -- and many have expated. I don't think an RX for depression is to avoid making changes, unless of course, the person is dealing with some instability as a result. Some say they love the new country, but I can't just go by what people say. That's why I'd spend some time there first. Being willing to leave my husband behind does "tell" I'm not committed to living with him, no matter what. Thanks.
Just curious as to the gender of the respondents so far. I assume mathguy is male but I don't remember any clues about the others.
As you've probably noticed, you'll get some responses that are supportive of what you wish to do and those that make it sound impossible. Just stick with your plan, make use of the helpful advice you get, but don't let the negative advice ruin your day. Take it for what it is. Some of it is also useful, some not.
There are a lot of folks who have left the country for a lot of reasons. You don't need to justify yourself. It is your choice. If you don't like it here, you don't like it. Many detractors don't understand how anyone could not be happy in this country. That's because it works for them. But they are not you. You decide what works for you.
I’m planning an eventual move abroad also. I've narrowed my possibilities down to a few places. It will probably take some years before I'm able to actually move, but I can spend some time visiting the areas until then. I'd make some suggestions for locations, but my situation is quite different from yours and I'm looking for something a little different. So, all I can say is keep researching. There are a lot of helpful folks out there, so when you think you've narrowed it down a bit, try contacting some people from the US that have moved to the area. They can be extremely helpful and are generally quite excited to share what they've experienced.
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American looking for country to relo to..
