Which countries in Europe are immigrant friendly?
Posted by Simple_yogurt_@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 40 comments
I am planning on moving to Europe from India. As i do my research it appears that some countries are no longer immigrant friendly (not 100% sure). I believe every country has its pros and cons and my question is which country has higher pros? About me: Data Scientist 3+ YOE
Mountain-Fail6076@reddit
Indians should immigrate to India, the most Indian-friendly country on Earth.
char_char_11@reddit
It's so hard to say. European countries have definitely changed a lot in the last 10 years.
I don't know any of them which is immigrant friendly. Germany and France are still on top of the list.
I am a first-generation immigrant to France, and I'm from North Africa. So the majority of racism and hate speech here is directed to the minority I belong to. But even that, I can tell you that I prefer my situation to say immigrant to any East European country... I can work, study, get health care, travel, move around as freely as I want. I see a glass ceiling upon my head (professionally) because the natives don't let my kin achieve high-end positions in enterprise, but Indians are less likely to feel it here.
As I said, the majority of prejudice is towards North African and African people so... France can be a good choice if you can learn French.
Good luck my friend!
IceBurg-Hamburger_69@reddit
How about respect their fucking culture then if you don’t want to be treated like shit. You expect them to accommodate your culture and when you move to a country. You have to assimilate and respect the countries values and beliefs. I’m an American but we are one of few countries where you can express your culture here but still have to respect the constitution and laws. France is different though
zigzog9@reddit
This is old but I’m Polish American and when Polish people move to America they literally create little Polands within America. They name their neighborhoods after Poland, create holidays around Polish people, and have giant Polish festivals. So if Polish people in Poland are mad immigrants there want to keep some of their culture then why are Polish immigrants in American not letting go of Polish language, Polish food, stop making Polish schools for kids, adults not learning English, etc. I am happy Polish immigrants in America have held on to their culture. It is sad as the generations get further down and become more Americanized.
char_char_11@reddit
I really don't get your answer. Who said I don't respect my new country customs?
Many people, unless I told them I was born abroad, don't even guess.
The guy asking is from India. Here in France I don't see lots of racist attitudes towards Indians. Please tell us about your experience here.
by-the-willows@reddit
What do you mean with Eastern Europeans?
char_char_11@reddit
Actually, that's a very good question.
I was specifically talking about Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. These are the countries I either lived in, visited or has relatives immigrating to.
levitate900@reddit
I'm an immigrant to Eastern Europe, culturally its the only place left in Europe that still feels authentic to me, since every other place has been ruined by people who don't respect or admire the culture or country they now inhabit.
char_char_11@reddit
If that's what's you're looking for in a country, then yes!
It also kind of dépend from where you are. In Poland, I saw that my European colleagues enjoyed a greater time than I did.
How would you describe the integration of an Indian immigrant in Eastern Europe?
moderately-extreme@reddit
question honnete. Est ce que t'as deja vecu dans d'autres pays pour comparer l'attitude des gens par rapport a ton pays d'origine?
char_char_11@reddit
Oui, j'ai vécu en Pologne et en Autriche. Pas plus que 3 mois les 2 fois, mais suffisamment pour me rendre compte de la chance d'être un immigrant non-Européen en France.
J'ai des collègues qui étaient de l'UE qui vivaient beaucoup mieux leur intégration. Plus facile pour eux de louer, de faire appel à des services, pas besoin d'aller vivre l'administration...
Trick_Ad5606@reddit
Germany is not really friendly, that´s actually more or less the same situation in hole europe. but Indians are the highest number of foreign students and it seems popular to start to work here among Indians. Indian community is growing. Even AFD a German nazi party wants to immigrate Indian people.
physboy68@reddit
They want to bring in foreigners?
Trick_Ad5606@reddit
they understand that demographic change can´t get stopped. so they are picky. they prefer Indians instead of muslims from north africa.
nioperas06@reddit
What about Syrians ?
No-Razzmatazz721@reddit
the real reason is because they are easier to exploit, gulf Arab countries also import a lot of Indian labor for the same reasons.
Trick_Ad5606@reddit
not sure, the most people from india are students and tech worker... in the gulf region I THINK, more worker for construction site.
No-Razzmatazz721@reddit
nope not true. its the same thing
thesog@reddit
The AFD wants immigrants to stay and work on time limited visas then go back to their home countries. At least that is what they said on the pamphlet they put in my mailbox.
Simple_yogurt_@reddit (OP)
fascinating
Simple_yogurt_@reddit (OP)
Can you please share any companies in Germany which do recruit foreigner? Or any leads for data science roles
Trick_Ad5606@reddit
I would help you but I even don´t know what a data science person is doing. here are some websites...
www.linkedin.com www.xing.com www.glassdoor.com www.monster.de. www.stepstone.de ·
Artti_22@reddit
You need to try to send some CVs, but 3 years of experience doesn't seem to be enough for visa sponsorship, unless you have some unique skills.
I recommend you to get more experience and learn German. English-only jobs are rather limited.
resonance20@reddit
I'm an Indian who lived in Germany, Switzerland, and UK. I will say by far the UK, followed by some distance by Germany.
Past_Path_1072@reddit
Why not Switzerland?
TslaBullz@reddit
I would say UK, followed by Nedherlands. I’m an immigrant from India and unfortunately I picked US over other countries. I am stuck on famous “employment GC backlog”, which currently runs decades for those born in India.
Cevohklan@reddit
No not Netherlands
TslaBullz@reddit
Why not?
zia_zhang@reddit
Truthfully I’d say the Anglophone countries are the most opened based on observations and opinions I’ve seen online and offline.
CReWpilot@reddit
Wow, Europe has really expanded since I last check Wikipedia.
FR-DE-ES@reddit
The dying small towns that give incentive to lull outsiders to move there are the most "immigrant friendly", I would imagine.
tripping_on_phonics@reddit
As a general rule anti-immigrant sentiment is much more of a thing in small towns than in big cities, regardless of country.
emeaguiar@reddit
Countries without many immigrants I would guess
sv723@reddit
Funnily it is the other way around. The most anti-immigrant countries in Europe are probably Poland and Hungary. They are also the countries with the least immigrants per capita.
fractalmom@reddit
I am also curious about how European country side folks would feel about immigrations. This is just a dream but I fantasize about moving to Scotland or Ireland a lot. I am guessing it won’t be as I imagine 😔
Pure_Cantaloupe_341@reddit
I would say the UK, especially for Indians.
The pros for you are that:
You already speak English.
The “glass ceiling” issue for immigrants is much less present in the UK than in other countries, just look who is our Prime Minister, Mayor of London etc. It aligns with my experience at work too.
As a data scientist, you will probably find more job opportunities in London than in any other city in Europe.
The immigration system is relatively straightforward all the way up to naturalisation - as long as you meet the requirements, there shouldn’t be any issues with getting the required visas etc (though the fees are extortionate, but some companies cover them). I had experience with France and sadly it wasn’t as smooth experience as in the UK, same for my friends and colleagues.
coffeewalnut05@reddit
UK is good for this, has a large South Asian diaspora too.
Equivalent-Side7720@reddit
Friendly as in 😃👋 “hi welcome to our country, so happy to have you!”
Simple_yogurt_@reddit (OP)
Its easier to integrate. Open minded
DiBalls@reddit
What language do you speak. Do you have a job?