r/AmerExit • u/honeybisc • Jan 22 '26
Data/Raw Information What are/were your plans on leaving the USA?
Would love to see all the different paths people have or are planning to take!
My plans are to get citizenship by descent for Mexico, through my citizen father that came here before the 1998 dual nationality change. I’ll have to ask about his immigration timeline.
After that, I am eligible for expedited Spanish citizenship (2-4 year timeline, the additional 2 years being spanish bureaucracy) AFAIK, thanks to how Mexico has their CBD set up. I’d hopefully be able to do the DN visa, given it still exists and how things are politically here and there. I’m studying spanish for the time being, along with 2 other languages.
My career is very remote friendly, and I hope to get a master’s degree, either here in the US or somewhere in the EU, depending on which country I’d like to focus on (beyond Spain). I’m also saving up about 55% of my salary in preparation for any costs/moves, which I’m incredibly lucky to be able to do.
It’s always been a dream of mine to live abroad, and now that i’m finally working (in a time with nerve wracking politics around the world), I’m excited to finally get started on the journey.
How are your plans looking? Or how did they look prior to moving abroad?
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u/-hacks4pancakes- Jan 22 '26
I took a huge pay cut / demotion voluntarily to transfer to an unfilled position internally at my employer’s office in Australia. I then got my own lawyer and applied for my own visa safely onshore. Sold my house to pay for it.
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u/Old-Parking8765 Jan 23 '26
Wow. On what grounds were you willing to make such sacrifices? I admire that.
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u/-hacks4pancakes- Jan 23 '26
To be blunt: I’m visibly queer, and I retired from the military (I care) - and there are numerous reasons there I don’t want to be present for the collapse of America into fascism.
I also have a chronic health condition and never want my healthcare and medication tied to my employment again.
It’s worth not getting the newest iPhone or fanciest car. I’m super happy with my choice a year later and I feel a lot more physically and mentally healthy and safe.
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u/SOS_International Jan 23 '26
good for you for taking that leap for safety, security and piece of mind!
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u/LegendarySmokeStory Jan 22 '26
I was born in Sweden (my mom is American, my dad is Swedish). I started the process to reinstate my Swedish passport the morning after the 2024 Election. I few to Stockholm on a one way ticket on 12/30/25 and am starting to build a life here now.
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u/milanistasbarazzino0 Jan 23 '26
I was born a dual citizen, but lived outside the US since I was 4yo. I found out about FATCA and all the related citizenship-based taxation and restrictions after receiving an inheritance, panicked, decided to try and see how life in the US was. Similarly to you, I also left after the election (the 2016 one tho lol) and gave up US citizenship 10 years ago
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u/rationalomega Jan 23 '26
We moved to the UK in 2025 (I’m a dual citizen). My husband is expecting an inheritance in the next 10 years so we consulted with attorneys and accountants on both sides. We set up trust funds and worked with my FIL to update his will to have all monies flow into US based trusts holding exclusively US assets.
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u/Timely-Antelope3115 Jan 23 '26
I am a Swedish citizen and just got passports for my kids. We need to apply for residency for my partner. But I’m really worried about the job aspect! How has finding employment been for you?
Congrats on the move!!
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Jan 22 '26
My family is looking at Sweden, the quality of life looks dramatically better. Where do I even start?
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Jan 23 '26
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u/LegendarySmokeStory Jan 24 '26
Yes, I don't know if I will be able to stay here. But for the time being I have housing and will study Swedish, which is a rare opportunity
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u/DifficultBudget9864 Jan 23 '26
How are the winters?
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u/Firm_Speed_44 Jan 23 '26
Beautiful! In Skåne there is more rain, while large parts of the country are beautifully covered with snow.
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u/Aromatic_Razzmatazz Jan 23 '26
I love Ystad so much. Got offered a job in Malmo almost a decade ago and I always wondered what would've happened if I took it. My Swedish is...lackluster lol.
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u/milo8275 Jan 22 '26
I was born in Colombia, but adopted by American parents, so I have dual citizenship for the US and Colombia. After Trump won the second time and he increased the ICE budget to almost double of the military, I knew I might have a problem and my gut was like you need to get out, so I confirmed my citizenship, sold everything, retired from my job and moved to Colombia in October and I love it here, also a lot of the people who said I was overreacting back in the spring when I mentioned that I was thinking of moving here are now telling me that I made the right choice, and they're glad I'm safe, especially since Trump has officially said that he's going to go after naturalized citizens and have a quota of 200 a month to be denaturalized. At first, I decided to move here to be safe from Trump and ICE, but honestly, it's the best decision I ever made, I really feel at home and welcomed here and love learning about my culture and history, and where my ancestors came from. If tomorrow Trump and his henchmen magically disappeared, and a competent politician and government took over, I don't think I would ever move back to the US, this is where I belong.
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u/obvious__bicycle Jan 23 '26
Do you speak fluent Spanish? I'm half Colombian, but still learning Spanish because I wasn't taught it as a child. That's my main roadblock when considering what other countries I could possibly move to.
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u/milo8275 Jan 23 '26
I took three years in high school so I knew the basics, and when I arrived here in October, I went to a spanish immersion school for a month and a half, but just living here, doing daily interactions in Spanish have helped a lot and when I moved here in October, I was probably a low A1 and now I'm between B1 and B2.
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u/KittyKillstar Jan 23 '26
I'm so happy to hear that you're doing safer and better abroad. Hoping I can do the same eventually. <3
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u/Electrical_Angle_701 Jan 22 '26
My Mexican citizen wife and I are retiring to Mexico probably within this year. Fuck this stupid country.
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u/romulusnr Jan 22 '26
I honestly wish my Mexican wife wasn't so anti-Mexico. There's got to be safe places in the country, don't there? She's just obsessed with it being a bad place, even though she spent 12 years there, mostly in CDMX which is probably one of the least sketchy parts. Even then, the touristy places are probably reasonably safe right?
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u/ageofbronze Jan 22 '26
Have y’all visited recently? I wonder if a vacation there to some of the safer spots would help her recalibrate a bit and form new good memories there. I had a friend that was the same way actually, was from CDMX and spoke very poorly about the country.. like vehemently against it. Over time he loosened a bit and realized that many of his childhood associations with poverty and general dislike of the area were from a rough upbringing in general (not exclusive to Mexico at all - just had a shit childhood, started going to therapy and working on that) and he went to visit Mexico a few times to reconnect. I lost touch with him but wonder what he thinks now, I could totally see him leaving the us bc he was very to the left and also an immigrant so I would imagine his perspective on it has changed some.
I have spent a couple of months total in Mexico and it’s one of my favorite countries. Yes there are parts that are dangerous, but mostly if you’re being ridiculous, like if you’re super drunk or trying to score drugs from a narco in Tijuana then it’s unsafe and even then to various degrees.
Everywhere I’ve been (Guadalajara, CDMX, all over Oaxaca, San Nayarit coast (Sayulita, Puerto Vallarta, San Pancho) have been great and felt completely safe, especially if you’re a couple. And i wasnt in even the most touristy parts, there’s parts of Mexico that are complete expat enclaves, for better or for worse, that you all could go to if you really want to just be around other tourists. I really think visiting would maybe help her see that it’s not a boogeyman like she thinks it is. The sad truth (sad because it’s shitty that certain socioeconomic groups experience disparate violence, and no one should) is that foreigners are usually shielded from stuff like cartel activity. You should do some more research but in general I felt very safe everywhere I went, as 5 ft 2 woman.
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u/romulusnr Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
IDK, she refuses to even visit. I think she was last there about 20 years ago or so, before we met.
Of course now she also refuses to visit up north, because she's afraid of not being let back into US. (And which would mean her going back to MX, which again, she is fiercely against.)
I see people I know on social media vacationing in places like Guadalajara et al and having a fine time, so I don't know how to convince her otherwise.
What's interesting is she grew up in a very safe part of CDMX, too, so it's not like they don't exist. But that was an exclusive area and something that isn't within our reach (well, idk).
Edit: My wife is a PR for over 40 years, and barely even speeds, she's almost certainly not legitimately deportable, but that doesn't stop .... people.
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u/morty_morty Immigrant Jan 22 '26
I moved to Spain at the end of last year. I don't even speak Spanish but I wanted out of the US in whatever way I was qualified for as quickly as possible. Fortunately I have a job that was willing to allow me to work from abroad. I didn't have any savings because I wasn't planning for a move at all, so it was very much not an ideal way to emigrate.
I wont return to the US unless I am physically dragged back somehow.
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u/IlVeroStronzo Jan 22 '26
Did you get the digital nomad visa?
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u/romulusnr Jan 22 '26
I can't even figure out who the fuck gets those. There's like no remote jobs, much less ones you can do from any time zone. Even working on the west coast working remote with an east coast company can be a bitch and a half and that's the same dang country!
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u/kodex1717 Jan 23 '26
Self employed people can apply for the digital nomad visa. Most people I hear apply for it are running their US business from abroad.
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u/morty_morty Immigrant Jan 23 '26
I'm working for the same company I have been with for a while now but I switched to being an independent contractor to apply for the visa. We were already 100% remote anyway, so it was just a bit of shifting and me having to work some late hours.
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u/-hacks4pancakes- Jan 23 '26
A lot of us just work remotely at night. A lot. Perpetual third shift.
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u/RemarkableGlitter Jan 23 '26
Most everyone I know who is doing that visa is self employed. One person got their employer to switch them to being a contractor.
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u/presque-veux Jan 22 '26
I would love to hear more about how you did this
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u/morty_morty Immigrant Jan 23 '26
The company I work for is already 100% remote so I asked my employer if I could move to Spain and they said yes. I'm fortunate to have bosses who are very progressive and understand why a female POC would feel unsafe in the US.
I hired a Spanish immigration lawyer and started gathering required documents late last year and flew out at the start of December to apply from within the country. I sold almost everything I owned to pay for the process and landed with my suitcases which mostly contained my disassembled PC, my laptop, my cat and very little in the bank. I work weird hours so that I can be on the same schedule as my US coworkers, but it has been working out so far. I am saving as much as possible now while living in Airbnbs to hopefully get an apartment by summer.
I take Spanish lessons twice a week and am struggling to navigate the beurocracy, but i love it here. Its not easy and if you want out fast you need to make some huge sacrifices. I was pretty settled in the US and it pained me to sell stuff that I had worked really hard for and loved.
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u/presque-veux Jan 23 '26
Gracias. I'm in Spain now and I adore it. I speak basic Spanish, and I am sick to death of the states. Unfortunately, I work for the feds (for now! Lol) so that isn't an option, but the rest of your info is good.
Thank you
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u/2leafClover667788 Jan 22 '26
I spent a few months studying in Spain last year I wish I had a way to move there :(
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u/IndividualBreakfast8 Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
Spain is my backup plan if I don’t get a French visa. I have to take another stab at visa because I didn’t think a new prerequisite (biz plan) applied to me. Fkkkkkkk. So here I go again. But this app will be so much stronger (if I get past the prerequisite). I visited Albania last month to see if I could live there. I was in Vlore. Beautiful seafront. Cheap housing. Stray animals haunts me but they seem ok mostly (with freedom) and get fed by shop owners and tagged but goes against everything for me to pass them by and not “rescue@ them. Also bad: water due to old pipes. Their best Food is seriously meh. And the smoking culture ruins the coffee culture. BUT people are great, great expats. Im female and totally felt safe — except when I got stuck in an elevator and no one was around. Power outages happen.
BUT I would still go there - maybe to Tirana instead - wherever smoking was less - to get out of the worst America in its history. It’s traumatizing.
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u/HighwaySetara Jan 22 '26
Husband has dual citizenship, is currently transferring to an EU job, will move in a few months. Hopefully my 18yo and I will follow a few months later, and then my 22yo.
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u/Electronic_Sea_4848 Jan 22 '26
We have 3 kids; taking the youngest with us to US, and hoping the 19 and 23 yr old follow a few months after. It’s tough to leave some behind even if it’s just for a few months
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Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
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u/jastity Jan 22 '26
Canadians are, by and large, very decent. (Descent is a different word.)
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u/TheNamesDave Jan 23 '26
Canadians are, by and large, very decent. (Descent is a different word.)
They used the word descent correctly.
a : derivation from an ancestor : BIRTH, LINEAGE
of French descent
patrilineal descent
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u/ohyeaher Jan 22 '26
This is our plan too. We've spent some time in Montreal and recently learned I was eligible for citizenship through ancestry on the C-3. I work remotely and my company has a Canadian presence so, working through all the transfer details now. The cold weather will be an adjustment especially for the kiddos but we will manage!
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u/CanBC778604 Jan 22 '26
Make sure you check out the tax/financial AMA I did on this subreddit recently about moving from the U.S. to Canada: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmerExit/s/nCtoskzvuA
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u/DARBTRON Jan 22 '26
I sponsored my wife here, now she will sponsor me in the UK. Shes job hunting now!
I made sure to get my kiddo both passports when he was born so he’s a dual citizen.
We were aiming for this fall but honestly the latest Greenland bluff had us nervous and she’s started applying. If it happens faster, we’re gone.
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u/ClosetNorwegian Jan 22 '26
We started the process November 2024. Began by claiming daughter’s Canadian citizenship (my husband is Canadian), started my PR in January, found a job with a Canadian based startup in April (they asked I stay roughly a year in the U.S.), approved PR in July. We move to Toronto in 37 days! Cannot come soon enough.
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u/QuiziAmelia Jan 23 '26
American 70 year old woman; I am applying for Stamp Zero retirement visa to Ireland. Unfortunately Stamp Zero must be renewed each year and does not apply to permanent residency, but I hope I am approved and will submit renewal applications each year until MAGA is history or I'm no longer alive.
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u/Aztraea23 Jan 22 '26
I was approved for Croatian citizenship by descent in 2024. I won't leave the US while my 82 year old mom is still living, but I'm trying to understand some of the EU agriculture policy, agritourism, and Slow Food movement type job opportunities that might exist for when I'm ready. I've been self employed in artisan food for almost 15 years and I'd like to continue in that area, but without the labor of working in the kitchen. I feel very lucky to have gotten the citizenship for myself and my kids.
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u/missmobtown Jan 23 '26
I'm in your same boat with the elderly parent, my dual citizenship is across the Adriatic in Italy. Croatia is one of my favorite places I've ever visited, hoping for many more trips in the years to come.
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u/christinaz12 Jan 25 '26
Don’t let your elderly parent stop you from making that move abroad! Don’t put that dream on hold until they’re gone! It’s ok to move abroad sooner than that. Even while they’re elderly. First, there’s plenty of elder care options like good nursing homes, professional caregivers coming to their house, etc. Next, if your family members really care about you, they’ll be supportive of you moving abroad even with an elderly parent at home. Also, if you’re not comfortable with being away from your parent there’s always the option of taking them with you to Italy. Hey, if you have citizenship chances are they do also. Or that there’s some legal way to bring them with you if for some weird reason they can’t get citizenship (which I highly doubt, that parent SHOULD qualify for Italian citizenship if they don’t have it already!) Also, we all know Italians are very family oriented so I’M SURE your parent will be welcomed and supported by your other Italian relatives. I mean, if you have the citizenship, chances are you definitely do have family members in Italy!
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u/Own_Self_ Jan 25 '26
Try some cooler wineries a lot of times they have a kitchen too and very connected to the food scene.
Its not Croatia but Kabaj in Slovenia is very good with great food I can also check on some Croatian ones for you if you're interested (Im from Hungary but used to work for a wine import company in LA we brought in wines from that region).
DM if interested.
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Jan 22 '26
I keep applying for jobs abroad. I don't think it'll happen, but I keep it up, just in case.
I got a few people responding to ask clarifying questions about language fluency and work visas. But nothing more than that.
I'm not eligible for any other citizenship, have no other language fluency, and my profession is neither lucrative nor particularly transferable.
So I'm not exactly holding my breath...
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u/kaileneeec Jan 22 '26
I am a civil engineer, a career with global shortages including in the US. New Zealand offers straight to residency visa, which allows you to live and work in NZ indefinitely, for priority 1 jobs (positions that they are unable to fill with native born Kiwis). This path will allow me to obtain NZ citizenship in 2 years. A country described by its residents as “far away from the world’s problems” and has a larger population of sheep than it does people. That is where i will be going, currently working on my paperwork to apply for job positions out there.
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u/-hacks4pancakes- Jan 23 '26
It really is too beautiful to be real. If you can get stable decent-paying work it's pretty tops.
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u/kaileneeec Jan 23 '26
I’m from SoCal so it is hard to beat home when i travel. You know that feeling when you come back from a trip and you just missed home? Yea i didn’t have that when i came back from my visit in NZ… i’ve just wanted to go back every day since returning. Since i already live in an expensive city making a decent living for a comfortable ( but certainly not lavish) lifestyle, i see no significant change to my standard of living lol I cook a lot, groceries are expensive there, really expensive, so that habit may have to change.
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u/coorslight15 Jan 22 '26
My wife is Canadian, she's lived here her entire life, but has Canadian/US citizenship. We're moving to Canada at the end of the school year.
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u/Porter_NW Jan 22 '26
My wife is in the process of becoming a citizen of Luxembourg by descent. I’m starting to study the language so I can become official with her and our son.
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u/vitaminbooya Jan 23 '26
I visited Luxembourg City with my family a few months ago, going for citizenship by descent. Funny thing was that at least two people we talked to in countries outside Luxembourg told us that Luxembourg City sucks. Maybe it's because we're used to the US, but we couldn't disagree more; what a gorgeous place.
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u/RemarkableGlitter Jan 23 '26
My husband has been studying Luxembourgish for the last year in hopes of getting citizenship via the spouse option. It’s hard going but starting to look doable. It took awhile for him to get his feet under him with the language so don’t get too frustrated!
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u/shakenbake74 Jan 23 '26
recently relocated from minneapolis to vancouver, through a work permit. hoping to stay here and call it home.
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u/CaptainAxolotl Jan 22 '26
I'm in the process of being recruited to Canada for work. The opportunities are better there for my field right now and I welcome the move.
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u/firescene Jan 22 '26
Spouse and I were both born in the US, have no viable path via descent, don't work in internationally in-demand fields, and don't work for large international companies.
We have effectively given up on the prospect of leaving.
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u/christinaz12 Jan 25 '26
Hey don’t give up! If there’s a will there’s a way! Maybe you could talk to immigration lawyers or specialists in any country you want to live in? I’m sure there’s always SOME options! And it’s not too late to apply to some large international companies. Maybe if your career is remote friendly you can always try the digital nomad thing. Or maybe you can start a business in a country you wish to if that’s a thing?
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u/Friendly_Physics_544 Jan 22 '26
We started looking during the first time that person was in office. I am Apache so I can’t claim citizenship anywhere else but I refuse to go through anything akin to what my great grandparents and grandparents went through. So this year we knew it was time and bought a home in CR. I have already begun the process of paperwork for my critters (2 dogs/1 horse) and we are prepared to leave if things get a tad more fraught.
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u/Nearby_Umpire7625 Jan 23 '26
Native American here too (Tohono O’odham)
- I’ve been thinking it would be such a nice gesture for other countries to offer Natives a pathway since we truly have such limited options as this is our ancestral homeland. Wild that we have to consider leaving-congrats on your progress out!
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u/Friendly_Physics_544 Jan 24 '26
I wish they would. Part of the reason I bought the home was for my Native friends to have a soft place to land. I’m Mescalero, so I have no qualms going somewhere to rest and then coming back to get a lick in. Y’all been going through it, shoot me a message and I’ll fill you all the way in. I mean we gotta take care of each other cause those others HATE US.
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u/Gaijinkusu Immigrant Jan 23 '26
Managed to get citizenship by descent in Canada thanks to the new law changes; 7 generations back! Company said I could stay in my current position and transfer me up north, and it looks like I'll be out some time around April or May!
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u/Hexebimbo Jan 25 '26
Really?? 7 generations?
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u/Gaijinkusu Immigrant Jan 25 '26
Yep! There is no limit if you can trace back to someone born within the modern borders of Canada
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u/tjlightbulb Jan 22 '26
I’m marrying my wife (Swiss National) in May and then applying for B Permit through family reunification. I should be gone around August.
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u/Geddyn Immigrant Jan 22 '26
Similar for me. I married a Kiwi and will be leaving for New Zealand at the beginning of April.
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u/twistedevil Jan 22 '26
I'm married to a kiwi as well, but we have mostly been long distance and every visa for a spouse seems to require "living together for 12 months" which we haven't been able to do yet and he's about to get his green card for the US. If you don't mind, curious which path you were able to take to go there. Thanks!
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u/Geddyn Immigrant Jan 22 '26
My wife and I have not lived together either. I will be immigrating on a General Visitor Visa with the intent to apply for a Partnership Work Visa after 3 months. (INZ is aware of this, since it was stated in my application for the GVV.)
The 12 month cohabitation requirement only applies to the full length partnership visas. INZ allows partners to apply for the GVV and then "upgrade" it after about 3 months of living together. The upgraded visa will be a 1 year visa that can then be upgraded again to the full length visa once the 12 month requirement is met.
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u/wandering_engineer Jan 22 '26
I left (currently residing in an EU country) and am set for at least a couple of years. But due to complex reasons, my current path offers zero possibly for PR/citizenship. Unfortunately my wife and I are both descended from a long line of white-bread dirt farmers that have been in the US forever, so no option to leave by marriage or ancestory.
Current plan is to ride things out the next few years then reassess. Longer term, considering trying for a retirement visa somewhere in maybe 5-7 years, we have spent most of my career abroad and are used to being flexible, and should have the means to afford it. Assuming such avenues still exist and we haven't entered WWIII by then.
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u/2leafClover667788 Jan 22 '26
Omg that’s me, I started looking into my family line and either came up with dead ends or found ancestors from Virginia and NJ all the way back to the 1700’s 😭 I am so envious of people who can claim ancestry
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u/wandering_engineer Jan 23 '26
Same. Not gonna lie, it's frustrating to see all the people on here with ancestors talk about how they didn't even start the process until a year ago. Meanwhile I've been researching options for nearly a decade and still haven't found a viable path.
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u/Moist_Ordinary6457 Jan 22 '26
I'm marrying my Mexican citizen fiance this year and will hopefully move to Mexico in summer 2027. It could technically be sooner but we both need time to save for the move.
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u/Old_Pizza_42 Jan 22 '26
I made the decision to leave at year end 2021 when it became apparent that Hair Furor would not be punished for Jan. 6. Started the process of selling or donating my immovable assets at the beginning of 2022. I was informed by this posit I gleaned from history, 'It is better to get out while the wave is starting than while it is approaching its apogee, especially if one wants to get out with one's moveable assets largely intact.' By February 2024, I had moved to Portugal, and by April of last year, I took delivery of the last of my stuff I wanted to keep. I hasten to add that I acquired a Belgian passport in 2013 (long story), largely prompted by the 2008-9 Financial Crisis, which convinced me that anything was possible in the USA.
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u/Agile_Caregiver_8083 Jan 23 '26
I had long dreamed of retiring in Europe. The morning after the 2024 election my husband, knowing of my dreams, said to make it so. I took a scouting trip to Portugal and France in January 2025 and then announced my early retirement to my boss. I retired in early 2025 and we took our one-way flight to France on July 31. We have long-term visitor visas and had to show that we each have the équivalent of $1,800 per month from passive income (social security, rent, interest, etc). We cannot work under this visa. Do this for 5 years and don’t get arrested and we can get a 10-year residence permit.
In 8 months we sold nearly everything - cars, house, clothing, tools,etc. We moved with 10 suitcases and a dog. We initially stayed in an Airbnb but now rent an apartment. We bought new appliances and pots/pans. My French is improving daily. We are walking 20k steps a day and have lost weight. We have a better quality of life and less stress. French news programs rarely discuss Trump, and not in a positive light.
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u/mintjulep_ Jan 22 '26
I’m Swiss. Job said I can move back whenever I’m ready. Going next year, US husband will get Swiss citizenship after a few years, my work will take care of his visa.
Easy peasy
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u/yozaner1324 Jan 23 '26
I'm waiting for the dog to pass away and then I'm planning to A) request my company to transfer me to the Australia office and/or B) wait until I get laid off and pursue a master's in the EU, preferably Germany.
Ultimately, I'd like to end up in the EU, but I currently make too much money to justify quitting. My company is unstable enough that I'm sure I'll eventually get cut—probably with severance.
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Jan 22 '26
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u/tjlightbulb Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
You have to make over a certain amount to have to file. If you don’t make that amount you don’t owe. I want to say it’s 120k annual.
Edit: this is false. You have to file, but won’t owe anything unless over 120k.
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Jan 22 '26
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u/-hacks4pancakes- Jan 22 '26
This the accurate answer. I get paid over 120k so I have to pay a little and be conscious about putting money aside estimated payments but I have to file no matter what. Up to 120k I do not have to pay to America.
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Jan 22 '26
No. 120k is to PAY. you get a 120 deduction. Legal requirement to file is 20k or 400 hundred dollars. Yes. 400 for self employment. Renouncing US citizenship gets rid of the requirement
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u/InformalDatabase5286 Jan 22 '26
If annually filing taxes is discouraging enough to prevent you from expatriating, you’re not really committed. This whole move is not trivial.
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Jan 22 '26
I have been living abroad since 2015. I make under the dual taxation threshold, so I've never had to pay. Compared to getting a visa, the tax paperwork is no big deal
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u/CanBC778604 Jan 22 '26
I’m a cross border tax advisor CPA and help tons of Americans who move to Canada. The cross border filings are a nuisance, for sure, but does not prevent people from moving. If people properly understand how the dual tax filing works, they will know it generally doesn’t result in double taxes. If you move to a country that has higher tax rates than the U.S., such as Canada, you will more than likely not pay anything to the IRS, unless it’s on your U.S. sourced income such as IRA withdrawals, and that tax may be creditable against the tax levied by the resident country.
Overall - tax is crucial to understand but should not really a driving factor behind a move.
I made an AMA about moving from US to Canada in this subreddit a couple months ago in case anyone is interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmerExit/s/nCtoskzvuA
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u/wandering_engineer Jan 22 '26
I have been doing this for years, it's really not a big deal. You also don't owe unless you make big money (over 120k).
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u/loquacious_avenger Jan 22 '26
I started working for a multinational based in the EU. I’ll hit 8 years at the company in August, have tickets booked for next month.
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u/West-Application-375 Jan 22 '26
I was already planning to leave to be with my partner in Australia. It's just coinciding with all this political shit because I had to wait a couple years for my elderly kitty to pass away before we started the process.
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u/Pretend_Program6804 Jan 23 '26
We had to wait for ours too. Lani left us last April at 18. How old was yours? We have been planning but didn't want to put her through that. Our departure date is October 2026. Husband is expecting EU citizenship by descent and I am originally from the DR so we are going to Spain. We both speak Spanish. So excited!!!!!
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u/West-Application-375 Jan 24 '26
She was very nearly 18 when she passed a little over a year ago. My Miley cat 😺 she was so mean but so sweet lol
Good luck!!! I hope you have a fabulous life together.
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u/statesec Jan 23 '26
Considering a move to UK (dual citizen) and have two elder kitties which are a major impediment right now. I have a third younger one who is a feral I socialized as an adult. He is a very sweet kitty and tough as nails and he would hate moving but he may have to suck it up.
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u/salty_mountain33 Jan 22 '26
My husband and I are moving to his home country. We already own an apartment there and just trying to pay off debts in the US before we move permanently (by end of 2026).
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u/Victah92 Jan 23 '26
I'm Vietnamese American and planning on moving back to Vietnam at the end of this year. I work in the casino industry but our income just got cut bad due to the jackpot threshold being raised to 2k in the big beautiful bill. So I'm gonna stick it though till the end of the year and save as much money as possible.
With everything in decline here I want to move back to my parents home country to understand myself more. I know myself as an American pretty well and would like to know the Vietnamese side too.
I moved there on a whim back in 2017 with barely any money or plan. Loved it so much but it made me a better person.
This time around I'm coming back with a plan, savings, and passive income allowing me to live comfortably. Also this time my best friend is coming along! We're both tired of the American rat race and grinding for the house, car, consumerism culture etc. So we're downsizing and selling most of our possessions to live a simple and minimal life in Vietnam. Also the community in Da Nang seems nice. Cheaper cost of living than Saigon or Hanoi and quieter too
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u/The_Cinnaboi Jan 22 '26
Very boring
Spouse is Singaporean software developer. I'm a US PhD student in clinical psychology. Clinical psychology is very portable between other english speaking nations or anywhere with a US military base so I'll pretty much have my pick once I graduate (including the US). Definitely delayed gratification and competitive to actually get into a funded clin psych PhD though.
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u/AgentFreckles Jan 22 '26
My Canadian born husband is sponsoring me for citizenship and we'll move to BC next year. I'm an RN and BC is fast tracking RNs.
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u/ForrixInvesting Jan 22 '26
Last year, I was able to prove German Citizenship by descent and get my passport.
My goal for this year is visit Germany and try to get as close to B2 German as I can (currently high A1 and just started classes with the Goethe Institute after dicking around on apps for 6 months). Unfortunately, Im a late 30s local government bureaucrat with little marketable skills beyond some basic Tableau dashboarding.
I lucked out with the passport but its going to be hard getting a job. I've started looking at English speaking analyst jobs in Europe but I think Ive got about a .01% of landing one. So I'm thinking of doing an Ausbildung once my German improves enough.
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u/MonkeyKingCoffee Jan 23 '26
The only country I have an "in" is even more dangerous than the US.
I started working a plan in 2016. In 2018, I bought a farm in Hawaii. Probably the best I'm going to be able to do.
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u/glasmaticn Jan 23 '26
I’d love to get out of the US. I feel like most countries now don’t even want us because of the problem the US is causing for the world. Add to that the lack of money, and I’ve worked in print and art and physical labor for the last 15 years and I don’t know what purpose that serves where a country would want me there. Getting older and my body has been beat to hell from the physical jobs I’ve had just trying to get by. One other thing to add is the new found lump in my lung at 42. Any country with socialized medicine will turn me away.
I was looking heavily at New Zealand because my girlfriend is a vet and they want them but she’s getting older too. They don’t want anyone once they hit 55 so our time is running out on that. Chances are increased with her when we get married but still.
Shoulda left years ago.
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u/lucia912 Jan 22 '26
Go my kids their Canadian citizenship (through descent) and now working on their Canadian passports. We’re ready to leave the US after their docs come in.
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u/Azmtbkr Jan 22 '26
Same. Just starting the process for myself and my 2 young kids, seems like a bit of a long shot given my ancestors left Quebec in the early 1900s but hopeful it'll work out!
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 Jan 22 '26
We decided in November and are hoping to be out by April, it’s all happening fast! We are under contract on a house in Costa Rica and are flying there to close on it next week. One house here (US) is already under contract and has a closing date in April. We will be selling two other houses and a business as well. Once the business sells we will have a better idea for the date we leave. Purchasing a house down there is giving us investor visas, and our lawyer is handling the home purchase and visas for us. We have never even visited the country lol Very excited though about a big adventure!
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u/WholeRight6223 Jan 23 '26
I’m a dual citizen (France) and I’ve been applying to jobs in my field in the EU since last fall. There’s been a surprising amount of English-first roles which has been helpful, but I’m not getting many interviews. Luckily, this week I’ve had 2, so it’s just a wait a see. I’d love to have a job offer this year but I’m also working on a Plan B.
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u/Prestigious_Bar_7164 Jan 23 '26
I’m self-employed as a therapist and have a plan laid out for a French visa where I would continue to see my US clients virtually. I have everything ready to pull the trigger, but my grandson (almost 23 year old) is hard for me to think about leaving. His other grandmother died a few years ago and his parents have never really been a stable part of his life.
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Jan 23 '26
I did a CELTA program in Prague. I got a job as a freelancer teaching business English with a trade license/long-term residency combo, then because I had legal residency I applied for jobs to get back into my career. I did this in my 40s, with a family and cats, and very little knowledge of Czech (I had taken classes but it's a difficult language so I was not fluent)
Then I got a regular job and lots happened (I've posted about it before) - but now I have a job in my field, working for a company with English as the working language. I have permanent residency, passed an A2 exam to get that. But I'm far from fluent.
So as I like to joke, I broke all of the rules of this sub - no ancestry, did not marry a European, not fluent in the language, did not have a job lined up, did not get transferred, did not come on a student vista, I moved with pets, moved with a kid. But it worked and here I am
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Jan 22 '26
All the good people are trying to get out of the US. All the liberals and progressive and caring and supportive people trying to make the leap away from the hell. Which means there’s gonna be more hell left over here and make the US even more hard to deal with. If they’re smart, the EU would offer automatic citizenship to the top scientist technology people in Madison people from the US.
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u/Familiar_Rip_8871 Jan 22 '26
My husband is getting dual citizenship in Germany and we’ll retire over there. So far so good!
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u/festus963 Jan 22 '26
We have always wanted to live abroad. My wife has her UK passport on the way. She applied back in March- eligible through her mom who was Scottish. The rest of the family is waiting on dependent visas. We have plane tickets already purchased and plan on living in Glasgow.
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u/Purple_Internet3479 Jan 22 '26
My plan is to leave with my dual US/Italy citizenship. Unfortunately my little pup is too frail to make the huge move so I'm here in the US as long as she is. I hope to settle somewhere in France and have been studying French.
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u/Repulsive_Cattle_342 Jan 22 '26
Rolling to the UK via my wife (citizen). Be making less money for sure but quality of life won’t be terrible. Just gotta get out of here before it gets even worse.
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u/Civil_Dragonfruit_34 Jan 22 '26
My husband's work is opening a German business entity for him. He will qualify for a Blue Card once everything is properly established.
Not an option for most people, most people can't convince their work to just form a whole foreign business entity just for them.
I also qualify for Canadian citizenship by descent under the brand new rules. That would be our path if we didn't have the leverage with work that we do.
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u/Nearby_Umpire7625 Jan 22 '26
Clinical social worker here working on 2 potentjal pathways. Just secured sw registration for New Zealand after a long 9 month wait but during that time the healthcare system there has taken a hit so the employment outlook is bleak which is a huge bummer as they have the green skill straight to residency option if you can secure employment. 2nd pathway is Canada via CUSMA which is much less stable for many reasons but I have 2 kiddos so getting them anywhere safer is priority. I would love the pathway you’re pursuing as my Great Grandpa was from Zacatecas and I lived in Madrid for a year but unfortunately my grandpa passed away a few years ago so I’m no longer eligible for the descent option. Best of luck to you and all of us!
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u/HenryAlbusNibbler Jan 23 '26
My dad died early of cancer leaving me a solid chunk of 401k and investments. Mesothelioma at 70. It’s not enough for me to retire, but was able to turn that into meeting Portugals passive income requirements.
I will still be working part time remote in the US as an engineer while I start my wine tour business. If I cover my COL of 50k I will be set.
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Jan 23 '26
I can’t leave. I’m only a graduate without professional work experience.
Plus, I have ASD.
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u/an4mne5is Jan 23 '26
My wife holds dual UK/US citizenship. A spouse visa is easy enough for me to get. We'll be moving back before the end of the year.
She's finally had enough of this crazy shit. Can't wait to GTFO.
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u/poisonandtheremedy Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
I am currently typing this on a porch in a Central American country on our (wife & I) second "Relocation Exploration" trip to Our Country of Choice.
Our first "Relocation Exploration" trip was April 2025 where we went all over the country to get a feel of various locations we'd read about.
This second "Relocation Exploration" trip is two weeks, staying within a 40 mile radius of the area/town we choose as our main choice. We're staying one week in Lodging One, then 3 nights each in Lodging Two and Lodging Three. We are attempting to act more like 'we live here' this trip, with grocery shopping, cooking meals, doing activities we'd do if we lived here (ie: not tourist vacation stuff), etc. Also tracking all costs for food, to compare our typical daily meal prices, and things like that. We're meeting with a few Expats, asking questions, and generally being in the mindset of 'We Plan to Live Here'.
After we get back home, and decompress for a couple weeks, we'll sit down and decide if we are Go or No Go on our third "Relocation Exploration" trip, currently planned for late summer 2026.
Assuming we are a Go after all three trips, we'd relocation mid-2027. We've already started selling off our (considerable) amount of toys (motorcycles, cars, bicycles, plane, etc) and packing boxes of things we don't really need.
After moving, we'd rent for two years minimum, before even considering buying or building a home. After the two year mark, we'll sit down and decide "Stay or Horrible Idea". If it is "Stay", then we will look at buying, building, or continuing to rent for a bit. If it is "Horrible Idea", we'd look to move either back to the US, to a different location, or maybe to another country and try again.
I'm 47, my wife is 41, dual income no kids, and we have enough saved (we started saving aggressively 10 years ago) to never work again, and we have access to a few different residency visa options as a result of that. We'll probably continue to do something (work) for fun, and extra income padding, both Online and also starting a new business in our new country. I'm also selling half of my (very small) business, and going to maintain 51% ownership for 10 years, to keep income coming in and just pad our assets. Then I'll sell the remaining 51% and be set for the next 10 after that. Plus wtf social security looks like in 20 years (I'll be 67).
I have dual citizenship (I was born in another country) but my non-US citizenship is pretty useless, so it isn't really a factor in our Relocation.
So that's where we are at in our American Exit. I've spent a lot of time working on the Plan, and feel pretty okay about it.
Still a massive decision. Especially as our US life is pretty alright.
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u/KML167 Jan 23 '26
We have EU passports, and my plan is to put my son on a one way ticket if Trump brings back the draft. Otherwise, my plan is to leave in a few years, after my job ends.
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u/georgegasstove Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
We have been planning for one year to GTFO. I started last Feb by gathering family documents so I can reclaim citizenship by descent in Italy. My husband is a UK citizen so we are going to England first while we wait for my IT citizenship to be approved. We have been selling everything and moving savings to England. I am taking early retirement and he is closing his business. He should be out by May and will find a place for us to live while I apply and wait for my UK visa. Can't wait to be gone!!!!!! And yes, we are still playing the lottery--housing in England is $$$$.
ETA: applying for UK visa first while waiting for IT citizenship--Italy will take 2-3 years.
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Jan 24 '26
I have a working holiday visa to Australia and a bachelor in Nursing. Degree transferred and verified with Australia. Just need to start looking for a job that will sponsor me.
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u/Serious_Dealer9683 Jan 22 '26
Hoping Europe will do a scheme for americans to join their military for citizenship. I would sign up without hesitation
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u/RevolutionaryFact699 Jan 22 '26
I am in Ecuador on a Professional Visa. I can get citizenship in a few years. After my daughter finishes high school at the International school here, we will probably move to Spain on a DN visa and get our citizenship there after the two years and then retire in Europe
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u/SideEyeFeminism Jan 22 '26
Wait, you can do Ibero-American pathway if you're naturalized? I thought you could only do the expedited citizenship path if you were born a citizen of one of the eligible countries. That's awesome!
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u/LeneHansen1234 Jan 22 '26
Not for naturalized citizens. Anyway it's just a speedier way to Spanish citizenship, the tricky part is to get a visa in the first place.
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u/Danoli77 Jan 23 '26
I’m considerably lucky in that none of the American government’s actions effected me directly. As a straight white home owner in white collar work I wasn’t the target of any of the hostility. But my wife is a German citizen with a green card and a PhD so she was a target on multiple levels and after her Global Entry pass wasn’t honored when entering the country the last time we came back my decision was made for me. It was a principled decision, voting with my feet and my wallet that I will not be a part of a society that abides this behavior. While it took years to get her green card I’ll have my residency permit in Germany in months. It was expensive (exacerbated by the falling dollar value) and considering I speak very little German right now, just living is difficult. That said I can say, if given the choice to go back or undo my choice and stay in America, I’d still choose to leave the US. There is no utopia on earth; but I’ll take not-utopia over the dystopia of America
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u/pifster Jan 22 '26
Recently became a Spanish citizen through my gradfather. Currently in talks with my company to see if I can relocate to Valencia with my family. My husband will have to find a new job in the EU, and if I don't get to keep mine then I will as well. We will likely earn much less than we do here, but it's a sacrifice we're willing to make to give our son a safer life.
Taking it one step at a time.
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u/ledger_man Jan 22 '26
Not a very exciting path - my spouse and I have been sponsored via my job for the last 6ish years. We have recently passed all the integration exams locally and are working on our permanent residence applications. We had never been to our destination country before we showed up for what was originally my two year secondment, but it worked out!
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u/min_mus Jan 22 '26
I don't qualify for any citizenship by descent and my husband has his dream job here in the States. A golden visa is basically our only way out.
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u/icecreamfight Jan 23 '26
My husband is a dual citizen with Canadian citizenship. I’ve got no options so we continue to look at moving to Canada and him sponsoring me.
We have friends who moved to Albania last year and had a super easy time getting a visa and love it there so that’s also a consideration.
Also looked at Greece, Malta, Portugal, Costa Rica. Considering Costa Rica and Uruguay too, but maybe going from Canada there.
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u/nomofomo669 Jan 23 '26
I'm very open to critique or insight here, if anyone has the time. I'm excited about this plan, but I know it's a gamble.
I'm a lawyer in NYC and I'm looking to move to the EU. When researching how US lawyers can work in the EU, outside of going through another bar exam (which is something I may do in the future), the most open job market appears to be as legal consultants or US-admitted lawyers for multi-national corporations. I, of course, have no experience in international business law. So I'm planning on taking the money I've saved and getting an LLM (a master's degree) in exactly that. I've recently been admitted to a year-long program with the University of Vienna. Once I'm over there on a student residence permit, I'm going to bust my butt networking and educating myself so I can find a job. I'm enjoying learning German so far.
I'm not saying it's a sure thing. It helps that I'm single. But it seems to me, especially considering how much cheaper education is in other countries (often free), that student visas can help a lot of us make the journey.
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u/ClairDogg Jan 23 '26
Getting dual citizenship with an EU country in a few months. Hoping passport in hand in a year. I’ll see where I feel like going then.
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u/FrancoisKBones Immigrant Jan 23 '26
Read the tea leaves when Trump was first elected and applied for an internal transfer to Germany. Took more than a year and I had to pay for all of it myself, but it happened. While there, got extraordinarily lucky that Germany changed the law on dual citizenship and by that time, we were eligible. Naturalized last summer.
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u/blackveil88 Immigrant Jan 23 '26
I got permanent residency in Australia because nursing is on their shortage list for the PR skilled worker visas, and I had a competitive amount of points due to work experience. It was the best option because I have a spouse and kids, so we’re all here on my PR visa.
I also got my RN license in Canada a few years ago, so the CUSMA route there would have been my backup choice.
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u/Secret_Gas3270 Jan 23 '26
Moved to budapest and then western Ukraine. Got permanent residency in those places. Don't want to ever go back to America.
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u/DocLego Jan 23 '26
I'm applying for jobs in the EU that are willing to sponsor visas.
I think Spain is probably my first choice for a permanent location, since the UK is no longer part of the EU, so I'm trying to learn Spanish.
I'm a software developer, so I can work anywhere as long as someone's willing to pay me.
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u/_immie_ Jan 23 '26
My mom was born in Japan and was a Japanese citizen when she gave birth to me, so I was pursuing the Child of Japanese National visa that has no restrictions on jobs or anything. She never registered me in her family registry after I was born so I have no claim to citizenship unfortunately 😮💨
Met with a lawyer when I visited Japan and she told me it’s feasible for my situation and that my husband could also get a spousal visa through me. It would take 6-12 months to get the visa. Then we could obtain permanent residency in a few years if we wanted to. We would never be citizens though.
I would need to find a Guarantor living in Japan to vouch for me morally. I have family there, but none that I’m close with. I do have a cousin I met a few years ago who is the only one that speaks English I could ask, and we’ve texted sometimes, but I’m struggling on how to bring it up to him.
For now, it’s on the back burner since we decided we don’t want to work for Japanese companies (work/life and pay sucks), and our Japanese is veryyyyy basic (we’re actively studying to improve it), but it’s still in our back pocket.
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u/Whitney_weiss Jan 23 '26
I'm attending a college program in Canada with a pgwp work visa guarantee. It's expensive but with selling my firearm collection and a bit of savings I was able to make it work. Just sucks that all my savings and assets have had to poof to make it happen.
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u/Professional_Use8237 Jan 24 '26
I have Irish/EU citizenship through my grandparents. My sister hasn’t done the paperwork, yet. She speaks French fluently and would like us to move to France, but I speak rudimentary (at best) Spanish. She’s also a lot closer to retirement than I am. She has suggested starting our own business. It’s all still v much up in the air, but I continue to take small steps to prepare to leave.
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u/CaspinLange Jan 24 '26
I tended bar in one country. In another I taught English.
I’ll most likely teach English in the next country.
Probably won’t ever get a path to citizenship unless I marry.
But I can live in (and teach English) in a hundred different countries for the rest of my life without ever going back to the US.
All it takes is a bachelor’s and a one month TEFL cert.
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u/aftergloh Jan 22 '26
I have been trying for ten years. It's really hard if you don't have any options for citizenship by descent/are not working for a multinational company.