A way out.
Posted by Deadeyes13@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 12 comments
Hello everyone, me and my wife have been looking to get out for awhile now and have had little to no luck and am looking for advice.
I am a lisenced electrician and my wife has a month or two left of school to become a pharmacy tech. I am a us citizen and she has a green card and is a Mexican citizen.
We have been trying for a few places to try to go (Netherlands, Germany, Ireland) without much luck. Anyone have some advice or suggestions on possible places to go? Things are quickly deteriorating and I don't want it to eventually be to late if it isn't already.
expats-ModTeam@reddit
Greetings OP!
We have unfortunately removed this post due to rule 4. Your post is either too general or lacks some basic research. If you do not yet have a clear idea of where you are eligible to move, you need to do your research on that before posting here.
If you have general questions, please try to narrow them down to a specific city or subject area. Asking for general advice about an entire country is not going to produce good results.
You can also post on /r/IWantOut for advice, or post again here with a more focused set of criteria such as skills, age, nationality and type of weather you are looking for. The best way to get responses is to be as specific as possible.
Pale-Candidate8860@reddit
If you are a journeyman electrician, then there are multiple developed English speaking countries that you could immigrate to.
Including Australia, Canada, New Zealand. The processes will vary. But, depending on which part of those countries you are willing to go to, the processing and wait times can be anywhere from 1.5 years to like 3 or 4 months. NZ and Canada will be quicker on that part versus Australia. However, Australia will bring you a higher standard of living than the other 2 listed.
Your wages in developed nations will be lower than America, but much higher than Mexico. Trades are not as well compensated in Latin America versus the developed world unfortunately.
For Canada, I live here, I know Nova Scotia and British Columbia both have a streamlined system for people immigrating with US credentials. PNPs or Provincial Nomination Programs are what you want to look into as well as Express Entry (Federal program).
Good luck. Otherwise, Mexico is in the bag for you no matter what.
Pettefletpluk@reddit
For Canada, I recommend choosing a province that's not on everyone's list to speed up the process. E.g. Yukon Territory, Nunavut, Manitoba, ... Less competition from other immigrants. Once you get in and stay for a year or two there, you can then move anywhere you want. If you manage to get a job and sponsor in one of these provinces, the process can go as fast as 3 months.
Choosing provinces that most people also want to move to like BC, Ontario can drag the process for as long as 2 years.
Pale-Candidate8860@reddit
That's actually a good point. I have limited perspective on how other parts of the country function because I was sponsored into Canada via my wife. So I have only known the Vancouver metropolitan area so far.
ubfeo@reddit
Why not Mexico ?...
godless-wife@reddit
Without being university graduates, you'll not qualify for any working visa in the EU, plus language is really a hard requirement in both of your careers.
Also the EU uses a completely different electrical system than the US, different building codes etc. etc., so your license cannot be converted.
I'd say Mexico and maybe Canada are your only options at this point, unless you consider (and qualify for) university and go the student visa route - finances permitting.
DataDollarDad@reddit
You don't state ages, but if you're near or under 30 you might look into a Working Holiday Visa for New Zealand or Australia. My understanding is that there is an upper age limit for the visa, but if you can get it it is good for 1 year.
Anony-mouse-007@reddit
Why not try South American countries?
Catcher_Thelonious@reddit
Rule 4
If you are currently not an expat, and are looking for information about emigrating, you are required to ask specific questions about a specific destination or set of destinations. You must provide context for your questions which may be relevant. No one is an expert in your eligibility to emigrate, so it’s expected that you will have an idea of what countries you might be able to get a visa for.
Try:
r/findapath
r/amerexit
r/iwantout
Key-Satisfaction9860@reddit
Panama!
tedddittt@reddit
Mexico seems like the obvious choice here, right? Mexico City seems like a nice place to live for the most part.
carltanzler@reddit
In your line of work, lack of fluency in the local language will absolutely be an issue. For the Netherlands: your jobs are unlikely to get sponsored for a permit as a highly skiled migrant, nor will you meet the salary requirement for that permit.
Maybe focus on English speaking countries like Canada, Australia or New Zealand- though I don't know how in demand your line of work is there. Their immigration websites should give you some idea.