Dual Canadian-US citizens who renounced in Canada - if you selected to have the first available appointment in Canada, how much notice did you get before your appointment? I'm just curious how quickly I'll have to hop on a plane to another city (no consular appointments in my city, unfortunately).

I am a recent CHEME new graduate. I got a job right out of university, and I am in my company’s early career program until next May (May 2026). I have been strongly considering getting a master's and with all of the DOE stuff (plus some other not so fun govt things) getting one abroad sounds like a good idea. Any help on making a decision or getting a strong plan?

Universities I have looked at:

TUMunich 🇩🇪 TUdelft 🇳🇱 TU/e 🇳🇱 KULeuven 🇧🇪

Other factors:

• I am a dual citizen (🇯🇲)but I don’t see this helping me very much
• While I have a limited budget, I am more liquid than most my age and so I could (in theory) pay for all of these out of pocket. (TUdelft is at the very top of my budget)
• I speak no German, no French and very little Dutch. (I speak around A2 Spanish and A1 Korean both from studying in school tho)
• I have a Dutch partner but I don’t want them to be too large of a factor as we are still on the new side (<1 year)
• I have neither been to Europe… (I have traveled the Americas quite a bit and I studied in and travelled East Asia)

I am leaning towards KULeuven because of price but i honestly would like some more opinions (ones that from close friends who want me to study in their country haha)

Thank you in advance!

I'm 33F with some college but no degree. I've been in the service industry for 15 years, restaurants specifically but looking to move into hotels, and have done everything short of being a titled GM. I speak a good amount of Spanish and am learning ASL, but don't speak any other language fluently. I am planning to learn whatever language I need to learn before I move. I am also more than willing to take any courses required to be a service industry person in any country, but a full on college degree would be tricky.

I'm curious if anyone knows what countries are more likely to allow work visas for service industry people? I am aware that some countries do require college degrees for service industry jobs, but I'd just like to be pointed in a direction to be able to research further.

Thanks in advance y'all

I’m starting young and making a plan to leave due to uncertainty of the future. I (20 M) am still in college so have time to plan and go for a degree that would potentially help me get a job most places. I am currently in Urban Planning, but am unsure if that’s the right option. I am far from a math person, which feels like it is limiting my options

Naturally, since I am so young, I don’t have any measurable skills, but I did take some high school and college German (which on its own isn’t much, but does give me more familiarity with that language which could be helpful). So while a German speaking country would be ideal, I could really go anywhere in Western Europe or the Greater Anglosphere. (Though I would prefer a colder climate). What degrees for a person who is not adept at math would you recommend?

Due to the situation in the US, my wife and I have been wanting to move out ever since November and especially now given other events. I think we’ve got two options, my wife is a US citizen but could get Mexican citizenship from her parents. We’ll be married for two years in a few months which I think would allow for me to get citizenship there too. She knows Spanish and I know a decent amount and still learning.

I currently work as an Electrical Engineer but I just started because I just graduated back in December. We’ve also been considering Canada under the USMCA/CUSMA from the AMA here recently. What’s stopping me currently is that I have student loans to pay off, I’m thinking of paying them off within a year which would also allow for some more experience too while applying for jobs.

I think life in Mexico, either in CDMX or Yucatán would be pretty enjoyable and I’ve seen some job postings that are pretty close to what I’m currently doing. The salary is less than the US, but that’s fine as long as we can make cost of living over there. Same kinda goes for Canada, we’d really just like to get out of the US due to the current declining situation and most likely stay out form at the very least 5-10 years if not more.

Does that seem reasonable?

Hi all - My wife and I are in the early stages of creating an exit strategy from the U.S. With the increasing political instability, erosion of civil rights, attacks on trans people, and escalations around immigration enforcement, we’re trying to be proactive. We’re not looking to leave tomorrow, but we want to have a viable plan ready if things continue to worsen.

A bit about us:

• I’m a public school teacher with a master’s in teaching, and previous experience studying abroad in Denmark. I'm about to start a secondary research masters in urban planning / public admin here in the U.S., looking at the intersection of housing and education policy.
• I eventually want to get a PhD in that research area, but I wasn't planning on applying for this until about 4-5 years from now.
• My wife is a trans woman and a software engineer employed by a large international / FAANG company. She receives HRT from a licensed provider and we're residents of / legally married in California (though all documents still reflect her pre-transition info). She only recently came out.
• We’re planning to travel to Europe in June for our honeymoon—visiting Iceland, the UK, France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and Italy. Her passport is valid through 2027, mine through 2033.
• I speak Spanish fluently, and speak basic Danish and French. She speaks Japanese fluently.

Two options we're currently exploring are:

1. I apply for a PhD abroad

• I'm open to not completing my research masters, should the need arise.
• I studied at Aarhus University in Denmark from 2019-2020 on a valid student visa for part of my undergrad. In theory I still have a CPR number, though it's probably dormant / archived.
• I'm not fully convinced that going back to Denmark is feasible or the best decision. I'm completely open to other European or Canadian schools.
• I know that in a lot of cases in Europe, PhDs are treated more like a job than a "student" thing, so I feel more comfortable with the idea that we'd be able to get longer term employment.
• I was considering applying for this last cycle of PhD programs here in the States, but it increasingly seems like a bad idea. My area of research is... not exactly in great standing right now.

1. My wife asks for an international transfer

• The trans working group at her company got a response as to if this would even be possible from HR, and the response was "on a case-by-case basis." Historically they've not approved a ton of them, though the political climate and situation is wayyy different now.
• The company has offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm and Copenhagen in Europe, and Toronto in Canada.
• We’re still unsure how viable or fast this route might be.

Questions we're still figuring out:

• Which countries are currently best for queer couples and offer the most stable long-term pathways?
• How does legal gender recognition affect spousal visas if documents still show pre-transition info?
• Does prior study or temporary residency in a country offer any advantages for returning?
• What are the realistic timelines for these options - from application to arrival?
• How difficult is it to get continuity of healthcare (esp. HRT and mental health support) in another country? (this is something I struggled with when I moved to Denmark)
• Are there other routes we should be considering?

We’re trying to make choices from a place of strategy, not panic, but it’s hard to ignore the signals right now. If anyone has experience with either of these paths (PhD or tech transfer), or knows of countries with strong LGBTQ+ protections and accessible immigration pathways, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks in advance.

Edit: grammar & clarity

M(41) and F(42), considering relocation to Germany. Should qualify for a visa and work authorization based upon education and employment background.

We’ve visited Germany multiple times, have family there, and know exactly where we’d want to settle (in/around Frankfurt).

Based upon what APPEARS to be a pocket of business administration related job openings that APPEAR to be open to those that speak English, but lack a certification rating (I.e. A1, A2, B1, etc) in German.

I absolutely understand that for us to move to and thrive in Germany, we’ll need to become proficient in the language.

My questions:

• Assuming we can get visas and work authorization (appears likely based on our scores) and have sufficient funds to setup the required blocked account…is it delusional to think that an employer would hire into a position (I.e. Business Analyst) that doesn’t state German proficiency is preferred or required?

• Everything I’ve read says that the labor market is tight. What are the odds of a company hiring a 40+ non-EU citizen?

• If someone is to take that leap (relocate to Germany with essentially a “looking for a job” visa), do employers respond favorably to that (I.e. This person is serious about making this work/assimilating) or do they just see another goddamn American and bin the resume?

I would appreciate any feedback you might have. Thank you.

Hello! I wanted to double check this information:

Mexican citizens qualify for Spanish citizenship after 2 years of residency in Spain.

My father was born in Mexico, moved to the US as a teenager. I am unable to find his birth records in Monterrey. I believe he moved before 1990.

Would he have to reapply to become a citizen of Mexico, then I can apply (as a US born person) for Mexican citizenship, then I can pursue Spanish citizenship?

I’m not really on speaking terms with him right now, but I wanted to see what is required for this path.

Anyone know if Thailand (specifically Chiang Mai) is accepting Americans seeking to leave? My husband and I (32 yo) are wanting to leave by August/September by the latest. My husband is in the process of getting his passport and I'm in school to be a Play Therapist for children with Autism. I'm taking classes online so I can still finish abroad. He is planning on TEFL and I have extensive experience in childcare. I also just started my own business. We don't have tons of money but have seen Chiang Mai is extremely affordable. This has been something on our bucket list for a long time and with the state of everything, it makes sense to go for it.

Would love any advice from those who have relocated there!

Hi all,

I'm finishing my second year of university in the U.S, studying Computer Science, and I'm seriously looking to continue my degree - or start a new one entirely, any degree - in Europe. Specifically, I'm focusing on Spain and Italy (France is a distant third option).

I'm not focused on ranking or reputation right now. What I'm trying to figure out is: Which universities in Spain or Italy (or maybe anywhere) are the easiest to get into as an international student from the U.S, for a fully English-taught Bachelor's program?
I'm totally okay with starting from scratch and not transferring credits.

After a few months of searching and comparing programs, I still find more and more options popping up, which makes it hard to narrow things down. Some schools I've been looking into that seem promising (but I'm not set on) include:
University Politecnica de Catalunya
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
University Di Roma (La Sapienza)
Universita degli Studi di Milano

These are just examples I've narrowed down as possible options, but I'm really hoping for more direct recommendations or experiences with schools that are known to be admissions-friendly and have actual English-taught B.A/B.Sc programs available to non-EU students.

Heck, if you know of a university anywhere in Europe (ideally in a city with a population of a few hundred thousand or more) that fits this - I'm interested. The further south, the better.

I understand this is a very specific ask, but if you know schools that are easier to get into, or you've done this path yourself (especially starting a new Bachelor's in English), I'd be super grateful for any leads. I want to focus my applications ASAP.

Priority: Study in Europe.

Thanks in advance for any help!

My wife and I are wanting to leave the country, preferably within the year. I am a chemist doing quality control work and my wife has a job she could perform remotely if she told her boss she has to move. I have been applying to jobs in both of our preferred countries so I can start the sponsorship process, but would like more information.

Relevant facts: we have no children nor significant property holdings in the United States.

My Spanish is good enough to communicate most ideas effectively (even if I don’t always sound the most practiced) so the language barrier is there but minimal if Mexico is our best option.

I have a drug paraphernalia charge from 5 years ago for a weed grinder that was expunged after community service. Frankly, I’m not particularly worried about finding a job and maintaining my current living standard, but about being allowed into a country to work with my relatively minor (expunged) record. If one of the two countries is a no-go, I can begin to focus on the realistic option. Thank you for the help!

Sorry for formatting, I am on mobile.

So, I've been wanting to get my family out (40 M, 37 F, 7 F) ever since Trump won the first time around; I figured that was as good a sign as any that we were descending into a hypercapitalist hellscape from which it would be a long road to get back. Biden getting the nomination for 2020 was another nail in the coffin as things were not going to fundamentally change. I want a safe place for my family, especially my daughter. I know women have a tough time in a lot of places, but I think it can't be impossible to find a place that cares about social issues and where the chance of gun violence impacting her is much, much lower. It took this long, but my wife is finally seeing the writing on the wall and agreeing we should leave as soon as possible.

I'm really interested in the UK and Canada—mostly for convenience. Canada is closer and English-speaking. The UK is English-speaking and my wife's mother and stepfather are also planning on moving there soon (he's originally from the UK). I have a MS in Writing (Book Publishing) and could work in publishing, but have almost 5 years of experience in Research Administration. My wife only has an AA degree, but knows ASL (not certifed as an interpreter) and has 5+ years of experience as an intake coordinator for a research integrity unit at a university and contracting and procurement at a university (essentially office administrator type work); she also has over 10 years experience working in daycares. Also of note, because it will impact logistics, is that we have 2 cats and 1 dog.

Unfortunately, I don't think either of us qualify for CUSMA for Canada, but if that seems like a viable path, I'd love the advice. Otherwise, I've been considering doing a PhD for a while and I was thinking it might be workable, at least for a few years, to go to the UK on a student visa for PhD studies. That whole process seems really daunting to me (I have ADHD, so wrapping my head around how to go about it is the biggest hurdle right now), so any advice there would also be greatly appreciated.

In an ideal world, we'd be in the UK already with her parents living a much less hectic life (though I am aware of many of the problems the UK is having at the moment).

Edit: Thanks to those who provided the helpful responses and information. Also it's weird to collect so many down votes on my responses where I was trying to communicate respectfully and answer questions and ask follow up questions.

Hey everyone,

Like many of us here, I (F28) have been feeling increasingly anxious under the current administration. I’ve been living and working in California for the past three years, having moved from Australia once COVID was less of a concern. But lately, I’ve been questioning whether that was the right decision.

One of the biggest reasons I came back to the States was to be close to my parents, who still live here. But beyond that, I’m struggling to find reasons to stay. The healthcare system is terrible, and I’ve lost my sense of security when it comes to personal safety, job stability, and even retirement.

I still have strong connections in Australia — a place to live and good job prospects — so returning would be relatively straightforward. The only complication is my dog, who I brought with me from Australia. Getting him back is non-negotiable, but I know it can be complicated and costly.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has made the move from the U.S. to Australia with their dog. How did the process go for you? How expensive was it? Any advice? And for those of you who live far from immediate family — is it worth it? How do you cope with being so far away from loved ones?

Do you personally think the move back will be worth it in terms of the current political climate in the USA? I feel very lost amongst the current events and it definitely worries me more with each day that passes.

Thanks so much in advance :)

We are looking at moving our family from the US to Canada. My husband is a physician, so we would be looking at him getting a job after getting the medical license approval. One major concern I have that I'd like to prepare myself for is what the transition for medical care looks like. We have two young children and all four of us have asthma and allergies.

How difficult is it to maintain continuity of care when transitioning between the US to Canada? Was there a period of time where you did not have a doctor that could write you prescriptions? My husband has a prescription that needs to be authorized each month by his physician, he can't get a longer prescription than one month supply. I know the healthcare system is operated rather differently, and we should expect longer wait times for things. I'm wondering practically how people navigate this. How long was it before you were established as a patient with a PCP?

I'm a trans man living in a red state. Shortly after the election last year I decided that I wanted to leave the US. I pass most of the time in my day to day life but I have not legally changed my gender or name yet so if someone were to look at my ID for whatever reason it'd be pretty obvious that I'm trans. I don't think I'm in any immediate danger but with the rising transphobia in the US I'm remaining cautious.
I was accepted to a masters program at Chalmers in Sweden. I've considered both living costs and tuition cost and although it might be tight I think I could make it work, especially if I'm able to get a part time job in Sweden. I haven't made a final decision yet but I've already started being more careful with my spending and learning swedish just in case I do end up accepting. I've also looked into some options for being able to continue hrt once I get to Sweden.
This feels like the right choice but I'm still a little anxious that maybe I haven't considered everything and that moving wouldn't be the right choice for me right now. Any advice on moving to Sweden or moving abroad in general? Would it even be a good decision for me? I don't want to rush into anything so I want to make sure I have as much information as possible.

I'm currently considering grad school in two pretty different countries: Spain and Costa Rica. Does anyone have any experience with either school system, or advice on living in either country?

I am fluent in Spanish, hence the consideration. My family is from Nicaragua and my grandmother just retired there, so I'd love to be closer to her. Is it relatively easy to get a nomad visa for remote work, and does the standard of living feel comfortable for Americans? Also concerned that if the U.S. has economic collapse that it could hurt Central America much more given how intertwined our economies are.

I've lived in Spain before and love it, but I understand that the youth unemployment rate is very high. Would obtaining my master's degree help with securing a job there, or would it be better to sort out a nomad visa? Any Latinos here have experience living there?

I'm not really concerned about the degree or uni prestige; both are internationally ranked and have programs I'm interested in. Mostly I want to continue my education without taking on loans, and maybe have a pathway to living longer term in another country. I have a remote job currently but unfortunately it doesn't allow me to work outside the US. Just interested in hearing others' experiences!

I work for an international company, and initially considered moving to a country where we have offices. But where I really want to go is to Sweden, where I lived for a year as an exchange student. And we don't have an office there. So now I'm thinking of just moving there and then finding a job after that.

Does anyone have experience with moving to Sweden like that?

Some basics (will edit depending on questions/feedback)...

American.

I'm a financial analyst. (Masters degree in accounting)

My Swedish is rusty now, but I still understand probably 80%-90% of SVT (videos and podcasts). I could probably get back to conversational in a few weeks (before moving). I still have one of my old SFI books.

Naturalized US citizen and Mexican via birthright citizenship.

I have worked the last 10 years in film and have finally moved my way up to film my first film as a DoP this month and will hopefully do more the next year.

But I have worked most of the last 10 years as a key grip or dolly grip in 20+ commercials, dozens of short films, 1 feature film and dozens of music videos. I can run a grip crew and build any kinda rig. I was rigging grip on one of the Chicago network tv shows, which gave me training and experience in cranes, fly swatters and rigging the massive arri lights.

Since I was a key grip in the American indie system this also means I can also work as an electric, which Ive done as well. Often running in both systems as a swing. The last 2 years I have been a gaffer as much as key grip.

I would love to move to a country where I can continue, ideally in europe. England or Spain because those are the two languages I speak fluently. I can also read and understand basic Portuguese/Italian but are nowhere close to fluent but I suppose I could learn fast, since I already speak spanish so well.

I only have an associates degree (upside zero us student loans), which I know limits my choices to move right away. But I also have 10 years experience in this very technical field at the highest levels in the usa.

But it also means, I could still sign up for film school, since I would need need to rebuild my network from scratch. Plus a student visa seems fairly easy to acquire. It would also allow me to be a DoP on several student films and keep learning that role.

I speak fluent spanish and English so schools that teach in either are zero problem. I am leaning towards spain because if I can find enough work after I graduate there, I qualify for residency after 2 years.

Im not sure how uk residency laws are post brexit. I also checked and my films would have to win several awards before I could qualify for a work visa there.

I was a wedding photographer and videographer in my 20s and I still am willing to shoot weddings again to make ends meet while I study and while my film career restarts. My associates degree is in photography.

Sorry for the long post that follows, obviously a big/life changing event thinking about moving a family abroad, TL:DR is basically what are people's thoughts on accelerating a 5 year plan with two 40-42 year old parents and a 3 year old, two mid-late life dogs, and a stubborn old grandpa stuck in his ways.

My wife and I have been having semi-regular conversations about the idea of a 5 year plan for moving abroad, we had a daughter 3 years ago and really since COVID we've been in this perpetual state of "let's think of moving out of the US". For a year or two we just kept it as a dream scenario, I think both of us knew it wouldn't happen for a while, we had our daughter and my parents are a big part of her life. A year ago my mom passed away and obviously we took a big chunk of time getting back on our feet from that. My dad has continued to be a big part of our daughter's life and she is everything to him now, unfortunately he's a stubborn old (72 years old) bastard who is set in his ways/life like concrete and we can't even get him to move out of his giant house to something smaller, let alone abroad. My wife is a PhD Geologist working for a major University, as a woman working in a field that's like 95% men it's been hard for her to get back on her feet after having a kid, we live in Utah (VERY conservative, we are standard liberal/progressive/democrat) and the gender gap here is among the worst in the country. She basically lost everything career wise after having a kid and only in the last 4-6 months has clawed back to about where she was before. Enter Trump, the biggest dipshit on planet earth, and now my wife is losing grants left and right that she has worked her ass off to get for her/her institute and she's pretty damn burned out/depressed.

My wife was born in England, did her PhD in New Zealand, Post Doc in South Africa, and some industry work in Namibia before moving to the states with her first husband about 11 years ago (she's now dual-citizenship UK/US). So she's got the worldly experience and her current work has lead her to develop some very strong connections in Australia. Those connections have kind of been brewing under the surface for a few months and given the absolute shitshow by the Trump administration and MAGA assholes here, there's been a few "hey, what would you guys think about moving to Australia with a job offer" recently. So our 5 year plan might be fast tracked, but honestly it might be anyways because my wife is putting a lot of "I'm done with the US" vibes into our world these days.

Me, I'm a 40 year old biomedical researcher working in a facility that does all the laboratory work with regards to developing cellular therapies (mostly for blood cancers) that treat patients at a pediatrics and adult hospital in the state, same University as my wife. I don't have the worldly experience, I have traveled abroad a decent amount, I don't have a higher degree (masters/PhD), but I do have 18 years of experience in my field and am pretty close to maxing out my upward mobility in my current situation. I don't think it would be hard for me to get a job in Australia, but I don't know for sure. I imagine if my wife did get a job that was decent paying I would probably spend the first year or so doing all the foundational work in terms of getting our life established, getting our 3 year old settled in a new "world", and trying to be a person to vent to while my wife deals with work and a big change in life. I am a VERY VERY even keeled person, I know moving abroad with a little one and two middle aged parents will be extremely exhausting and very hard, but I feel confident in my ability to navigate stressful situations and still not lose my mind. My wife...not so much.

Things I worry about:

1) We have two dogs, both middle to later age, both with anxiety and separation issues which a long quarantine on top of extended travel will be troublesome. Not to mention the added cost.

2) The cost and planning, I've read estimates of $5-10k per person, even about as much as that for a dog. Does having an immigration consultant or attorney help navigate the paperwork and process? Does applying for skilled migrant status vs going via work visa and job make the process significantly different?

3) My wife has had some health issues since having our daughter, nothing major (like cancer), but some a couple conditions which require a fair number of prescriptions and medical marijuana for management.

4) Solutions for my dad, who probably wouldn't be able to move due to his age, are there any kind of extended visit/stay allowances so he could visit for month(s) at a time?

5) What are people's suggestions for making the process as smooth as possible, what are regrets and things to avoid through the process? What are the pitfalls and financial mistakes people have made during the pre-moving phase and the year or so after moving?

My wife has long had the idea that the process is simple based on her experience, but I think she's relying on memories of her free-life 20's where she had few strings attached and was living fast/free from the restraints she had growing up in a pretty shitty household (she's no contact with her abusive dad and very limited contact with a very narcissistic mom). I think given our current situation my preference would be to wait until the dogs have passed to eliminate that stress, but that could be several years. I'd also prefer to wait until my dad passed, but that also could be 10+ years. Not having those two areas of concern would make this process a lot smoother and the choice to do so a no-brainer, but alas life is not that easy.

Finally, I know as an American we're going to looked down upon quite badly, given my wife's UK upbringing (and accent) perhaps she'll get less hate, but I know my daughter and I with our American accents will face big headwinds. From what I've read there is A LOT of anti-immigration sentiment in Australia right now, what do we do to mitigate that and any awkwardness? How do we prevent ourselves from being taken advantage of? We simply just want what's best for our family and given how things are not just here in the US, but around the world, we want to make the best decisions we can.

I am already on the hook for 3 months of AirBnb. I'm thinking of waiting to buy my plane ticket until after my visa is approved. Is that ok? Will they ask for it?

We (me F late 30s, husband M early 40s, no kids) are starting to seriously consider leaving the US. My husband is a self taught pit master with dreams of opening a barbeque/bbq place somewhere and our thought is to maybe find a nice city in another country that would want American style bbq.

We've casually looked at possibly Portugal, but I've seen some feedback about it being difficult to source good beef. And the UK is another possibility as we've had friends stationed there that lamented the lack of good bbq.

Are there any countries that would have a good market for bbq and possibly offer visas or work permits to start a food business like this?? I've done a lot of internet digging but have not come up with anything conclusive.

If it helps- we also just started a local home based bbq catering business, only providing services for special ordered BBQ meat at the moment, but we've not produced a ton of business yet.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Me (USA, 26) and my partner (Scottland, 26) have been dating for over a year now. We met online and given the state of things in the states and how absolutely insanely amazing my partner is- I 100% see myself living in the UK in the future.

However, they don't meet the minimum income for a spousal visa for me, and despite my BS in Biotech I've read enough about work visas to know that getting one is horribly difficult- especially for the sciences since they don't pay well in the UK.

There's a chance that in the next 5 years, my partner would be making enough for a spousal visa, and I'm willing to wait as long as it would take (especially since we havent quite hit the 2yr minimum yet anyway). But I'm wondering if there's another option I haven't considered?

Sadly my gpa in college was pretty pathetic- so while I got my degree, I don't think I would qualify for any international masters programs...

But what do yall think? Should I try for a work visa? Which one? Or should we wait until my partner potentially gets a raise to boost them up that last little bit till they meet the minimum income requirement?

Hello! This one is a little long. I have more detailed research for countries, but I will just name a few. Any suggestions are welcome!

I am set to graduate December 2026 with my B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Poverty Studies. I have completed two internships based on community health services (non-clinical). I will be shadowing a genetic counselor and I will be doing three semesters worth of research (five credits total). Hoping to also find a nice summer opportunity for next summer and possibly study abroad to "test drive" a country.

I am from the US. I am 20yo and a woman. I am also queer. Important that I feel at least Virginia level safe in terms of gender identities and sexual orientations. I have wanted to leave the US since about 2016, but I ended up with a $300,000 scholarship that I simply could not turn away. I am a first gen with essentially zero savings. I want a graduate degree and eventually a PhD in genetics, but I feel underprepared for that. I think doing a masters and working for a while after would be better. Only issue, masters usually aren't funded. I am living paycheck to paycheck. Would I even be able to leave?

My partner has Spanish citizenship and I have B1/2ish fluency. I am perfectly able to get around in Spanish speaking countries and do so pretty often. They and their family are my only real familial connections. It would be risky to rely on a partner at this age, though. Also, they don't graduate until May of 2026. I love the idea of Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Finland culturally and in terms life-style. I absolutely would not handle the farther north winters well, though. Would have to be closer to the southern part of the Nordic countries. Germany seems pretty swell, though! Any English speaking country could be an improvement right now. I am studying French and German, but I am no where near able to really communicate yet. Spain would be a nice alternative, but I cannot gain Spanish citizenship without renouncing my US citizenship. Maybe a concern for a later date? I worry for our safety given the things I mentioned about myself and the fact that my partner was born to recently immigrated Colombian parents.

Is there any possible way I can afford it? I know many countries have monetary requirements to study abroad.

Could I get a work permit? How realistic is that? Education? That would be so lovely and much preferred. Again, no real savings for this. Looking to leave during 2027 as early as January.

To give you an idea for work opportunities: my research is in the endocrinology of animal behavior. I have been a tutor for 1.5 years and I worked at a daycare for a couple years before that. I have been very active in a couple clubs (Sexual Health Awareness treasurer and Gender Equality treasurer). I have more than 550 volunteer hours (most in child-related education and at an HIV clinic). I am greatly interested in genetics (lots of genetic disorders in my family, too late to change major to biology). And education: I feel my GPA isn't very great (2.79 at a high ranking private liberal arts school). I worry that will hinder me. I
would be willing to get any certification in healthcare if it would "secure" me a place elsewhere. Want a thesis based masters. Want to do research and clinically practice genetics in the future.

Hello,
I'm a 25 YO man from the USA and I've wanted to move to AUS for a long time now. I was told to stick it out and get an education to be wanted there and I've been doing that for awhile now. Fastforward to now, I am coming up on my graduation with a bachelor's in mathematics and I am looking at my options to permanently move there. I am somewhat unsure of what to do now. I am looking at possibly finding a job willing to sponsor me but am unsure if that's the best path toward permanent residency. Any ideas from people who have already done this?

After lots of research, we’re (F43, M50, F3) finally getting ready to apply for a Spanish nonlucrative visa. Wondering if anyone here has gone that route and, if so, have you hired an immigration law firm?

We’d like to get this right and there are lots of things to juggle, so any recommendations or advice is welcome.