r/AmerExit

Hello AmerExit community!

Recently in Canada, some changes have been made regarding claiming citizenship by descent and I wanted to share my experience of moving from America to Canada (Quebec) in 2020. This will be solely my personal experience and does not comment on if I agree with the systems in place nor does it mean I believe this will be the case for everyone who takes a similar route to me. This is also not to say one country will always be a better option for each person. Each country has its own issues and neither is a utopia, and while my experience moving has been exceedingly positive that does not erase the issues others have had.

Some important context to know before reading is below:

1: I live with severe autoimmune disease and need to take biologics. One of my main motivations for my move was I had a poor quality of life in the states due to this. I spent all my time fighting a cycle of gaining and losing access to the meds that keep me healthy and alive.

2: My parents are both Canadian citizens that immigrated to America. Because of this, my citizenship was very straightforward and easy to apply for. This is something I’m immensely grateful for and really lucked out on. So while I can’t answer a lot of immigration questions, I can at least compare what living in both countries is like.

3: For specifics, I moved from Chicago to Montreal. I had lived in the United States for 24 years at the time of my move and had never lived in another country prior. I now have lived in Canada for about 6 years.

4: Each province can be quite different so I really do want to stress this is my experience with Quebec, specifically Montreal. I only have RAMQ which is the standard public medical care, no private insurance.

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Motivations: In early 2019, I had a family emergency happen that essentially forced my mom to relocate back to Canada with no notice. I’m very close with my mom, and decided to move as quickly as I could so she would not be alone. On top of this, I had a full intestinal perforation from previously undiagnosed Crohn’s disease a few months before that made me need to start strong medications urgently and keep access to them to have any quality of life. I started the application to receive documentation of my citizenship immediately and included a note from my doctors asking for my case to be expedited so I could access RAMQ asap. There are a few situations that allow you to expedite your citizenship certificate, and if you know you are 100% a citizen I recommend checking to see if you meet any of them.

Wait Times: Getting the information for my application took around a week to compile and the embassy received it one additional week after that. I honestly don’t remember why but for some reason I HAD to send my application in through the mail and could not do it online. After sending it off, I applied and paid for an expedited US passport which took around 2 weeks to receive. I was able to cross into Canada as a citizen with just the certificate, but this was during COVID so they had to call my family and verify my information. After arriving, I made an appointment with a RAMQ office to set up health insurance and they as able to receive my card within a month. From there, it took another few months to get specialists but since then I have no issues waiting for appointments. Things move very fast if you are on top of it.

It is important to note Canada has a VERY high wait time for general practitioners, and you will most likely wait years to have one. However: There is a great system in place called 811 that you call and in my experience living in Montreal, I have always been able to see a doctor the same day I call for minor emergencies.

Key Differences in Medical: If I’m being honest, moving to Canada was the best decision I could have ever made for my health. There are MASSIVE differences in my quality of life after moving that I’m so thankful for.

In America, I spent hours every week fighting insurance and stressing over how I was going to be able to get the medications I needed. These meds cost sometimes over 10k out of pocket, so paying for them was not an option. Some people find ways to qualify for low cost payments or have private insurance, but I did not and consistently my coverage was revoked and then reinstated in a vicious cycle. I had problems with Medicaid constantly getting my reported income wrong (or I would go over the allowed amount by a few dollars) which causes your coverage to disappear. This caused me to develop antibodies to multiple treatments and ultimately caused more scarring and permanent damage to be done to me. My doctors in the states were pretty awful in the suburbs, but in the city (especially at universities) they were excellent. In Chicago, I remember waiting 6-8 hours to see an ER doctor if I could even afford to go see one. During my intestinal perforation episode, I took a bus to the ER because I could not afford an ambulance. On average, I would spend about 350+ a month on medications NOT INCLUDING my biologics.

In Canada, I have never once had issues getting my medications. There is a program here that requires pharmaceutical companies to supply biologics for free until some insurance will cover them. Even if no insurance ever does, you still receive them for free if you have been prescribed it. My doctor will write me a prescription and I will start my medication the same week , it’s crazy how simple it is compared to the hoops you need to jump through in the states. I personally think the quality of doctors is better here in Canada, I see doctors affiliated with a university hospital and absolutely adore them. The ER wait times here are the exact same as the states, but the key difference is on RAMQ you don’t pay a cent. My appointments, most medications, lab work, etc, is all free here. Some people do pay a small fee for lab work, but most disabled people are exempt from this. Ambulances here are not free, but cost around 200 or less in the cities which is WAY better than the states. Overall, I spend less than 50 a month on my medical care and it’s incredibly easy for me to manage.

Key differences in living: Not surprisingly, the rent here is WAY cheaper than Chicago. It has been slowly going up in price over the years, but I still manage to pay 2k CAD (1.4k USD) rent total for a large 2 story home in a very popular spot in Montreal only a block from a metro. In a major American city I can image this would be closer to 5.5k CAD (4k USD) if not more. Food in Canada IS expensive, if I were to calculate how much I spend per month I think my grocery bill is slightly higher here than it is in the US. I would not say it’s a massive difference, but it is something to be aware of.

Something that really shocked me moving here is how much less stressed everyone seems. Canada has excellent systems in place for unemployment where the government will give you enough money to live on if you lose your job. You also can’t just fire someone for no reason and there’s seniority benefits, which is pretty great. Maternity leave exists here too and is paid for up to 15 weeks, but I believe this can turn into parental leave for up to 76 weeks maximum. I don’t see anywhere near as many young people working 2-3 jobs just to afford basic rent and people have a lot more free time here. Things are not nearly as catastrophic, and honestly life here is very calm and safe.

People in both countries tend to be mostly very kind, you get your bad apples but I think that goes for anywhere. Other than stress levels, the only other big difference I can think of is religion is WAY less a part of life here. In Montreal, it’s uncommon to meet people who are Christian and even in the suburbs most people tend to be agnostic/atheist. There’s definitely churches/mosques/etc and groups of people that are religious, but it’s not the majority of the population like it tends to be in a lot of America.

Notes on Quebec: If you do wish to settle in Quebec, I highly recommend coming with at least basic French skills. While you can get by with just English temporarily, if you are looking to work here and really want to be a part of the community French is integral. Finding work with no French skills is VERY difficult and will make your life very hard. The government offers free French classes to most people (in a lot of cases you are even given a weekly pay for taking them) but you need to apply very early because the wait time can be up to a year. I’m unsure if you can apply before moving into the province, but I strongly recommend applying the second you step foot into Quebec. I am taking full time francisation lessons and really enjoy them! I love Montreal and think it’s a beautiful city, and I don’t plan on moving into the near future.

Other things to know: Canada is WAY smaller than the states. New York City has a population of 8.58million while ALL OF QUEBEC has about 9 million. While a lot of people think Canada is essentially “mini America”, this is very untrue. Canada has so many major differences once you truly settle in and deserves a lot more respect than to just be compared to its southern counterpart. It’s a very unique country and if you immerse yourself, so many cool things to learn and experience. If you enjoy nature, Canada has the most breathtaking areas usually only an hour north of most cities. It’s truly gorgeous here!!

That being said, I do go through periods of missing where I grew up and the first year here was very hard for me to adjust to. I still sometimes think of the parts of America I loved and feel an ache in my chest to be able to revisit them one day, but ultimately I do not regret my choice to move here.

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In summary: TLDR is that my move to Canada greatly improved my quality of life and access to medical care here is much better in my opinion. The only difference to me is care is actually easier to access in Canada if anything and I’m not hemorrhaging money to do it. If anyone has questions on anything please ask away and I’ll do my best to answer!

Hi, I’m a certified K-12 TESOL teacher in the US. I have taught in Korea and have a master’s in English education. I’m also currently working to recruit some online students to begin to have some cash flow in USD for my inevitable move.
Over the past few years, I’ve become disillusioned with life in the US for several obvious reasons. I live in an area that’s HCOL and truly devoid of culture that aligns with me. I’d prefer to be in an affordable city with a lot to offer culturally with social opportunities.
I speak Spanish and have traveled through Latin America. I have friends in both Medellin/Buenos Aires and both cities have caught my attention (mostly Buenos Aires). I’m looking to prioritize social culture, further my education, and work-life balance.
I would appreciate any advice on the quality of life for expats in these cities or other general tips on how I can make a transition. Thanks!

Which country should I choose? I've been fortunate to choose 3 in my life. First is my home country, the USA. Followed by Germany and then Italy. I am American by birth and Italian by marriage. My wife is Italian by birth and now American.

Here are some things that I've noticed about living in each country.

1. Health Care

One of the most profound things I've been fortunate and unfortunate enough to witness is the difference in health care in each country. The US system is what it is. It doesn't need an explanation. The German system is exactly how you think it would be since it is run efficiently like most things Germany. I had a minor surgery in Germany and didn't have to pay anything due to having insurance (I believe I was paying 35 euros per month). The Italian system is how you may imagine it to be. I am also fortunate enough that my wife is a medical doctor and did medical school in Italy. The system, although excellent in terms of care, has its issues. I would prefer the Italian and German health care systems over the American one any day.

My wife and I currently live in the USA and she's practicing as a doctor in the USA. She has told me stories of how the American system runs in comparison to the Italian system. It is a bit shocking how the two compare in terms of how the physician is allowed to care for the patient.

2. Immigration

Immigration is different in every country. When I moved to Germany in 2015, all I had to do in order to get a residency card was show up with my letter of acceptance into my masters program and my lease for my flat. With that, I was issued my residency card. I can also chalk this up as American exceptionalism at work, but the matter of doing a university degree in Europe was a relatively smooth process. My Italian visa and immigration journey was a bit different. After my masters program, I got a visa to study Italian for 1 year while living with my fiancé (now wife). There was a period that we moved to the US but then returned to Italy. We got married and since our marriage was registered in Italy, I was able to get a residency card in Italy relatively easily. These two experiences showed me how ethical each system handles immigration. I only ever had to pay for immigration once and that was for my study visa. 1 thing to note, I did need to pay for a marca da bollo in Italy but I believe I paid 16 euro (maybe that's too much) compared to the American system. Both times, my residence permits were processed while I was in country and were in my hand with 3-6 months.

Then there is the American system. I've been fortunate enough to see this side...evidently. The American immigration system is essentially a pay to immigrate system and you have to be fortunate enough to be born in certain countries in order to immigrate with relative ease. That has been evident for some time. Not only that but the process to get an immigrant visa can be quite long. The first time my wife came, it was on a fiancé visa. We chose to return to Italy for a period before the paperwork was properly processed. The second time we came , it was a spouse visa which was processed relatively quickly during Covid. Although some of this can be done in country, we did all the paperwork while outside the country. In the USA, a spouse to a US citizen can apply for citizenship after 3 years , so my wife decided to go through that process. The price tag is about 2300 usd if you file yourself. If you have a lawyer file for you, that's another story. For people not in her situation, it takes much longer than 3 years. Her mother's visa process just concluded processing after 2 years from her immigration paperwork being filed.

3. Friends and culture

As most people who live abroad know, building a social circle can be difficult, especially in countries like Italy. In Italy, although this isn't 100% accurate since I hate to generalize, social circles are mostly determined at a young age. People may move but they don't move the long distances that Americans move. People are much more glued to their city or region than most Americans. That's due to cultural factors, friends, and family. Every city and region is culturally different. In Italy, culture plays a huge role in lifestyle. Espresso culture, merenda, aperitivo, and everything else are social moments that Italians have built around themselves. Americans lack this cohesive culture moments that define us.

In Germany, their version of this is meeting up with friends and having a beer or two. Walking around the town or city and having a beer is a normal thing for Germans to do, especially when they are in university city like I was. Also having a beer in the beer halls or pub is common. It's more casual and definitely not like Oktoberfest year round. The food culture is obviously different.

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Living outside of the USA is a mental and bureaucratic sport sometimes. Moving abroad can greatly improve your life depending on your circumstances. In the end it's about going where you are treated best. I chose a route that is not entirely common. It involves being very open to new cultures and languages, but you also have to accept the lonely aspects from time to time. However, living abroad is an experience that significantly impacts how you see the world.

Fortunately, I have the ability to live and work in that part of the world now without restrictions. My wife now has that ability too. Our plan is to move back to Europe in the next 5 years. As of right now, we are climbing the career ladder in both of our professions.

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If you're in the middle of this — especially if you're thinking about moving abroad for the first time, or if you moved for a partner and you're the one who feels like you're just along for the ride in someone else's country — I get it, and I'm happy to talk if it'd help. Not selling anything. I've just been through a lot of international moves over the course of 12 years.

I moved to the United States from Mexico when I was twelve years old. I completed middle school, high school, and college. I held a variety of odd jobs before earning my registered nurse degree last year! I am already twenty-four years old! I will always be appreciative of the chances this nation offered me! I met wonderful Americans who supported me along the way, and I had an excellent education! However, it's time to return home! To be honest, I can't imagine working in America for another year! I'm worn out and don't feel like I belong here in terms of culture or stuff like that. To be honest, I don't care if I make less money, all I want is peace of mind, and I've recognized that society here cares very little about the work I do! I’m ready to start my next chapter in life! Good luck everyone in their journey like me! I hope all goes well.

Edit/disclaimer: I want to make it clear that I have no assumption or expectation that I deserve to be anywhere, and am not looking to move in a way that negatively impacts the community I move into, by taking work away from locals or by putting anyone at risk by doing anything that could lead to deportation of jail. I am aware that the world of global nomadism is made of legal frameworks, deep ethical considerations, and a whole universe of grey area in between, and also that the road to citizenship is paved with red tape or whatever. So somewhere in there I'm hoping there is a way forward, but just so ppl know this is in addition to tons of ongoing research and visiting, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can, ok thanks...

OP:

I am considering a move to spend a few months out of every year in Costa Rica, and am looking to hear from anyone with experience/ expertise.

I am a skilled woodworker (capable in all building trades, but passion for straight up carpentry), and interested in what the prospects would look like for picking up short term gigs in that field. Boat repair, framing, etc.

Mostly just thinking about the logistics and legal considerations for this sort of work (I am not necessarily looking for something above the table, but open to all perspectives at this point)

TIA

I'm currently a US citizen and a permanent resident of a second country where I reside most of the time (I have a remote job so it's easy for me to hop back into the States for vacation and I've done so two or three times this year). Personally, I recognize that immigration and the USA are hot-button topics in a lot of places (one step below AI) and so I make sure to be extra polite and thankful to the people who have chosen to let me build a life here. I also make sure to set a good example by tipping more generously than the local custom and explaining that I'm a newer resident who wants to support local businesses over American imports. In general, I've had no problems at all. People are very welcoming and supportive where I live now, even more so than in some parts of the US.

My personal advice:

A lot of the fear of immigration is due to online hysteria or deliberate disinformation, and the best way to reduce nativism is to have positive experiences. Show them that immigrants don't bite.

Tip a bit more than the custom if you can afford it, unless the idea of tipping is alien to the country's culture.

If you go into a business you know is locally owned, you can say "I'm a newer resident, and I want to support locally owned businesses. Are you locally owned?"

Put your phone down and take your headphones off and try to immerse yourself in the local language (or dialect if it's an English-speaking country.)

Don't use a VPN unless you need to. Google etc. will serve you local results and it helps you more integrated and, if you dislike the culture or politics of the old country, less triggered.

I (35f) and my husband (37m) want to be anywhere else. He has 18yrs and a degree in Mechanical engineering and just took a job as a MechE PM he also would like to get his masters in Aero. I run a nonprofit in emergency management helping people with wildfires. I would love to finish any degree, I got most of the way through MechE but just hated it. Unfortunately his family came to the USA in the Mayflower days, and my family's immigration was great grandparents on both sides so descent is not an option. We have a good nest egg and we can sell our house or rent it for income. What country would help us get outta dodge fastest but would be a wonderful place to spend the rest of our lives. We have considered Italy, NZ, Denmark, and Canada. Please let me know what you think. Thank you for any advice

I'm hoping to begin the emigration process soon, and from what I've seen Costa Rica and Uruguay look like great picks. I've been working on my Spanish, and looking for online jobs to pay for everything, but I'm torn, as an atheist, democratic socialist, stoner, who loves the tropics, which of the two countries would be the most welcoming? Which of the two would be cheaper? Is there somewhere I'm overlooking that would fit me better?

Following the death of a family member and my graduation, I (25f) am finally ready to move abroad. I missed the deadline for scholarships for the 26-27 school year and will be applying for a couple different masters programs in differing EU countries for the 27-28 school year as even if I don't get a scholarship tuition is cheaper than in the US. So basically, I need somewhere to have a gap year or gain work experience before I begin school next fall. While I could stay in the US, I haven't wanted back out since I returned from my study abroad last summer.

Some relevant facts about me:
- I have a BA in Political Science, Minor in Migration Studies
- I have about 30k in liquid assets
- I speak Spanish
- I did a study abroad in Mexico
- I am a writer and could do freelance work potentially
- I am heavily tatttooed (nothing on hand or face though)
- I am queer, but not planning on dating or advertising that
- I only have work experience in bartending/food service, being a receptionist, and customer service as I had to work to put myself through school and couldn't afford an unpaid internship in a relevant field.
- I have been debating getting a TEFL certificate to teach during my time abroad
- I am not looking for citizenship in a different country rn
- My mom has Irish Citizenship but I am not eligible for it

Please let me know if there is anything you'd suggest, I am not opposed to doing stays in multiple countries or getting a job/internship to get a visa.

I am an US Citizen and I moved to the Netherlands when I was 8. I lived there until I was 20 when I moved back to the States.I went to basisschool and completed middelbare school VMBO-T. I had a temporary staying permit while living there which has now expired.

I am just exploring my options to possibly return. It is possible for me to return since I once held a staying permit or should I explore other options?

I have considered also a DAFT visa or Study visa. If anybody could give some guidance or insight I’d much appreciate it. I speak Dutch also, have Dutch step-family and graduated middelbare school in Amsterdam while living there.

Hello! Me (20f BS in Geosciences) and my spouse (21f BA in English) have long decided we didnt want to settle down in the United States but rather move abroad and aim to get citizenship before we try to have a family. We have some countries in mind such as Canada, Ireland, and potentially the Netherlands.
Personally, Canada is a bit too close to the US for my liking and I cheerish the idea of being close to other countries so that vacations can be spent seeing new countries on a lower budget. However, Canada seems to be the best in terms of moving feasability and has better support for same sex couples.

I would love to know about any personal experiences yall have had with moving to any of these countries or if yall have other countries that would be a good fit.

We are aiming for a place that is Lgbtq+ friendly, low violence, protects womens rights, good cost of living, relatively easy to gain citizenship (6yr or less), and offers free healthcare.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

My wife and I (27F & 27M) have decided to work towards moving to Germany for the long-term. Her visa path is clear & straightforward but mine could go in at least 2 different directions and I would like your guys' opinion on this.

I will be obtaining my bachelor's by the end of this year and am currently working as the sole (and sadly unofficial) archivist/digitization clerk in my department. Before we talked about leaving the US, my original plan was to enroll in San Jose for my MLIS while using my work experience to move forward in my career. I really enjoy the work I do so I plan to continue with archival work, but I'm open to trying other professions that are under the MLIS umbrella. I can work in a specialized field other than school/public librarian and archivist such as medical or law librarians, or just managing records for a major chain or corporation so I'm down with whatever profession can get me a better chance of finding work as an immigrant without having to throw away my entire academic career.

I originally planned on gaining entry into Germany through their student visa & learned that though they have a masters program for library sciences, most people get a bachelor's of the same major and are able to find work just fine; so I'm unsure if I should get an MLIS here and rely on my experience to get employment on a work visa, get a 2nd bachelor's in Germany on the student visa, or pursue their MLIS over there (unless the bachelors of library science is a prerequisite). Going by Anabin, both the university I'm currently enrolled in and San Jose are accredited in Germany so I can get my degree(s) evaluated, and it looks like I can go either way here.

We have a few years before we make any serious moves, 2 years at least but it looks to be more like we'll stay in the US for around 3-4 years, so there's no rush to figure things out now. But I would really appreciate any feedback or advice on this since there doesn't seem to be a path that would be the definitive choice for me. Thanks!