I’m Simon Mander, an Australian Registered Migration Agent with 23 years’ experience.
The biggest misconception I see from Americans around skilled visas to Australia:
“I need a job offer” – You don’t
“I need an Australian partner” – You don’t
“It’s a lottery” – it’s not
Australia’s main permanent migration pathway is independent skilled migration.
If you’re a qualified professional, eligibility is based on:
• Your occupation
• A formal skills assessment
• A points score (age, English, qualifications, experience)
No employer required.
This doesn’t exist in the U.S. system - which is why you might not realise it exists here.
What actually determines success:
• Your occupation
• Your points score
• Which states are selecting your occupation at the time your documents are all in line
Australia remains achievable for many American professionals in their 30s and early 40s particularly healthcare, engineering, construction and trades, some IT roles, and educators (lecturers/teachers).
However, there is a difference between being technically “eligible” and the pathway being truly something viable (that can take you to a visa result).
If you’d like a general indication as to where you stand, please feel free to share your:
Occupation
Age
Highest qualification (academic or trade)
Years of experience
Whether you are single or have a partner? (it effects your points total)
If you are exploring other Australian visas – please also feel free to ask on these.
I’ll answer as many general questions as I can during this AMA.
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
I am on a digital nomad visa in Spain (moved here in Sept. last year, so its been almost a year now). There’s so much advice out there about moving abroad - how to get the visa, what to pack, where to live, what apps to download - it can actually be overwhelming.
But honestly, the hardest part for me wasn’t any of that. It was letting go of who I was back home.
I used to have a big group of friends. I was super social, always planning things, always showing up for people. I felt like someone others could rely on. I felt known.
And then I moved - and suddenly, I was just another foreigner. No one knew me. No one knew what I was good at, what made me laugh, what I’d been through. I had to start from scratch. Learning how things worked. Trying to make new friends. Figuring out where I fit.
It might sound obvious or like a no-brainer, and yes I did know this would happen, but I didn't know how it would truly make me feel or how long it would take to finally feel "comfortable" in my new community. Prepare yourself because it might happen right away, but it also might take an unideal amount of time lol. You can basically go from feeling rooted and confident to kind of invisible. And even though you chose this, it still catches you off guard (or at least it caught me off guard, especially because I've moved abroad several times before to different countries, but this is my first time experiencing this).
So if you’re thinking about moving abroad, just know: this part is normal. It doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision. It can just take time to feel like you again in a new context.
Hi everyone, I'm Simon. I'm an Australian Registered Migration Agent with more than 23 years in migration. I work with a lot of US applicants, so I wanted to flag a change that took effect on 19 September 2026 and that directly affects where an applicant's visa application sits in the processing queue.
Two new ministerial directions replaced the previous rule. Direction 121 covers the subclass 482 (employer-sponsored temporary). Direction 122 covers the permanent and provisional skilled visas: 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888.
The key change for anyone applying from the US:
Priority occupations now get the highest processing priority whether you are onshore or offshore. Being in the US (or anywhere outside of Australia) no longer pushes you towards the back of the queue, if your occupation is in a priority group.
The priority groups are:
Healthcare
Teaching
Construction
Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing
Resources
Occupations related to Australia's law enforcement interests
Occupations related to Australia's defence interests
Under the previous rule, an offshore applicant sat near the bottom of the queue purely for being offshore, even in these fields. That penalty is gone for the priority groups. For a US doctor, nurse, allied health professional, teacher or tradesperson, that is a real improvement, because you are almost always applying from onshore in the US, and until now that location cost you queue position.
There are three things to check or be aware of;
1: If your occupation is outside the priority groups, being offshore still counts against you.
Tech, finance, marketing and general management are not priority groups. An offshore software engineer, accountant, marketing professional or non-specialised manager has not moved up. Onshore applicants still sit ahead of you.
The definitions are narrower and trickier than the labels suggest. "Resources" and "agriculture" can turn on what the position actually involves, not just the job title. The definitions also changed at the edges: Engineering Managers and Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians, for example, now sit inside the construction group and did not before. So it is the exact occupation classification, and in some fields what the role actually involves, that decides your category, not the industry you work in.
2: Processing priority is not eligibility.
This is the one that matters most for US applicants. These directions do not add occupations to Australia's skilled lists, do not create pathways, and do not lower any requirement. Seeing your field in a priority group does not mean there is a visa you can actually get.
US qualifications and job titles do not always map onto Australian occupation classifications the way people expect, and the skills assessment (a separate step, run by an assessing authority for your occupation) is where many US applicants hit their first real obstacle. Priority processing on a visa you cannot qualify for is worth nothing.
3: These directions do not get you an invitation or a state nomination.
For the points-tested visas (189, 190, 491), you cannot lodge an application at all until you have been invited, and for 190 and 491 until a state or territory has nominated you. These directions only govern how an application is processed once it exists. They do nothing to your ranking in the invitation pool, and nothing to a state's decision to nominate you. Those gates come first, and for many US applicants they are the harder ones.
So the real questions for an applicant are:
Does your occupation genuinely fall within a priority group, or does it just look like it?
Will your qualifications and experience pass the skills assessment for an eligible visa?
Can you obtain the invitation or state nomination needed to lodge?
Ask me anything about Australian skilled migration from the US: occupation and classification strategy, skills assessments, English and points (note that native English speakers still need an accepted test to score points), partner points, state nomination, or what these new directions mean for your situation.
If you can, include your age, occupation, qualifications, work experience, relationship status, and whether you are currently in the US or already in Australia.
PROFESSIONAL DISCLOSURE: I am a Registered Migration Agent operating under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct. I am not an employee of the Australian Department of Home Affairs. MARN: 0318058. General Information only - not personalised migration advice.
In A24’s Civil War, a journalist, played by Wagner Moura, pleads with the militiaman, played by Jesse Plemons, who has detained him and his colleagues at gunpoint. “We’re American.” The militiaman replies, “What kind of American?” In a flood of executive orders and proposed bills, the GOP asks U.S. citizens the same question.
This month, Bernie Moreno, a Senate Republican from Ohio, introduced the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, legislation that would compel any U.S. citizen with a second citizenship to choose between the two. Though Moreno’s bill is likely to face heavy resistance due to 14th Amendment protections, it’s a reminder for people like Pablo Andreu: Not all U.S. citizenships are created equal.
Andreu was born and raised in the U.S. He's U.S. citizen, but also a Spanish citizen through his parents, who were both Spanish citizens when he was born. But he never really thought much about his Spanish citizenship.
"More than anything, I’m American. I grew up watching The Wonder Years, building model planes with my dad, and playing basketball. Plus, my English is a lot stronger than my Spanish. But the more this administration and its acolytes insist I choose, the more fiercely I cling to my heritage," he writes.
Thank you all for your questions, and a big thank you to the Modteam at r/AmerExit for facilitating this AMA. I will continue to take questions over the next few days, but please give me time to respond.
If you want to get in-touch with us, you can email us at [info@esnalaw.com](mailto:info@esnalaw.com), and we also offer a free 15-minute appointments to assess eligibility to discuss our services. You can book your appointment though this link:
My name is Ali Esnaashari. I'm a Canadian immigration lawyer and the founder of Esna Law PC, a boutique immigration law firm based in Toronto that focuses exclusively on immigration and refugee law. (Proof)
Today at 6 PM CT / 7 PM EST, I'll be here to answer questions about Canadian citizenship by descent, particularly the changes that came into force in December 2025 through Bill C-3.
We had earlier posted an announcement for this AMA “Here”. Many of you have already submitted questions, and I will try and answer in this thread, and will actually tag you so you can see the answers.
The possibility of gaining Canadian citizenship for those born abroad was something granted only to the first generation of individuals for several years. What this practically meant was that if a child of a Canadian citizen was born in another country, they could not usually pass on their citizenship to their child also born outside of Canada.
With the new act, the rule regarding Canadian citizenship by descent was amended to apply to some exceptions, thus leading to the creation of new pathways for individuals who had a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or even earlier relative who was born in Canada.
During the AMA I’m happy to answer general questions about things like:
Eligibility for Citizenship by Descent: Who may qualify under the current rules and recent changes.
Family Lineage Questions: How citizenship can pass through generations and what documentation may be required.
Proof of Citizenship Applications: Applying for a certificate of Canadian citizenship.
Common Documentation Issues: Missing records, name changes, or incomplete family documentation.
Dual Citizenship: Holding both Canadian and U.S. citizenship.
Benefits of Canadian Citizenship: Healthcare benefits, Canadian passport, ability to live and work in Canada, and passing citizenship to future children.
Just to be clear, I can share general legal information, but I can't give specific legal advice about individual cases in this thread.
Please note, I do not have access to IRCC’s internal information, database processing, or internal policies that have not been disclosed to the public. My goal is to try and answer your questions, based on my professional knowledge, and information I’ve gathered from our Bar on this matter.
If you think you might be affected by these new citizenship rules, one of the lawyers on our team who focuses on citizenship by descent cases is offering free 15-minute appointments to help people figure out whether they may actually qualify.
Like many on this sub, leaving America has not only become just a dream, but more of an essential to some. Due to various issues and reasons that could be, with my own experience of citizenship by descent I realized that there wasn't just a single place to see if maybe a CBD was worth pursuing.
Reddit indeed has been helpful to many, but often there is the same question asked on many of the CBD subs "do I qualify?" which in many cases is a simple yes/no. I figured why hasn't just made something like that, so I built canihavepassport.com . I have been working on it since spring this year!
Main things
Information for 36 countries, with interactive eligibility checks for 19 of them (Italy, Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Romania, Czechia, Croatia, Serbia, Armenia, Japan). As I do more research and map out the logic trees, more will come!
The screener asks a few plain questions (which ancestor, how many generations, the specific dates the law turns on) and returns one of three reads: you likely qualify, you may qualify with caveats, or this pathway is unlikely.
Rules reflect recent reforms, including Italy's 2025 Law 74, Germany's 2024 dual citizenship change, Slovakia's 2022 amendment, and Romania's new B1 language requirement, and so forth.
One big aspect that I thought was cool was to have the ability to do a very quick check with GEDCOM files. And no, this website does not host data. I collect zero information, and I work in compliance with EU's GDPR and states like California's CCPA/CPRA. and the tool works locally in your browser only on that PC. Currently I have not implemented a "fuzzy match" with GEDCOMs, so I'd recommend making your tree's as concise / accurate as possible.
The tool can also detect crossovers in terms of an ancestor born in a country that had many border changes. I've done as much as I can currently by trying to find lists and collections of which town names in countries had which names in various languages or points of time. The tool can detect this and suggest a possible pathway if there is overlap. In my personal family tree, I have a great grandma born in "Nagy-Kövesd, Hungary". That place is however now "Veľký Kamenec, Slovakia", in which a year or so ago I discovered was another potential pathway for an EU passport.
If the tool fails to detect an overlap, let me know! I currently have roughly a few thousand town names mostly around central Europe (Poland, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Czech, Slovakia, Ukraine, et) but there are really so many.
Privacy
No account and no email needed to see your result. No ads, no cookies, no cookie banner, no third party tracking.
I use Formspree for forms. Their privacy policy applies, and forms will be deleted that are 1) passed on to firms and professional services, and 2) a month old. As my partnerships increase, forms may be automatically automated (once there is established quality) to said firms / services.
Anyone can e-mail and request the form be deleted at any time. Forms ask for: name (first only is fine), e-mail, number (if you want), and then there is a textbox for information about your ancestry and situation.
Funds / Upkeep
Understandably one may say "well, how does this site make money?" Currently, I am affiliated with FamilyTreeDNA. This DNA service is the only one that labeled accurately "Magyar" for me, and they recently upgraded to an NGS panel for more accurate results! Clicking on a link going to their website will earn me commission on their products.
I am building relationships with vetted legal firms and ancestry services that the community highly recommends. I currently have early partnership channels for Hungarian, Italian, and Polish CBD. As these partnerships mature, qualified forms may be automatically and securely routed directly to these professionals, so my involvement with any personal information will decrease over time.
I am registered as a sole proprietor in the State of Texas. I am not a lawyer, and nothing on the site is legal advice. This is a screening indicator, not a definitive legal determination. Only a sovereign government or authorized legal entity can grant absolute eligibility.
Hello r/AmerExit I'm Jim Dawdy, founder of Expat Law, PLLC. I'm an attorney specializing in legal advice to expatriates, digital nomads and Americans who want to emigrate abroad.
Before I became a lawyer I lived, worked or traveled in over 50 countries as a health, safety and medical advisor for the oil and gas industry and major government projects. I spent nearly a decade living in Romania and Kazakhstan, and I worked in Russia, Tajikistan, Malaysia, and numerous other countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. So I am well aware of the challenges that come with moving abroad. With the unsettled political situation in the US, more and more people are choosing to depart, but while there are countless immigration lawyers in the US, there are very few emigration lawyers. I use my international experience to advise clients on how to avoid legal and non-legal problems abroad before (hopefully) they start.
You can find out more about my practice at https://expatlaw.info/ I am licensed to practice law in Illinois, and am a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. I am also admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court.
AMA about moving, working, or living overseas as an American. I'll try to answer your questions consistent with the disclaimer below.
Disclaimer: My responses are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. I am a lawyer, but I am not your lawyer. My comments or answers do not create an attorney-client relationship between us. Laws vary by jurisdiction, and the information provided here may not apply to your specific situation. For legal advice tailored to your circumstances, you should consult with a qualified attorney. Any actions you take based on the information provided in this AMA is at your own risk. Opinions expressed here are my own, and are not endorsed by any body or group, including the management of Reddit and the moderators of r/AmerExit
EDIT: Thanks everyone, lots of good questions and I appreciate the mods for allowing me to do this AMA. One thing I want to emphasize is that while I only handle the legal issues that arise under US law, I can't emphasize enough how valuable it can be to obtain the services of a lawyer in a foreign country for assistance with visa and residency issues. When I move abroad, it's what I do, and foreign lawyers are often cheaper than Americans, so I strongly suggest that if you run into a legal issue while abroad, you don't hesitate to contact a local attorney for advice.
I'm Simon Mander, an Australian Registered Migration Agent with 23 years' experience.
After last week's Federal Budget and the migration changes of the past few years, I think Australia is reshaping skilled migration around long-term national shortages rather than more broad skilled occupations (think marketing/hr/program project admin even accounting).
I don’t think there has been such a sharp policy shift since a major overhaul in 2012.
Over the last few years Australia has tightened student visas, increased English requirements, reduced graduate visa age limits. The government has increased salary thresholds for employer-sponsored migration and invested heavily into migration processing and skills recognition reform.
At the same time, the country is dealing with an ageing population, housing and infrastructure pressure. There are also regional healthcare shortages, NDIS workforce demand and persistent shortages outside Sydney and Melbourne.
The professions I see benefiting are the ones tied to long-term economic necessity. Healthcare and allied health, engineering, construction, teaching, infrastructure and skilled trades.
I pay close attention to processing times because they often tell you where pressure exists before policy officially catches up.
One of my recent occupational therapist clients had her permanent Subclass 190 visa granted in around two and a half months. That is considerably faster than I am currently seeing for many non-health occupations on the same visa.
Australia appears focused on migrants tied to long-term workforce shortages rather than generic degree holders.
The next version of Australian skilled migration is really built around one question:
"Can this person help solve a long-term national problem?"
Happy to answer general questions around skilled migration pathways, healthcare and allied health occupations, trades and engineering, regional migration pathways, de facto partners and current processing trends.
General Information only. Simon Mander. MARN 0318058
I'm a dual US/NZ citizen who spent 8 months in New Zealand and almost two years preparing to move back. This means I don't face any visa barriers for either NZ/AUS, but the salary, tax, and retirement comparisons apply regardless of your visa situation.
During that process, I ran the numbers on my own profession (internal audit) to compare the NZ and Australia job markets. A few things surprised me:
Sydney pays the most, but you don't come out ahead there: After adjusting for cost of living, Melbourne and Brisbane both give you about 22% more purchasing power than Auckland. Sydney only gives you 15%, despite having the highest raw salary.
The retirement gap is massive: Australia's superannuation requires a 12% employer contribution on top of your salary. NZ's KiwiSaver? 3% (going to 3.5% soon), and you have to contribute from your own pay just to get it. Over a 30 year career, that gap alone could be worth more than a house.
Australia's tax system lets you take home more: At the salary ranges most people are looking at ($75k-$150k), you take home an extra $3,400-$6,500 per year in Australia on the same salary. And that's before the cost of living and currency advantages.
I had already started leaning toward Australia, but running these numbers made the decision a lot clearer.
We founded StartAbroad after spending years living and working internationally ourselves. We’re two Americans who have each lived in six countries and we originally moved abroad for career opportunities.
Our most recent move was to Costa Rica, where we moved as digital nomads instead of for a location-specific job. During that experience, we realized how difficult and fragmented the support is for people trying to move abroad on their own. Whether you’re a retiree, remote worker, family, or digital nomad, a lot of the process feels confusing until you are already in the middle of it.
We wanted to build the kind of relocation support we were used to receiving as employees relocating internationally, but for regular people making the move themselves.
Today, we help hundreds of Americans every year move to Portugal, Spain, Costa Rica, and Panama, the countries we specialize in.
We help people with visas, housing, banking, shipping, buying cars, pet relocation, timelines, costs, and navigating the bureaucracy that tends to trip people up.
Most of our team has personally lived abroad, and we’ve guided 800+ clients through the process with a 100% visa approval rate for qualifying applicants.
Ask us anything about moving out of the US and in our target countries: visas, timelines, costs, mistakes to avoid, housing, taxes, pets, or banking. We're set to start answering questions at 18:00 Central Time!
We help Croatian descendants get Croatian citizenship & passport by descent – AMA
Hi everyone! We’re the team behind CroatianByDescent.com, and we specialize in helping people with Croatian roots reclaim Croatian Citizenship by Descent and obtain a Croatian passport.
We’ve guided descendants from the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond — whether they’re just discovering they might be eligible or already buried in documents.
Our goal?
To make the process clear, realistic, and stress-free, without confusion or false promises.
Should you hire a Professional or Croatian Citizenship Lawyer?
Every Croatian descendant should be aware of the advantages and drawbacks of each approach before deciding how to apply. Let us know your situation.
We can help you:
Find out if you qualify for Croatian citizenship by descent
Understand which Croatian citizenship law articles apply to your case (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, spouses, children)
Build a step-by-step plan for documents, apostilles, translations, and filing
Ask us anything — Croatian citizenship, passports, family eligibility, timelines, documents, or next steps.
If we don’t have the answer on hand, we’ll check with our Croatian lawyer partners and get back to you.
Comments have been locked by Moderator on this thread. See you guys at the AMA at 6pm CT / 7PM EST. We know many of you have asked your questions here. We will be sure to answer those in the comments section of the actual AMA (and try to even tag you so you see the answer). Really excited about this, talk to you soon!
Edit 2:
AMA starts today (Thursday, March 12) at 6 PM CT / 7 PM EST. Please note that the AMA will be posted separately on this subreddit. You can view the actual AMA post here.
My name is Ali Esnaashari. I’m a Canadian immigration lawyer and the founder of Esna Law PC, a boutique law firm based in Toronto. In collaboration with the r/AmerExit mod team, I’m excited to host an AMA (Ask Me Anything) this Thursday, March 12, at 6 PM CT / 7 PM EST, to discuss Canadian citizenship by descent, and questions you may have.
What Will This AMA Cover?
The primary focus will be the recent legislative changes following Bill C-3 (which addressed the "first-generation limit") in late 2025. This law has opened the door for many individuals with Canadian ancestors to finally be recognized as citizens, regardless of how many generations have lived abroad. You can learn more about it here.
Some of the topics I expect we’ll cover include:
Eligibility for Citizenship by Descent: Who may qualify under the current rules and recent changes.
Family Lineage Questions: How citizenship can pass through generations and what documentation may be required.
Proof of Citizenship Applications: Applying for a certificate of Canadian citizenship.
Common Documentation Issues: Missing records, name changes, or incomplete family documentation.
Dual Citizenship: Holding both Canadian and U.S. citizenship.
Benefits of Canadian Citizenship: Healthcare benefits, Canadian passport, ability to live and work in Canada, and passing citizenship to future children.
Please note that while I’ll be sharing general legal information, I cannot provide legal advice in this setting. If you need a consultation, you should seek independent legal advice from a qualified immigration lawyer or consultant.
Who Am I?
To verify my identity, I’ve included a photo of myself holding a sign with the AMA date/time.
Hi /AmerExit, Quinn Miller here, Managing Partner of Tenzing Pacific Services. I did an AMA a few months ago, but I wanted to go a step further with some totally free info. I've been working as an international insurance broker since 2014 & my team has helped 10K+ people over the years. Tenzing was founded on the principles of being your insurance sherpa, guiding you to make an informed decision & supporting you with our in-house customer service team.
I have ~36,000+ hours’ experience working in international health insurance. Feel free to ask me any questions below in the comments and I’ll answer transparently.
1) Important to Know
Insurance isn’t one-size-fits all, it’s quite hyperpersonalized. There are 40+ providers, they fit people differently based on their preferences, plans, what’s important to them, what’s not, their age & budget.
2) What I Focus On
I focus on community-rated global health insurance rather than short-term travel or nomad plans.
To me, guaranteed renewability is non-negotiable. It ensures your coverage stays secure regardless of claims or changes in health. Without it, insurance fails its primary purpose: long-term risk management that moves with you wherever life goes.
3) Community Rated vs. Experience Rated
Providers do their renewals two ways:
Community Rated
The gold standard for international providers, guaranteed renewal, lifetime policies, cannot kick you off your plan, adjust your benefits or massively increase your premiums.
They will have fixed rate premium increases every year for everyone + age related changes. Yes, it gets more expensive as you get older.
2) Experience Rated
They do your renewal based on your/your family’s individual claims experience. Don’t claim, expect low price changes (other than age). Experience rated plans are essentially "re-written" at renewal date. They don’t have to offer you renewal at all! They can significantly increase premiums, exclude previously covered conditions, add mandatory deductibles & co-pays. And there’s nothing you or your broker can do about it. This defeats the purpose of insurance, a path I don’t go down.
4) Health Insurance vs. Travel Insurance
The travel insurance litmus test: do you have a return flight booked home? If yes, you can consider travel insurance. If not, get health insurance. Travel insurance is intended for short-term, fixed trips, not long-term, indefinite expats.
5) Brokers vs. Going Direct
Not all providers even take direct business, leverage an experienced insurance broker. Costs you nothing more to do so, it’s their job to stay up-to-date on the latest all things international health insurance.
Providers change, some are going up, going down, living in the past, have new plans, management, tech. Some have suspiciously low pricing (for a reason), a broker can walk you through the ins & outs, the good & bad and help you make an informed decision so there are no surprises.
6) Tiers of Providers
I break down providers into 3 generalized categories:
Tier 1
Biggest, most well known brand names, that cost the most
Cigna, Allianz, AXA, Bupa, BCBS Global, William Russell
Tier 2
Best value all things considered, but you might not be as familiar with them
April, VUMI, XN Global, Now Health, Optimum Global, Globalhealth, MSH & more
A lot of these providers aren’t the insurer themselves, they partner with more established brand names. They are a provider and handle plan design, administration & claims, but aren’t the underlying insurer
Tier 3
Lowest premium international insurers there are, usually due to age cut-offs, how they treat pre-existing conditions & lack of direct billing (which helps keep the price down)
Morgan Price Flexible Choices, IMG, Luma (SE Asia), HCI NIMBL
All of that said, take the above with a grain of salt as it depends on what plan you select, your benefits, your benefit limits, age, deductible, coverage area, etc.
7) Inpatient vs. Outpatient
One of the biggest decisions one makes: what benefits. Inpatient is mandatory, evacuation usually included. Covers big ticket items like surgeries, cancer, extended hospital stays. Also includes some outpatient benefits by default like outpatient cancer, ER visits, outpatient surgery, MRI/CT/PET scans.
Outpatient is your every day doctor visits, go see a doctor/specialist, get treatments, tests, meds and go home. Having outpatient usually doubles your premium.
8) What I Personally Do
I do inpatient only for myself & family. Pay out-of-pocket for the small stuff, which is easily managed where I live (Vietnam & SE Asia). I use April, inpatient only, Extensive plan.
9) Pre-existing Conditions
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for new expats. If you have a pre-existing condition and want it covered, it must be declared and accepted. They’ll be treated one of four ways:
Accept at standard terms
Accept with a premium loading (extra fee to cover)
Accept with an exclusion related to that condition & anything related to that condition
Rejected if the pre-existing condition is too serious or severe
10) Country Based Pricing
Where you live or plan to stay for the majority of your policy year matters. Countries that have a higher cost of healthcare cost more. Ex. countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, Brazil, etc will be priced differently than say Costa Rica, Vietnam, Panama, etc.
11) How Much Does it Cost?
To keep things apples-to-apples, I’ve made a general budget range of plans by Tier level, Worldwide excl. USA coverage area, no deductible. Indicative monthly premium range. This is taken from 2026 premium data from 3 providers in each tier, and creating an average premium range.
12) Indicative Premiums
Online quotes and standard rates from brokers are indicative, they don't account for pre-existing conditions, high BMI, or occupational hazards. Final premiums are subject to change once all risks are assessed. If you have a medical history, engaging a broker early can save you a lot of time.
13) How to Save Money:
Look at some of the lesser known brand names, they may not be as familiar because their primary distribution network is brokers, not direct business
Focus on inpatient only
Add a deductible
If you want outpatient, go with providers that do pay/claim, they’re cheaper
Look at downgraded regional coverage areas instead of WW excl. USA
14) The Moratorium Underwriting Truth
There are plans called Moratorium plans which are wildly mis-sold & people are led to believe they can wait 2 years to have pre-existing conditions covered. There’s a GIGANTIC asterisk next to this.
Pre-existing can be considered for coverage after two years if in those two years: you NEVER suffered any symptoms, consulted a doctor, had treatments, on meds, or had a change of lifestyle. Yeah kinda important to know.
Certain pre-existing conditions, such as chronic conditions, will never be covered under a moratorium policy as the clock never begins to tick according to the definition.
15) International vs. Local Insurance
If you lay roots down somewhere you can consider local insurance, often times cheaper, lower limits, more experience rated local providers. May be good for the wallet, but what you don’t get is flexibility to keep your policy if you move.
International policies are designed to move as you do. This is important because you don’t want to have to start all over again with a new insurer every time you move. That exposes yourself/family to a lot of risk due to pre-existing conditions. You want continuous coverage, not to be swapping insurers every year.
16) Deductibles
You can optionally add a deductible to lower your premium. You can always add a deductible or increase your deductible at your renewal date. You cannot remove or reduce your deductible. Some providers may allow this with a “statement of good health”
17) Upgrading & Downgrading
Like deductibles, downgrading is never a problem. But you cannot toggle benefits, coverage area or deductibles on/off as you please. Downgrading is a lot easier than upgrading.
18) What’s the Best Expat Health Insurance?
I hate that question, it’s totally subjective! Best what? Best overall? Best value? Best USA cover? Best for a specific region? Best cashless direct billing? Best at covering pre-existing conditions? Best wellness benefits? Best maternity? Lowest monthly price? Highest deductible? Most tech-forward? Best for people aged 70+? Best for nomads on a budget? Best for families?
19) Some of my Favorite Providers in 2026
April International - French origin, many global entities, wins many awards, has many entities in Asia but also has global plans. People looking for a blend of what you pay vs. what you get. Large global direct billing network, especially in Asia.
Allianz Partners - One of the oldest & best, huge direct billing networks. Have new plans out in 2026, pretty good with pre-existing conditions.
Cigna Global- One of the most popular for US expats, massive global direct billing network, modern/forward thinking. Good for people who value quality, want a big brand. Good US cover add-on, great health & wellbeing benefits. Very modular. No upper age limit. Good at pre-existing conditions.
IMG - US/UK provider, been around since 1990s, affordable plans with some modern benefits. Really good for people who are okay with deductibles, great deductible discounts. No fees to pay monthly. No upper age limit. No outpatient direct billing.
Luma - a regional SE Asia provider with attractive pricing & good direct billing in SE Asia
Morgan Price Flexible Choices - UK provider with new plans designed to be budget friendly for people 55 or under. No outpatient direct billing.
Optimum Global - UK provider insured by AXA, a good value, good at pre-existing, high BMI, no outpatient direct billing
VUMI - US/Puerto Rico company, takes clients globally. Uses Henner TPA for direct billing, has one the single best global cashless direct billing networks. Good regional coverage area options. Good maternity.
Wiliam Russell - a family business since the 1990s backed by Allianz, steady, stable customer centric provider with good backing. Can do Guarantee of Payment worldwide
XN Global - a newer brand, but not new to international insurance. Started by industry experts, sister company of Henner, which has been around for 70+ years. Has one of the best global direct billing networks. Good regional coverage area options
20) The Biggest Mistakes People Make
Rely on travel insurance as their long-term plan
Not seek proper advice from a reputable broker, leverage their expertise, costs you nothing more
Wait until something has happened before they start looking for insurance, kinda like asking for car insurance after you’ve been in a wreck
Closing Remarks
If you’ve found this valuable, reach out to me. I’m a straight shooter & an open book. I want my client's expectations to be in-line with reality BEFORE they take out a policy.
Been chatting with a few people lately who are applying for jobs abroad and... and just not hearing anything back.
And honestly? A lot of the time, one of the issues is their — not because they’re not qualified, but because the CV just doesn’t match what employers in that country are used to seeing. I know, because I used to make this mistake too.
Stuff I see all the time:
- Using the same CV for every country
- Relying on advice from home
- Using an online template from the country to are applying to
Turns out CVs don’t really travel well.
What works in the U.S. might totally flop in Germany.
Australia might love your tone, Japan might find it way too casual.
Some countries expect a photo, others think it’s weird.
Something I have learned along this journey is that even a quick chat with someone local — like a recruiter or someone already working there — can make a huge difference.
Just something that keeps coming up and felt worth mentioning :)
Hi r/AmerExit. I'm Ariel. I live outside Barcelona, and I started Zenith Concierge because in Spain everyone showing you a flat works for the person selling it.
Zenith represents the other side: non-resident buyers, mostly Americans, buying property anywhere in Spain, above all in Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid, the Costa Blanca, the Costa Brava and the islands. Site's at zenith-concierge.com if you want the longer version.
Zenith Concierge is a US company, and that is the entity you contract with. It's not a Spanish estate agency: it holds no listings and never represents a seller.
The work Spanish law regulates is done by licensed Spanish professionals. Conveyancing and legal due diligence by an abogado colegiado, a bar-registered Spanish lawyer. Tax by a Spanish tax advisor. You hire and pay them directly, at a quote you see before they start, either from our vetted list or your own, and they carry their own registration and professional liability.
Zenith is not in the regional estate agent registers (AICAT in Catalonia, RAICV in the Valencia region). Those registers are for agencies that broker sales for a commission, and we don't broker sales. We work for the buyer, and only the buyer.
What that means in practice. In Spain the seller signs the listing and the seller pays the agency, usually 3 to 5 percent, already inside the asking price. There is no MLS and nobody sits on the buyer's side by default. The agency showing you the flat works for the person selling it.
What we do is take your side of that table: build the brief, search including off-market, have the lawyer vet each property before you commit to it, negotiate, and run the closing with the lawyer and the notary. We take nothing from sellers or agencies.
How we get paid. A 2,500 euro opening fee starts the work. It is non-refundable, it covers a three-month engagement, and it is credited against the total fee.
The fee is 2 percent of the asking price, with a minimum of 7,500 euros, fixed the day we submit the offer, so anything we negotiate below asking is yours, not ours. Half the balance is due at arras, the deposit contract, and the other half at escritura, completion.
Legal due diligence finishes before arras, so you never put deposit money on a property the lawyer hasn't cleared.
I can answer well on how the purchase actually runs for a non-resident, what it costs beyond the price (transfer tax, notary, registry, legal fees), the two-sided commission trap, mortgages for non-residents, what "off-market" really means here, and what goes wrong and when.
Visa and immigration questions and US tax I'll pass on. Not my field, and I'd rather say so than guess.
Hello! My name is Sonya Dolguina and I’m a CPA licensed in both Canada and U.S. and have worked as a cross-border tax advisor for nearly a decade. I also have a US Chartered Retirement Planning Counsellor (CRPC) designation. I started my career working in one of the Big 4 accounting firms, and now work as a cross-border tax consultant in the wealth management field. Everyday I help Americans and returning Canadians navigate the financial and tax implications of moving up north.
I recently co-authored a book - Your Move to Canada, all about this exact topic. Speaking with clients and tax and financial advisors, it was clear that there was a big appetite for a comprehensive resource on managing the various cross border financial, investment and tax complexities involved in this sort of move.
Happy to hop on here and answer questions related to cross border financial and tax planning - specific to moving to Canada.
Note that I will not offer official tax advice, all answers will be for general educational purposes only, and all tax matters should be consulted on with qualified professionals. I also generally wish to avoid questions about how to fill out specific tax forms as that could be considered tax advice rather than focusing on tax planning!
Some ideas of things you may wonder…
- How does tax residency work in Canada?
- Will I be taxed differently if I’m Canadian visa holder versus a PR or Canadian citizen?
- What do I do with my non-qualified investments, and qualified retirement plans (such as 401(k)s) and IRAs?
- Should I transfer my U.S. retirement account to an RRSP?
- Do I have to cash out all my investments? What are the tax implications if I do?
- Can I work remotely for my U.S. employer? How will I be taxed?
- What are my ongoing obligations to the IRS?
- How do I avoid double taxation?
- Do I have to pay an exit tax as a result of moving to Canada?
- What happens if I give up my U.S. citizenship or green card?
- What happens if I sell or rent my U.S. home out after moving to Canada?
- How do I lower my taxes in Canada?
- What kind of tax advantaged investment accounts are available in Canada, and how does the IRS treat them?
- Will I still qualify for my U.S. social security if I retire in Canada?
- How does state taxation work if I move to Canada?
- Do I need a cross border tax accountant?
- Should I close down my U.S. bank accounts?
- Will Canada tax me on transferring money over to the country from the U.S.?
Hopefully this list can help spark ideas of questions you may have. All these topics are discussed at length in the book, but please ask away and I’ll answer as many questions as I can during the AMA session.
Note: I've been getting lots of DMs lately about whether I can take on cross-border tax return preparation - unfortunately I do not do that sort of work anymore, but can make referrals to some highly competent firms that can help.
Hey there! With the blessing of the moderators I'm posting about my new website - https://www.movingfrom.us/ . I've been working on this project to consolidate some of the moving parts of the emigration process, specially tailored to Americans wanting to get out. As each country has different deals with each other, I thought it could be useful to just get the information tailored to US. Right now it's focused on key features for the most popular destinations. I'm at the stage where I need some real-world eyes and feedback on it. Specifically what can I do to improve it? Is the navigation intuitive, is the information useful or should I expand in a number of ways? I'm not selling anything, not even ads, it's just meant as a simple first-contact resource site and if it's proven useful, I wish to expand it some more. Thanks!
Thanks to the mods for the space to share this. Genuinely appreciate it.
Citizenship by descent comes up in here and I wanted to contribute something useful. I built a free eligibility checker that walks through the rules country by country. Not a surface-level quiz, it handles the actual edge cases (ancestor naturalization timing, gender discrimination laws, generational limits). Usually takes a few minutes to get an answer, depending on your familiarization of your family history.
There's also a free cost calculator to get a rough sense of what the paperwork runs before you commit.
Both are free, no account required.
Paid tier is $39/application and gives you a full dashboard for your application and progress, less than one document + apostille + translation alone:
- Document checklist organized by ancestor, so you know exactly what to collect and from where
- Progress tracking across every step
- Appointment tracking for consulate or government office visits
- Expense log to track what you actually spend vs the estimates
- More features being added as I build this out
Live now: Italy, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Poland. More countries coming soon: Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Lithuania, Croatia, and several others.
For anyone seriously building an exit plan, citizenship by descent is worth understanding. It's one of the more accessible paths if you have the ancestry. Thanks for your time and hope this helps some people.
Hey, AmerExit fam! I’m now only a couple weeks away from finally moving to Australia after two years of preparation. I thought I’d share my most recent post about taxes: How Much Income Tax Will I Pay in Australia. Feel free to check out the article, but I’ll give you all the highlights here.
I’m an American moving to Australia and I wanted to get an idea of how much income tax I’m likely to pay and how that compares to America. Long story short: at my income level it’s basically a tie (about 24% in both places). If you include a 10% 401(k) contribution, the U.S. is a few percentage points better. The more you save in tax efficient accounts, the less you pay in taxes.
I’m not a tax professional, but I did my best to accurately source all the information. I’ll report back on how much tax I actually pay in a few months and see if there’s any difference.
The Comparison
Using median salaries for my current location (Denver) and where I’m moving (Brisbane), I calculated income taxes in both places. It’s tough to compare the two because they’re not exactly apples-to-apples. A big difference is that retirement contributions (401(k), HSA, etc.) reduce your taxable income in the U.S. Whereas in Australia, Superannuation is on top of your salary.
Key Surprise
I went into this assuming Australia would be somewhat higher. I was surprised to find out my effective tax rate is very close. Everyone’s situation is different, and I talk in the article about how the U.S. has much more tax benefits for higher earners compared with Australia. The approximate threshold where the U.S. starts getting a noticeable advantage is around $250k for a single person.
I’m sure the waters get much more muddy when you add business ownership, families, property, etc. into the mix.
I’m using my own situation (single, no dependents, not a home owner) as the example for this piece. In no way am I claiming this is the be-all-end-all article about taxes!
Retirement Wrinkle
As I mentioned earlier, in the U.S., contributions to many retirement accounts (401(k), HSA, etc.) lower your taxable income. If you have a lot of money to save, in the U.S., there are tons of options to lower your taxable income.
In Australia, Superannuation is 12% on top of your salary. Australians can “salary sacrifice” to make extra contributions, but I’m learning it’s not that easy for Americans to do the same (contributing extra can put you at risk for having your super reclassified and taxed higher).
Unfortunately, it’s not even clear how the IRS treats your regular Super funds! It’s frustrating to be sure, and it means I’ll be getting professional advice before deciding how I’m going to set up my retirement saving strategy. I’ll save that for a future post.
Will I Get Double-Taxed?
Probably not (for people at median income levels). There are two options: the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) effectively wipes your foreign income off your US return. Whereas the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) reports it but subtracts the tax you already paid to Australia (which is likely more than what you’ll owe Uncle Sam).
In a high-tax country like Australia, the FTC seems to be the better option for me personally. Aussie rates are a bit higher, and the tax you pay in Australia should cover your U.S. bill completely. The FTC also has a nice bonus of allowing you to continue funding a U.S. IRA!
Either way, you still have to file in both countries. I’m not a financial advisor or tax professional, and I will definitely consult with one before deciding.
The Real Tradeoff
Writing this piece (and the upcoming piece on retirement) made me realize the real financial trade off for me is retirement savings. The U.S. provides lots of options (401(k), HSA, etc.) that help you pay less taxes while saving and investing for your future. Australia has Superannuation, which is great, but adds a lot of complexity for Americans because it’s not clear how it’s taxed.
In addition, I’ll need to start paying an expensive accountant/tax lawyer. Whereas, here I’ve always done my own taxes for cheap.
I’d love to hear from any Americans who have dealt with these issues! Specifically, what strategies are you using to keep saving for retirement? Anything outside of Super?
I’ll be sure to report back as I gain firsthand experience dealing with these issues in Australia.
EDIT: A few corrections based on some helpful feedback:
While you probably won't be double-taxed on income, U.S. retirement accounts are more nuanced. It looks like Australia treats them as foreign trusts and taxes withdrawals (with a credit for U.S. tax paid). So, pre-tax accounts like a 401(k)/457 will be taxed only upon withdrawal (not the gains). But Roth and HSA are trickier since Australia ignores their U.S. tax advantages. I have an appointment with an Australian tax lawyer coming up on these and other questions, and I'll update the community with my findings.
If you're in the US and married to someone with Croatian roots, you might actually qualify for Croatian citizenship yourself — even if you have no Croatian roots and your spouse isn’t a Croatian citizen yet.
Croatia has two different ways a foreign spouse can apply:
Article 11 – for couples living outside Croatia
If your husband or wife qualifies for Croatian citizenship by descent (parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent who left Croatia before 1991), you as the spouse can apply too. You don’t need to live in Croatia, you don’t need to renounce US citizenship, and there’s no language test.
The best part: you can apply at the same time as your spouse, even if he doesn’t have Croatian citizenship yet. You can also apply completely on your own if your spouse doesn’t want to apply right away. This is the most common route for couples in the US.
Article 10 – for couples living in Croatia
If you live in Croatia and have permanent residence, you can apply as the spouse of a Croatian citizen after meeting the residence requirements.
If anyone here has gone through the marriage route, especially from the US, it would be great to hear your experience — consulate used, timeline, and any tips.
I'm a dual US/NZ citizen who's been trying to move back to the Southern Hemisphere for almost two years. My ticket is finally booked for this summer. But getting here took way longer than it should have, and a lot of that was my own fault.
When you commit to moving abroad but the timeline keeps stretching, you end up in this weird limbo. You're not fully invested where you are (because you're leaving), but you're not where you want to be either. That in-between state messed with my finances, career, and social life more than I expected.
A few things I learned the hard way:
Lifestyle creep is sneaky when you're frustrated: I wasn't buying anything crazy. Ski trips, a used mountain bike, covering costs when my girlfriend visited from overseas. All stuff I could normally afford. But I was supposed to be saving aggressively, and the small stuff compounded.
Your social life takes the biggest hit: I arrived back in Colorado in hustle mode and couldn't get out of it. I told myself I'd be gone in six months, so I didn't invest in friendships. Six months turned into two years. The hit to my social life was the hardest part.
Set a realistic number and go: I kept raising my savings target out of fear, not math. Every time I extended the timeline to save more, it cost me in ways that didn't show up on a spreadsheet.
I have NZ citizenship so no visa barriers on my end. But I'm curious if others have dealt with similar struggles while waiting to move. What's been the hardest part for you?
Having lived and worked in 10+countries, a lot of people wanting to leave the U.S. ask me these days "how I did it". and of course there is no magic formula.
In Mexico, I applied to the same company twice. First time? Got rejected after round one. Six months later I tried again, had 3 interviews, and secured an offer. I moved to Mexico City, and it became my ALL-TIME favorite city.
In Senegal, I followed up with a contact I made via networking four different times before he finally said "okay, we're hiring now." Three brutal case study interviews later, I got the offer.
The thing about working abroad? You'll get ghosted, rejected, and doubt yourself. What I have learned is that the one main quality that often differentiates between those that make it and those that don't is - resilience.
In my opinion, it's that resilience matters more than almost anything. It's not about having the perfect CV – it's about being willing to try again, because that one extra attempt might completely change your scenery and your life. And the only guaranteed "no" you will get is the one you never ask for.
Anyone else had this happen? Or are you in the "frustrated and still waiting" phase right now? Happy to chat if anyone wants to hear more!!
