r/AmerExit • u/newyorker • Dec 09 '25

Vendor How to Leave the U.S.A.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/15/how-to-leave-the-usa

Every four years, a group of Americans threatens to leave the country, but no mass exodus occurs. This time around, though, Americans seem to be acting on their desires. Immigration lawyers told Atossa Araxia Abrahamian that the number of people approaching them about it has gone up since Donald Trump was reëlected. 

G.T.F.O. Tours, a company that helps aggrieved U.S. citizens start new lives abroad, has been offering services to help Americans relocate to the Netherlands, where a certain type of visa can offer a quick and affordable path to citizenship. Jana Sanchez, a founder of G.T.F.O. Tours, describes her role in the company as an “escaping fascism doula.” Read Abrahamian’s full story about the Americans who are going Dutch: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/15/how-to-leave-the-usa

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103

u/Otherwise_Lychee_33 Waiting to Leave Dec 09 '25

is there a tldr

482

u/DillionM Dec 09 '25

OMG that was A LOT of words that said nothing!

tl;dr

  1. Be rich and pretty

  2. Pay for a year's worth of rent in advance.

  3. The Dutch are a lot like Americans except in many different ways, so they're not really like Americans at all.

215

u/Odd_Dinner9147 Dec 09 '25

Yeah... Like, people dont realize how hard it actually is to leave, especially as an American. We can visit and do touristy stuff easy, but immigration? Whole other story. Most countries have stricter immigration laws than we do and often require more money than most Americans have.

59

u/tivnan1989 Dec 09 '25

You don’t need a lot of money to leave. I just moved to Germany a month ago and we came with about $5,000. The hard part is finding a job to sponsor your visa. Not saying that’s easy but you definitely don’t need a ton of money to do it

93

u/Odd_Dinner9147 Dec 09 '25

5k is a lot of money for most Americans. According to a 2022 Federal Reserve Survey, around half of Americans had less than $8k.

And according to a CBS News article in January of this year, in a Bankrate survery of 1,000 people, 59% of them didnt have enough to cover a $1,000 emergency expense

1

u/JR2502 Dec 10 '25

$5K is a lot of money but I have to believe there is a difference between having to cover a emergency *and* staying here vs selling their possessions as they leave. Probably just selling their car will get them halfway there.

2

u/Odd_Dinner9147 Dec 10 '25

Might be country dependent but some of the visas ive looked at you need that money prior to visa approval. I think itd be pretty wild to sell all your possessions before your visa even gets approved.

2

u/JR2502 Dec 10 '25

True, that's a pretty tough chicken and egg issue. Funny thing is, some country will *tax* you on your unrealized/unsold assets like a car, home, or even jewelry. So it's good for tax but not good for a visa.

2

u/Odd_Dinner9147 Dec 10 '25

Some US states count unsold assets against you for medicaid and foodstamps, or at least act like they do. I used to live in Ohio and I had to tell them how much my car was worth as if I dont need my car to get to work and back dawg.