Countries that WELCOME U.S. American Expats (and how realistic it is to move there)

the US is a disaster right now for so many different reasons and a lot of you are probably giving serious consideration to leaving however with so many different options it can be really hard to figure out where you should go this list from the travel talks about 10 countries that are welcoming us expats and it's quite a bit different than the other country comparisons that we've done so in this video we're going to cover those 10 countries we're going to look at the Visa types the pros and cons of living there and how realistic is to actually move there before we dive in hit that subscribe button if you're thinking about moving abroad because we can help you decide where to live and now for the 10 countries welcoming us xats according to the travel starting with Spain Spain has a variety of Visa options including a digital Nomad visa and their non-lucrative visa which is basically their version of the retirement visa and for that one you need to have €30,000 per year they also have a golden Visa but you need a a lot more money for that you need €500,000 some of the pros of living in Spain are Spain is super popular and affordable especially with people from the US has incredible history and culture and castles and amazing Cathedrals and it has a really good infrastructure and healthc Care System their tax situation is a bit confusing so you really need to do your research on taxes you're also going to want to learn Spanish so if that's an issue for you then Spain may be off your list and be prepared for bureaucracy all right so is it realistic to move to Spain yes and no you're going to have issues with the taxes and bureaucracy the bigger issue is if you want to go that investment Visa route you need a half a million euros for that most people probably don't have that sitting around in a bank and also it's you know the digital Nomad Visa is a shorter term Visa so it is realistic to move there and a lot of people do but there's going to be some more obstacles in your path Italy is next on the list and I think they become even more popular with those one houses they have a population that is declining so they are wanting more people to move there but they want a lot of younger people however they do have some different Visa options available they have a digital Nomad Visa which was announced in 2022 but I have not been able to find any specifics on that yet so we are keeping our eye on that one they also have a self-employment Visa where you need to show at least 8,500 per year and that one's good for 2 years and they have a passive income visa and for that one you need to have at least 31,000 per year who hasn't dreamed of living in Italy I've always had that dream of living Under the Tuscan Sun it looks so beautiful there yeah I would love to go experience the culture the shopping the incredible food and wine uh yes please to all of what Italy has to offer there are some downsides to living in Italy and the bureaucracy is probably the major one I see this all the time online people talking about how long it takes to get anything done there's also lots of different taxes like they have a TV tax so they tax you every month if you have a television you can opt out of that if you don't have one but you have to file paperwork for it southern Italy can get really hot in the summer while Northern Italy can get really cold in the winter and you need to watch out those crowded tourist areas because there's lots of scammers in pickpockets so is it realistic to move to Italy it absolutely is however you need to bring a lot of patience with you be prepared for that bureaucracy make sure you understand the way the taxes work and it may be tricky to qualify for some of those visas unless you're a pensioner yeah a lot of people from the US actually buy houses in Italy but they only live in them for 3 to six months a year because with the shenen VISA the tourist visa you can actually stay for 3 months every 6 months or 90 days every 180 days so a lot of people go stay in their house in Italy for 90 days then leave the Shenzhen zone for 90 and then go back so they're staying there 6 months A Year Without technically getting a residency Visa Granada is the next country on the list a country that JP and I had never even thought about they have a digital Nomad Visa that is good for one year and for that you need $37,000 a year and it can be extended they decided to launch this visa to increase their local business and boost the local economy which makes sense they also have an investor visa so you can buy property valued at 220,000 plus you have to pay 50,000 Administration fees but the great thing about Granada is they are one of those countries that do not tax worldwide income Granada is known as The Spice Island or the spice aisle of the Caribbean they're known for their beautiful beaches they have an underwater Sculpture Park and it's an English-speaking country because it was former British colony and they're known for their good health care and then also you could call yourself a Caribbean Queen and as long as you share the same dream nice JP okay so they do have some cons the big one for me is the Hurricanes plus it's a small island so you're going to see limited options for some goods and services it can be more expensive because again it's an island but it is not the most expensive island in the Caribbean as I like to say it I've heard it both ways uh and it is a little bit far it is just North of Eastern Venezuela so it's not as easy to get there so is it realistic to live in Granada yes it certainly is you might need some extra funds to get one of those visas and to afford the cost of living there but it is possibility St kits and nevas is the next country on the list also located in the Caribbean or the Caribbean they have a citizen through investment program for this you can do the sustainable Island state contribution of at least $250,000 or a real estate investment of at least $500,000 from an improved development there are no residency requirements which means you do not have to spend a certain amount of time there which is nice but they do have a lot of additional fees which are pretty hefty but you get citizenship and a lot of tax benefits St kits and Nas is a beautiful island nation it's not too far from Puerto Rico actually so the flight from there is not too far English is the official language again and it has excellent health health care it's also known for having a strong passport you get access to 150 different countries it's ranked 25th in the world but it is expensive to live there and it is in Hurricane I alley and you got Island living this could be a pro oron some people get Island fever meaning Cabin Fever they want to get off the island yeah I struggle with Islands whenever I go to one I I feel claustrophobic like I'm trapped and can't get away so if you're like me an island life might not be for you but I think I could get used to it with those beautiful beaches so is it realistic to live in St kits and NIS it is if you've got money that's really the only way to live there is if you have a big chunk of money to plop down on one of their investment programs turkey is the next country and they have a golden Visa you can invest 250,000 in real estate or a business or 500,000 in other Investments and this also leads to citizenship which you can get pretty quickly within 3 to 6 months but the nice thing about turkey too is that it's another country where you can go on a tourist visa for 90 days and extend it to 6 months which is good if you're trying to work that Shenzhen Visa because turkey is not part of that yeah so you could go spend three months in Italy three months in Turkey then go back to Italy and then back to Turkey if you want to some of the pros of turkey are the amazing history and architecture it's a beautiful Istanbul especially is so beautiful and has a ton of cultural diversity and a lot of friendly people and those world famous shopping markets oh my gosh I think I would just get get lost in those markets for days but that not everybody speaks English so you may have to learn some Turkish and that could definitely be a challenge and you're going to have to be prepared for culture shock they also do a lot of bartering so if you're not comfortable with that that might feel really awkward for you so is it realistic to live in Turkey permanently well they don't have a pension Visa or a digital Nomad Visa so you're going to have to go that investor visa route that means you need at least 250,000 to buy some property that can be pretty steep for a lot of people so I would say that it is realistic if you've got money Portugal is the next country and it is super popular and popular with us as well we talk about Portugal quite a bit they have nice Visa options which are accessible they have a D7 which is their passive income or pension visa and then they have their d8 digital Nomad visa and then the golden Visa is kind of off and on so we're waiting to see how that progresses however you don't need to plop down a ton of money to get a visa and they're part of shinen so you can automatically go on for 90 days and do the whole 90 days and then go to turkey and some of the pros of Portugal are the safety it's rated number seven for safety in the world and number five in Europe so you can walk around on the streets at night and probably feel pretty safe English is widely spoken in the major cities although you probably should be prepared to learn some Portuguese there is a lot to do there and you can live the beach life settle into a rural town or live in a modern city however prices have gone up a lot in recent years because of popularity not just with people from the US but people from Russia China and Africa going there and buying up real estate there's a lots of foreigners from all over the world there now so is it realistic to move to Portugal it absolutely is in fact it's probably the easiest one on this list Mexico is next on the list this is the country with the most foreign residents especially people from Canada and from the United States their residency visa requirements have changed a lot over the last couple years but it is still accessible plus you could always do the six-month tourist visa they have a temporary resident visa and that one's good for up to four years and there's a lot of different types so you could do a work visa pension investor economic solvency Visa but the requirements vary depending on the consulant so we're not going to go into all that detail here Mexico has it all they have amazing culture and history you can choose between mountains and beaches small towns big cities have amazing food hot peppers what what more could you ask for but some of the areas are not safe they're in the news a lot unfortunately and the prices have really gone up over the last couple years especially in the popular areas like aiam Miguel de aende and P Carmen and you know if you're not a big fan of tourists then you may not like being in some of those spots either plus most areas actually I don't think there's any place in Mexico where you can drink the water so is it realistic to live in Mexico it absolutely is there's like a million people from the US living there right now so you it might be a little bit of a challenge to get those temporary visas each of the consulates in the US which is who issues the Visas they all have different income requirements and we've heard that there's a lot of bureaucracy and it can be a challenge to get those visas but their six-month tourist visa it's kind of back on we've heard sometimes people are getting shorter terms other people are getting longer terms when they go through the airport so I'm not sure you want to gamble your residency on that but it it is an option New Zealand is next on the list they have a working holiday Visa but you have to be between 18 and 30 so I'm assuming that's going to eliminate pretty much everybody watching this video yes we don't have a lot of people in that age range who watch our videos they have a variety of visas that allow you to work study or own a business they are really interested in SK skill workers so if you have a specific skill this could be a great opportunity for you and can lead directly to permanent residency so i' definitely check into that if you want to do an investor visa you need $15 million I don't think very many of you will be watching our video that have $15 million to plop down in New Zealand yes but if you are I'm really happy for you New Zealand is consistently ranked high for quality of life and natural beauty there's lots of adventure stuff to do and you can do the Lord of the Rings tour go stay in a hobbit house if you want to they have excellent public services and health care and of course English is the official language although it's a little bit different than ours but it is expensive to live there and it is far from the US and it seems like they really only want young people JP and I looked into moving to New Zealand when we first started our journey back in 2016 and we realized right away that we were not eligible they want people with marketable skill sets who are going to go and get into the workforce or you got to be really rich so is it realistic to live in New Zealand not really they really only want you if you're young and employable or Rich Super Rich to be able to plop down that $15 million so I would say it's probably not realistic to to put New Zealand on your list Japan is next and they also have a variety of visas they have a work study Visa a highly skilled Visa or an entrepreneurial Visa so this is a great opportunity if you are still working or just starting your career Japan's a great place to go teach English if you want to do that in most cases you're going to need a bachelor's degree in a teal certification Japan's well known for its amazing history and culture they have so much tradition to learn about and experience a lot of natural beauty too and lots of things to do they're famous for their modern cities and infrastructure and their amazing technology and it's a really safe country but the cities are very crowded it's a small area it's a small country so you're going to have really small living spaces and it's more expensive I never think about Japan as being cold and snowy but it is it gets cold and snowy in the winter and unfortunately they do not have a pensioner Visa yeah so is it realistic to live there if you're young it's realistic if you're older and you're relying on the pension looking for like a pension Visa or an investor visa you're not going to find that in Japan South Korea is the last country on the list from the travel article they have a couple different work visas as well okay so unconventionals they have this new K pop Visa it's the K culture Visa which is targeting young teens and adults who want to learn more about Korean culture and the K-pop scene if you have some your kid or grandkid wants to do that I say go for it how cool is that I had a lot of fun researching this I saw this at first I like is this real it is real Visa holders will be allowed to stay for up to 2 years um but they are required to receive training or education in sectors related to K-pop they also have their work action Visa which is their version of the digital Nomad visa and that is valid for up to 2 years and they do have work and study options but or their version of the working holiday Visa which is for people 18 to 30 they also have tourist visa if you're from Canada you can go live there for 180 days a year if you're from the US it's only 90 days South Korea is known for its technology its music like I mentioned K-pop they have their beauty or K Beauty they are known for their incredible culture and food and great public transportation and there is a lot to do however the cost of living is quite a bit higher than some of these other options they have a lot of air pollution in the cities and they don't have a retirement Visa so is it realistic to move and live in South Korea well I guess it it is easier if you're Canadian you can live there for 6 months but for the rest of us probably probably not as easy yeah unless you're young and want to go get in that K-pop scene and then we can see you on those music videos that'd be pretty cool this list was a little bit different than what we normally do but it did have some pretty interesting options yeah which one was most interesting Amilia for me it was definitely Granada because well it's just a country I had never even thought about and it's even though it's a little bit more expensive it's not as expensive as some of those some of those other Caribbean islands and they have that one-year Visa yeah and it's an English speaking country that's actually pretty appealing after living six years in the Spanish speaking country and still struggling with the language so that would be kind of nicer just be able to land there and communicate this was our August Members Choice video for our patrons on patreon they helped us choose this topic and they got to watch it several weeks before everyone else we have an amazing group of unconventionals in our private Community they're either considering a move abroad and a lot of people already live abroad plus we offer several perks to our patrons as a way of saying thank you for helping support all the content we create about the unconventional life earning online income and moving abroad check below or scan this QR code if you would like to join our community get some support on your journey and make some new friends and if you enjoyed this video then check out this one next and let us know in the comments before you go if any of the 10 countries we've talked about today resonated with you or if you're planning a move to any of those and leave us a like please and we will see you all in our next video ciao ciao

Channel: Amelia And JP Abroad

Views: 70,497

Keywords: spain, italy, grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, turkey, portugal, mexico, new zealand, japan, South Korea

Id: R9Ku7Pdw0EQ

Length: 17min 26sec (1046 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 11 2023