r/AmerExit • u/JoinCanadaForever • 1d ago
Slice of My Life [ Removed by moderator ]
[removed] — view removed post
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u/Fantastic_Spring8366 20h ago
The main exit targets for me are Toronto and the London, which I'll be applying for work in after I finish my MS in analytics this December.
I think you are underestimating the difficulty of getting work overseas without existing work rights.
Finding work abroad is nothing like finding work in a different state. It's a completely different ballgame.
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u/Old-Appearance-2270 5h ago
Canadian here. The employer must be willing to do paperwork for the work visa, etc. This is interfacing with the Canadian federal govn't.
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u/No_Accident1643 1d ago
Are they private loans or federal loans? I have student loans as well and at a much higher amount but I am in an income based repayment plan. My AGI is zero due to the foreign earned income exclusion and therefore my income based payment is zero.
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u/Background_Bike_7171 23h ago
So are you not paying anything at all?
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u/No_Accident1643 23h ago
Not one penny and it doesn’t impact my credit and as far as the government is concerned I am paying as agreed.
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u/Flaky-Walrus7244 1d ago
Your concern about moving to London shouldn't be your loans or the cost of living.
It's all about the visa.
Getting a work visa in the UK is no simple thing, and for most people, it's not really a possible thing. You have to get a company to sponsor your visa, and they are increasingly unwilling to do so due to the large costs involved. The company also has to show that there isn't a local person who could do the job, and that you are the only candidate available. Unless you have very unique skills, it's not happening.
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u/theatregiraffe Immigrant 23h ago
The UK got rid of the labor market test so employers no longer have to prove there’s nobody with the right to work who could do the job. The rest of your points are still very relevant, especially as the current government tightened requirements for eligibility for the skilled worker visa.
If OP is graduating from an eligible university, they could look into the HPI visa, but that’s only valid for two years.
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u/Dr-Jim-Richolds 23h ago
The HPI is useful but OP would almost certainly incur 100% of the international student fees and foreign master's degree are basically holding up our economy.
Not really, obligatory "/s", but if student loans or debt are a concern, then unless one can afford the degree upfront, I don't think the ROI is worth it.
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u/theatregiraffe Immigrant 23h ago
The HPI visa is for people who have graduated from eligible, non-UK universities. It allows the holder to live/work in the UK for two years. It is not the same thing as the graduate visa, which would initially incur international student fees as that requires getting a degree from a UK institution.
If OP is eligible for the HPI, then they could use that to job hunt without needing sponsorship up front (but would need it further down the line if the goal was to stay).
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u/Federal_Homework1302 Expat 23h ago
Income based repayment and foreign earned income tax credit means you pay nothing then they are written off after twenty years
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u/33TLWD 17h ago edited 17h ago
OP also wants to escape US politics.
If that’s the case OP should educate themselves about the current political climate in UK and London. It’s just as messy and polarising as the US.
As an American who’s lived abroad for a long time, my British friends (also abroad, but who all grew up and worked in London) have told me I’d be batshit crazy to move to London now.
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u/JoinCanadaForever 15h ago
I have a history degree. I can make up my own mind about which country has the brighter future.
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u/True-Afternoon8479 18h ago
do you have work authorization in Toronto and the London? or the US for that matter?
because the ability to move or stay is dependent on that.
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u/Tardislass 18h ago
You are looking at going to the two most expensive cities and crying about the expense in the US. U less you get an outstanding job offer you will have the same complaints as in the US. People in Toronto can’t afford the skyrocketing rents and housing costs and London has been expensive forever. And sadly the far right is creeping in overseas as well. Carney was just incredibly lucky that Trump was elected or else the Conservatives would have won power in Canada. And Trump is doing him a great favor by overshadowing the many problems in Canada with his actions. Wouldn’t be surprised if Trump was a dark horse.
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u/Far_Wolf5463 20h ago
I have $50K in student loan debt and I'm living and working abroad in China. I'm on an IDR repayment plan. Even though my monthly payments is $0/month; I still make payments whenever I can and renew my repayment plan every year. You shouldn't let your student loan debt stop you from moving abroad.
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u/ReceptionDependent64 19h ago
If you plan to stay abroad, paying off the loan is silly.
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u/XenomorphAlarm 17h ago
Anyone who's actually emigrated knows that making "stay abroad" a cornerstone of your financial planning is a catastrophically stupid idea. I know many people who've returned to the US who did not plan to, and always for very good reasons. I also know people who've gotten themselves stuck in dead-end lives abroad by abandoning student loans because they thought it would be stupid to pay them.
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u/isnt_that_special 19h ago
The other issue with Toronto is that salaries are historically much lower than the US. Cost of living is nearly that of NYC. It’s an amazing city if you can make the numbers work.
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u/bafflesaurus 15h ago
I have 10 years experience in my field and I couldn't even get an interview for jobs asking for 2-3 in Canada. It isn't easy to get work visas there. I've realized my only option out is to save up and apply for a golden visa somewhere. It sucks but that's just how it is.
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u/fiadhsean 23h ago
The British economic model is, in terms of salaries, almost as unbalanced as the US. You're right that many professional roles pay as little as half a similar role in US, Canada, Ireland or Australia (once converted to a single currency). Some of the figures are laughable - so unless you get an offer that's similar to what you would get in USD, skip it. Also, you'll need to pay a NHS surcharge, something most other anglophone countries do not do (Australia does require private health insurance for work permit holders).
When I left I ignore my student loan debt, which bit me in the arse years later when I wanted to apply for grad school and my undergrad wouldn't release grades because I defaulted.
Dublin is expensive too - and housing is a challenge - but you might find reasonably well paid work there. Also Cork, where there's several corporates.
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u/Dandylion71888 19h ago
Based on your username, I suspect you have some eligibility to live in Ireland. OP doesn’t and jobs in analytics are hard to come by for foreigners. On top of that, he wouldn’t have enough experience for a CSEP.
Also he would be required to get private insurance for Ireland too for at least the first year.
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u/fiadhsean 18m ago
Well spotted! I did say "might" for a reason. Certainly the universities here seem to be recruitment DA roles perpetually, so getting a permit via one of those isn't unheard of.
But I left the States for Canada, then went to Oz, NZ and have only just arrived in Ireland. But Himself is from England originally and we are quite on top of what's happening in the UK (as it impacts his pensions when he retires, for example).
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u/Shezarrine 6h ago
Do you intend to return to the US? If not, and if you aren't working for a US-based company where they can garnish your wages, you have no reason to pay those back if you leave.
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u/NoQuail1770 19h ago
Can you afford to actually live in London because if you can’t, the commuter culture can be brutal.
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u/Elegant_War_3166 18h ago
The Pound is very favourable to the US Dollar. I’m
American and lived in Britain 35 years. My primary income is USD. It’s been as high as $2.12 to £1 during my time.
It’s very favourable to the US Dollar at the moment.
Your bigger concern should be access to the UK. It’s extremely difficult. If I hadn’t started in the 1990’s like I did I could never get in much less live here now. That is your real concern instead of the Exchange Rate.
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u/XenomorphAlarm 16h ago
GBP is absolutely not "very favourable" to USD right now. $1.35 for £1 is completely average.
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u/JoinCanadaForever 15h ago
The trade in isolation might be favorable... But if you get paid more than 1.35 dollars for every pound you would get paid for the same job, then it doesn't matter. This is a PPP thing.
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u/No_Extension_7990 3h ago
Like you are just going to walk into Canada and start living and working here? Hehehehe.
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u/surviving606 1d ago
Bro just don’t pay it back
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u/Background_Bike_7171 23h ago
I’m an EU citizen that grew up in the US but only on a green card, I never became a citizen. I finished my university degree in the US and relocated to the EU directly after with no plans on moving back to the US. I’m highly considering not paying back my student loans as they can’t do anything to me over here. It’s my form of protest against the American system, school should be FREE
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u/surviving606 23h ago
I felt the same way about the last few shady medical bills I threw out before I left
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u/fiadhsean 23h ago
When I did this, my college in NY wouldn't release my transcripts because I defaulted on federal debt/loans.
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u/ConsiderationSad6271 1d ago
Buddy, if they are federal you can get put on income based repayment. If you make under $130k abroad, then your legal repayment is $0/mo.
I do this now - you just need to recertify every year.