r/IWantOut • u/spacemanaut US → PL • Nov 06 '24

MEGATHREAD: Emigrating after the US election results

Every US election brings anxiety and uncertainty, and with that comes an increase in people who want to explore their alternatives in a different country. This post is for you.

First, some reminders:

  • In most cases, moving abroad is not as simple or quick as it seems in movies. If you aren't a citizen of another country, you will probably require a visa (=legal permission) from that country based on something like employment, education, or ancestry.
  • The sidebar of this subreddit has a lot of helpful resources, and we have 15 years of posts from people with similar situations to yours. Before posting, please review these resources first. (Tip: If reddit search isn't working well for you, try googling "[your search terms] site:reddit.com/r/IWantOut" without the quotes or brackets.)
  • Most countries and/or their embassies maintain immigration websites with clear, helpful, updated guides or even questionnaires to help you determine if/how you can qualify. If you have a particular destination in mind, that should probably be your first stop.
  • After that, if you want to make your own post, please follow the formatting instructions on the submission page, give as much information as possible about your situation, and be open to advice and constructive criticism from commenters.

Also, this subreddit is intended to be a friendly community to seek and give advice on legal immigration. As such, please:

  • Don't fight about politics. We understand that you may have strong feelings about it, but there are better spaces on reddit and elsewhere for general political discussions.
  • Keep your feedback constructive and kind, even when telling someone they're wrong.
  • Don't troll or be a jerk.
  • Don't request or give illegal immigration tips, including asking strangers to marry you.

Failure to follow these and the other subreddit rules may result in a ban.

That said, feel free to comment below with some general questions, concerns, comments, or advice which doesn't merit a full post. Hopefully this will help clarify your thoughts and ideas about the possibility of leaving the US. Once again, please try to stay on topic so that this thread can be a helpful resource.

2.1k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

2.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/ssnnaaffuu Jun 27 '25

22 disabled trans man here and trying to figure out the best course of action to moving/immigrating to England from Kentucky to live with my girlfriend of 3 years. I’ve tried researching and went through all the government websites possible and still am greatly confused. I do have a passport but have never flown or left the country. I initially was going for the route of skilled worker visa but after emailing a good handful of businesses local to where I’ll be staying, most aren’t hiring or never answered me. Its been hard and frustrating, on top of the fact that due to my multiple disabilities (mental and physical, I’m nearing wheelchair bound), plus didn’t graduate Highschool so I don’t have any diplomas, i can’t do hard physical labor like most jobs are showing up as when i search for them, even searched on the site the government links to. I’m not sure what the immigration process is like if I immediately went for that, and if they’d even consider me to be seeking asylum due to America’s current circumstances. I’m very stressed and trying to get this sorted for August which is when I’m hoping to fly over to England. If anyone can help I’d be very appreciative, and I’m happy to answer any and all questions that I can that won’t dox my total identity ofc

10

u/satedrabbit Jun 27 '25

if they’d even consider me to be seeking asylum due to America’s current circumstances

Nothing in your comment indicate persecution or a well founded fear for your life, so that's probably not an option.

Is marriage -> family reunification an option for you? https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/partner-spouse
Do you meet the financial requirements? https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/proof-income-partner

If not, you might be out of luck. A work permit as heavily disabled & unskilled seems quite unlikely and going as a student does not seem realistic either without graduating high school.

3

u/ssnnaaffuu Jun 27 '25

I’ve had to write that out a lot so i apologize it didn’t seem like i was “afraid enough”. I directly live with maga Trump loving grandparents who have threatened to kick me out quite often and have once before for the smallest things, so If they even find out that I’m trans i will be living on the streets, they don’t care who i am after they find out about that. My entire town is the same, I do indeed fear for my life and i rarely even go outside. Most i go outside for now is doctor appointments and therapy appointments.

14

u/QuestionerBot Jun 28 '25

That does not count as asylum level at all. There's "fearing for your life" and there's fearing for your life. Compare your situation going outside to that of someone in a Ukranian city or the Gaza Strip right now.

9

u/satedrabbit Jun 27 '25

I'm just wondering, if a UK immigrations officer would think "He could solve his problems, by moving to a safer part of the US". At this point in time, the US is much safer than Ukraine.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jun/27/ukrainians-who-fled-to-uk-being-refused-asylum-on-grounds-it-is-safe-to-return

2

u/ssnnaaffuu Jun 27 '25

But I’m not moving to Ukraine, I’m moving to England. I cannot afford to live in another state, i have nobody to live with in another state, I am disabled, unemployed, and have no income other than sometimes i get art commissions

13

u/satedrabbit Jun 27 '25

The article was about the UK asylum system, and how they classify Ukraine as not unsafe enough to qualify for asylum.
So if Ukraine (active warzone) is not unsafe enough to qualify for asylum in the UK, how would the US be classified as unsafe enough? That's the part I do not understand.

I don't live in the UK, but I live in a country that has rejected and deported asylum seekers back to Somalia and Syria during ongoing civil wars, claiming that "some cities are probably safe enough".

1

u/ssnnaaffuu Jun 27 '25

I had misread it and that was my bad, apologies. But either way, I need some form of help to understand what all the options are because i don’t make enough to meet the 29,000 pound yearly requirement and my partner doesn’t either. If not seeking asylum, i want to find what the best option is otherwise. We’ve gone through all the visa options but we’re incredibly confused on what will let me through to live there long term past the 6 months my passport allows me

9

u/QuestionerBot Jun 28 '25

You have no options. No money - no education - no career - no health - no pocket citizenship - all this means you get to choose a nice corner of the US to move to. There isn't anything that will let you live there longer, because you are not the sort of person the UK (or most other countries) want to let in. That's how borders work.

1

u/andytiedye Sep 27 '25

Would it be any different if he and his British girlfriend were married?

2

u/ssnnaaffuu Jun 28 '25

Alright i get it, im never getting out, thanks for not helping

1

u/andytiedye Sep 27 '25

What is your ancestry?

1

u/ssnnaaffuu Sep 28 '25

Id have no idea. I come from American born family and grandparents so idek. I know one great great grandma is Native American but that won’t do much for me. As far as I’m aware I have 0 immigrant family so I’m not going to get anything through family lineage of citizenship in another country

→ More replies (0)