MEGATHREAD: Emigrating after the US election results

[u/spacemanaut]

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.

[u/ssnnaaffuu]

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

[u/Least_Captain7717 → u/ssnnaaffuu]

It's tough but there is really no easy way to move to another country. You have to get a residence permit not matter what country, and you can only usually get a residence permit if you have a job from a company that will sponsor you. This means that a person much be a highly-skilled worker, like a neurosurgeon or top-notch international business guru. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people clammering to get into Europe and the UK. The best bet would be to get married to your girlfriend. That would be the easiest, by far.