{"id":377,"date":"2018-08-21T09:58:16","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T09:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/?p=377"},"modified":"2025-02-07T15:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T15:08:12","slug":"10-countries-its-super-easy-to-emigrate-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/10-countries-its-super-easy-to-emigrate-to\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Countries It\u2019s Super Easy to EMIGRATE To"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"font-size: medium; text-align: center;\">Easy Locations to Migrate too<\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k9G_jNf0Xkw?rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;autohide=1&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"vid_trans\">Video Transcript <a class=\"toggleCarret\">\u25bc<\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"vt\">We\u2019ve all felt it. That desperate, cloying urge to escape. That semi-primal need to flee our home country and all its madness and never look back, and instead devote ourselves to relaxing on distant beaches \/ becoming a kung fu master (it\u2019s a tough call). And we\u2019ve also all felt its accompanying feeling: that sad realization that our dreams are but beautiful illusions, and cruel, cruel reality is gonna drag us kicking and screaming back into its stifling embrace any minute. Or is it? While moving abroad permanently may not be the easiest thing in the world, it\u2019s also not as hard as it at first appears.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\">In some countries, gaining residency is so easy that pieces of cake and falling off logs look fiendishly complicated by comparison. Desperate to escape the madness of Washington or the reaching claws of the IRS? Here\u2019s where you should go. (Quick note: we\u2019re assuming nobody reading this is filthy rich, so we\u2019ve excluded countries that allow you to buy citizenship for exorbitant funds. But, if you\u2019re interested, the cheapest of them all is the Seychelles at $12,500 USD.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong> 10. Ecuador<\/strong> A land of boiling volcanoes, soaring mountain peaks, and old pastel colored colonial towns, Ecuador is exactly the sort of over-romanticized stereotype of Latin America you\u2019ve always secretly held in your head. It\u2019s got beaches. Islands. Mayan ruins. An adorably underperforming soccer team. It\u2019s got a remarkably low cost of living, and the US dollar as a currency. Sounds great, huh? Well, get this. This little slice of south of the border paradise could be your new home for as little as $800 per month. That\u2019s not costs you gotta pay out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\">That\u2019s all the income you have to prove you have in order to move to Ecuador. Technically, this is a requirement for Ecuador\u2019s pensioner visa, not a general one. However, Ecuador doesn\u2019t set minimum age requirements on pensioner visas, and those claiming them don\u2019t need to even prove they have a pension. You\u2019ve just gotta show that $800 will be landing in your bank account every single month for perpetuity and you\u2019re in. This kinda begs the questions as to why they call it a \u2018pensioner visa\u2019, but who are we to argue? The low requirement means people with trust funds, compensation pay outs, royalties, and cuts from banking heists are all able to net an easy visa (probably, don\u2019t quote us on that last one).<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong> 9. Austria<\/strong> First things first: Austria is not an <a href=\"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/watch-indian-tv-channels-in-usa\/\">option for those who like their homes nice and cheap<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\">The former seat of Habsburg imperial power, Austria is a tiny country that operates a whole lot like a hipster crafts store: small, fascinating to look at, and so expensive you will have to sell at least three organs before you can afford to be there. Yet Austria does have one thing a hipster store doesn\u2019t have (ok, most hipster stores also don\u2019t have Vienna, or Salzburg, or the Alps, or\u2026 y\u2019know what? Just let us run with this). According to The Telegraph, Austria offers over 10 different types of residence permits. The best part? Absolutely none of them require any form of inward investment. The bad news is that you need to apply for your residence card abroad (i.e. not in Austria). The good news is this doesn\u2019t apply to EU citizens or Americans. If you\u2019re an American, you can just get a D-Visa, giving you up to 6 months\u2019 leave to stay in the country, then go to Austria, secure a job\/wife, and then apply for a proper residence visa. Just remember to smile smugly at all those struggling Canadians and Australians as you waltz your way to the front of the immigration line. 8. Belgium Germany\u2019s go-to country to invade after Poland, tiny Belgium is one of northern Europe\u2019s tiniest states. Slightly smaller than Maryland, it boasts a whole lotta flat and a whole lotta roads. On the other hand, it also has some of the most attractive small towns on the continent, not to mention some of the tastiest beer (ha, suck it, Maryland). It\u2019s also fairly easy to get long-term residency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\">The one thing you have to do? Get a job. Yeah, we know. Easier said than done, especially when your CV has Professional Procrastinator listed under \u201cmost recent role.\u201d But here\u2019s the thing. Many countries in Europe aren\u2019t cool at the moment with you taking jobs away from locals. In Belgium, not only will they let you apply for work as an outsider, they\u2019ll then offer you a residency permit after just two weeks of employment. This isn\u2019t a permanent residency permit, understand, but it\u2019s certainly a step in the right direction. All you gotta do next is hold onto your job for long enough (it varies by region), and you\u2019ll be laughing all the way to the Belgian citizenship test. The only downside is you need to actually be employable for this plan to work, which certainly disqualifies us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong> 7. Paraguay<\/strong> Nothing could be simpler than getting residency in Paraguay. Probably thanks to its terminal obscurity, the government seems desperate to get as many people into the landlocked South American nation as possible. As a result, there\u2019s only one hard and fast requirement. You need to deposit money in a Paraguayan bank. A small amount won\u2019t do, but you don\u2019t have to go too big. Around 35 times the monthly minimum wage is the accepted sum (between $4,500-$5,500 USD). Once you\u2019ve done that, Paraguay is your oyster. Of course, whether that oyster contains a pearl or just a lump of grit depends heavily on what you\u2019re looking for in your new home. Paraguay is so obscure that it has neighbors who have never heard of it. Try telling the average American you\u2019re moving to Paraguay, and they\u2019ll assume you\u2019ve mispronounced Uruguay (who are we kidding? They\u2019ll think you\u2019ve mispronounced New Jersey). Of the 6 million or so people who live there, at least half of them probably pretend they\u2019re from Argentina. It\u2019s a poor, underdeveloped country surrounded by bigger, way more developed countries. Still, at least it\u2019s cheap.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong>6. Canada<\/strong> Like the hippy younger sibling to America\u2019s hard-working grownup, Canada always takes a contrary liberal stance to the <a href=\"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"28\">USA<\/a>. That includes on immigration. While America is currently experimenting with making immigration as unattractive as possible, Canada is casting its arms open wide to the surrounding world. Luckily, that includes to you, provided you can prove you\u2019re worth having. Canada\u2019s immigration rules run the gamut from excessively liberal to utterly draconian, depending entirely on how skilled you are. For those with the skills or education level that Canada needs, there\u2019s an express entry program that\u2019s so swift, it probably amounts to kidnapping. You fill in an online form, which assigns you points for stuff like education level, industries worked in, and whether you are both able to speak French, and willing to put with living in Quebec (of course we\u2019re kidding, Quebecers. Just look at the city you guys get to call your capital!). If you hit a high score on these, plus other stuff like whether you studied in Canada or have Canadian relatives, you\u2019re probably in. All you gotta do next is pony up about $500 CAD ($390 in real dollars). But what if you\u2019re an uneducated, unwashed slob? Well, there may be hope. Canada has one of the highest proportions of foreign-born citizens in the OECD. Why shouldn\u2019t they take you too?<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong>5. Belize<\/strong> An English-speaking nation in Central America, complete with ultra-low cost of living and the sort of beaches you\u2019d expect to see young David Hasselhoff running down in slow motion? Yeah, this is an actual Place That Exists, and its name is Belize. Wedged awkwardly between Mexico and Guatemala, this pint-sized slice of paradise is barely larger than Wales, and comes with a population smaller than Bakersfield, California, with the added advantage that it\u2019s not actually Bakersfield, California. So, what\u2019s the trick to setting up shop in this land of palm trees and crystal waters? That\u2019s the best part. You can apply for permanent residency in Belize after only a year there. To stay there for a year, all you have to do is arrive on a 30-day tourist visa, and keep renewing it every 30 days. When you hit the 50 week mark, pay $1,000 and, after jumping through some bureaucratic hoops, you should be in. Just be careful of the requirement some departments have that you leave the country for two weeks every 6 months. Doing so will reset your year-long countdown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong>4. Nicaragua<\/strong> It might be a shock for those who remember 1980s Nicaragua as a place of leftist coups, civil wars and rightwing Contras, but Nicaragua is gorgeous. Nah, seriously. Just check out these pictures. It kinda looks like someone got hold of some leftover bits of paradise God had lying around, tossed them altogether in a big celestial bowl, and scattered the results between two pristine coastlines. Provided you can ignore the politics, Nicaragua is the place you always wanted to go home to. So, now we\u2019ve sold you on the whole idea, we\u2019ve got some awesome news. Nicaragua runs a retirement program, just like Ecuador. And, just like Ecuador, they take their own entry requirements with a pinch of salt. Provided you can prove an income of $600 a month, you neither have to be old nor, technically, retired. While most countries don\u2019t let those on retirement visas to work, Nicaragua\u2019s government defines work so loosely you kinda wonder why they bother at all. If you open a restaurant or small hotel, they don\u2019t define it as work. If you get an income working digitally for a non-Nicaraguan company, they don\u2019t define it as work. Wait, what? So\u2026 we guess that would include internet list writing? Huh. If you scroll down and the rest of the article is just gifs of us kicking back on golden beaches, you\u2019ll know what\u2019s happened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong>3. Panama<\/strong> Ah, dang, we\u2019re still here. Well, we guess we should tell you about Panama, then. Technically an independent part of Central America, but in reality looking and feeling like a part of Florida that broke off and floated south, Panama is moving abroad for those who don\u2019t want the hassle and inconvenience that moving abroad usually entails. It\u2019s safe, well developed, a lot of people speak English, and it uses the US dollar. Know what else? Practically anyone can move there with effectively zero effort. Most Americans that head to Panama do so on the retiree visa, which gives holders massive discounts on a ton of stuff, while only requiring a monthly income of $1,000. But the residency visa for younger workers is almost equally good. Basically, all you gotta do is deposit $5,000 in a Panamanian bank. Then, if you come from one of 47 \u2018friendly countries\u2019 (yeah, that includes <a href=\"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/how-to-watch-cbeebies-in-the-usa\/\">USA<\/a>, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Austria, and the EU), you can get the Friendly Nations Visa. All you need is to find a job or open a business in Panama and you\u2019ve got long-term residency. Just beware that a load of people who get this visa are using it as a massive tax dodge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong> 2. Mexico<\/strong> Nothing could be easier than getting permanent leave to remain in Mexico. No, really. Just rock up to the airport\/border, and ask to buy an FMM visa. Provided you don\u2019t intend to do any work, the FMM visa allows you to remain in Mexico for 6 months. At that point, you can renew it for another 6 months. Then renew it again. And again. And again, and so on until you finally drop dead. How much does this marvelous, life-changing visa cost? The princely sum of\u2026 um, $21. That\u2019s a lay out of $42 a year to legally kick back in a country of pristine beaches, world class cities, gorgeous colonial towns, and mountain scenery like something out of a dream. Sure, you\u2019re probably gonna need an income to go along with that, but fear not! There are roughly a bazillion Mexican temporary residency visas you can cheaply upgrade to, including some designed for artists, sports players, scientists and retirees. All of which just leaves one thing to discuss: the drugs. Yeah, Mexico is in quite a grim place at the moment, with the Drug War having killed tens of thousands in the last decade. Whether you think the risk is worth it is up to you; not everywhere is affected, and some towns are essentially drug-violence <a href=\"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/change-netflix-to-usa-locale\/\">free<\/a>. Just maybe make sure not to do any drugs while you\u2019re there, huh?<\/p>\n<p class=\"vt\"><strong>1. Svalbard (Norway)<\/strong> Say whaaaat? You\u2019re telling us that Norway is the easiest country on Earth to move to? The same Norway that requires those who want permanent residency \u2013 not even citizenship \u2013 to study Norwegian for 250 hours and complete 50 hours of \u2018social studies\u2019? That Norway? Well, actually buddy, no. Not quite. The archipelago of Svalbard (pop: 2,642) is indeed part of Norway, but in the same way that Puerto Rico is part of the US, or Greenland is part of Denmark. A whole lot of important things have been devolved to the Svalbard administration in Longyearbyen, from gun control, to environmental issues, to emergency services, and the issuing of marriage certificates. One of the things that has been devolved is immigration, and Svalbard works on a very different system to Norway. There is no visa regime on Svalbard at all. Literally anyone can move there and settle down without the need for a permit. The only thing you need to prove is that you have sufficient funds to support yourself after moving there. This is important, because Svalbard is cold. Closer to the North Pole than it is to mainland Norway (itself a very cold country), Svalbard is both freezing and utterly remote. It\u2019s over a thousand miles to the mainland, winters take place in permanent darkness, and hungry polar bears prowl the streets. To cut down on polar bear attacks, unemployment and homelessness are literally illegal, and retirees are deported if they\u2019re considered a drain on society. But hey, at least it\u2019s not your home country, right?<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there&#8217;s one thing you should remember especially if you don&#8217;t speak the local language and that&#8217;s you might very well get homesick.\u00a0 The internet can of course help, by allowing you to keep in touch in even the most remote regions.\u00a0 You can also invest in a VPN and you&#8217;ll be able to get access to all your &#8216;home&#8217; TV programmes if you wish.\u00a0 Make sure that you check these out properly first though, as many where <a href=\"http:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/bbc-block-vpn-connection\/\">blocked and filtered by the BBC<\/a> over the last few years.\u00a0 Lots of them still work fine though.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s our recommendation for the best VPN service for the BBC and other UK Television &#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F4pSo3uw7MA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F4pSo3uw7MA<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Easy Locations to Migrate too Video Transcript \u25bc We\u2019ve all felt it. That desperate, cloying urge to escape. That semi-primal need to flee our home country and all its madness and never look back, and instead devote ourselves to relaxing on distant beaches \/ becoming a kung fu master (it\u2019s a tough call). And we\u2019ve also all felt its accompanying feeling: that sad realization that our dreams are but beautiful illusions, and cruel, cruel reality is gonna drag us kicking and screaming back into its stifling embrace any minute. Or is it? While moving abroad permanently may not be the <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[37,42,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bbc","category-expats","category-uk-tv","has_thumb"],"modified_by":"dotslash","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2615,"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions\/2615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplayerusa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}