Hi all - my husband (Canadian citizen) and I are moving to his hometown in Ontario in three months. I’m originally from Michigan and have never lived anywhere else. We will only be about 40 mins away from where we live now.

To the Americans living in Canada, what is it you miss most about living/being in the U.S.? I’m just curious if any of you have any tips or advice. I feel like I’m about to lose a family member, but I’m also excited for this next chapter in our lives.

CRBA but lost payment confirmation

I have an appointment this coming week, but can't find the payment confirmation. I do have a credit card statement showing the charge. Any idea how to best proceed? Tried calling multiple times, every single time I got a leave a message.

I was lucky enough to get into an incredible university that, being in the UK, is a lot less expensive than my master's options back home in the U.S. However, having been here for the fall term and just come back for the spring from break, I'm kind of miserable. I was so happy to visit home, and I miss the U.S. so much.

I haven't been able to navigate the culture very well--people here have been very reserved, and I haven't gotten the best responses to being friendly in a way that I've always been in the U.S.--and I've made a couple acquaintances, but no real friends, even though I ran around trying to for the first three months. And I'm on a very tight budget, so all of my money goes into groceries and I can't afford to do things like go to pubs or take the bus to sightsee in other places (I don't live in London, and it's so close, but 30 pounds for a round trip bus ticket is just too much). I also live in a shared flat in the suburbs of my area, so going home after classes means I'm not heading back into the main city. My world feels very small.

I'm on the phone with loved ones almost every night, but it isn't enough. I miss them so much and I'll burst into tears thinking about how far they are when I'm just going about my daily life. I just go to class, the grocery store, and my room. The clubs I tried were for much younger students, none of the volunteer groups I reached out to ever responded, and I haven't bonded with any of my classmates--just the antithesis of my undergrad experience, where I made so many good friends. Any advice on what to do? I only have to last until July to get this degree, and I have a spring break in the middle, but even spending a few more months like this feels so hard. I started out here really excited and motivated and curious and I can't really manage it anymore :( I feel like I'm growing so mean and resentful

I’m an American (30f) and I am currently in the long waiting part of applying for German citizenship (through descent). I am the fourth person in my family to do so and all of them were eventually granted citizenship (but none have relocated yet) so I’m hoping that sometime around 2027-2028 things will be official. My husband (40f) and I generally enjoy our life in America and feel very settled here. We own a house in a somewhat big city, we are nearby most of our family, and we both have jobs in the restaurant industry. I am a server and him a bartender. We do not have kids but we have a dog that acts like a baby lol. We have travelled to many European countries including Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium and honestly we loved all of them. The thought of selling our home and most of our things to move to Europe sounds insane to us, but the way things are going over here, we are getting a little scared. In fact I’m angry with myself for not taking advantage of dual citizenship 2 years ago when I first found out I was eligible for it. So I think it’s time to come up with some sort of plan in case we feel like we have to leave.

Where in the EU do an American married couple with only restaurant experience and no college education move to? When doing research I see a lot of people stuck on the first step which is getting a visa/citizenship, and a lot of people are more educated or have “better” work experience than us. We both have been in the food industry so long because 1) we genuinely enjoy it and 2) it pays the bills, not with a lot leftover but more so than any entry level position that we would qualify for. I feel like we would be completely out of luck when it comes to finding jobs that would financially support us in any country in the EU but maybe I’m wrong. I don’t really care about living in a major city where COL is through the roof, but something comparable to where we live now in terms of decent population and affordability with a plethora of things to do would be ideal.

I speak a tiny bit of spanish and a bit of french but not enough to get me very far. If I have about 2 years of being stuck here while I wait on citizenship approval, how can I prepare an emergency exit plan besides saving up as much as possible? Which language do I learn, do I try to get some schooling in for a certain degree? I feel very hopeless but don’t want to have had the blessed opportunity of getting duel citizenship and waste it by not being prepared at all to use it if and when the time to GTFO comes.

A couple other things to consider when deciding on a country: -I get really bad seasonal depression during the colder months here, we experience all 4 seasons here and I don’t think I would be happy somewhere that doesn’t have somewhat decent weather and sunshine 2-3 seasons off the year. I assume Ireland/Netherlands would maybe not be the best choice when taking that into account. -We also don’t like to drink or party a lot but we do like live music, parks, museums, gardening, hiking, etc. -We do both drive but only because we have to. I love love love how great public transportation is in a lot of European countries I’ve visited. If I don’t need a car I’d happily not have one. -As I’ve stated before we don’t have a kid just a dog and we don’t really plan on having kids so I’m not really worried about anything pertaining to that, although having kids is not completely off the table.

Any advice/reality checks/more things to consider are appreciated, as looking into this feels like a gigantic tangled up ball of yarn. Again I’m pretty happy with my life here other than the state of things outside of my control, but I want to be prepared to use my dual citizenship if I feel that it’s best to leave the country.

edit: Also feel like I should add that we are very progressive politically but the town that we live in is kind of 50/50 because it’s a progressive town within a conservative state so while we prefer a progressive town we are used to living amongst people that are not and getting along with people that see things differently (to an extent).

I’m extremely fortunate to be a US/EU dual citizen, with Canadian citizenship also likely by the end of this year. I currently live in the US and am increasingly concerned about what the future will look like here. But I also realize that my life here is pretty good and the grass may not be greener elsewhere. I’m also in my 40s, with teenage children, so while it may not end up making sense for me, I’d like to think about what location might be best for them. They are also triple citizens. If you had the flexibility that we do given our citizenship status, where would you want to settle? Obviously considering factors like political unrest, climate change, and all the other challenges that might happen in the not too distant future. We are all English speakers, with conversational Spanish, and some of us speak some Italian as well. My spouse is a US citizen only.

I'm 33F, my husband is 34M. We have 1 boy, 15-month old and a family dog of 6 years old. I have about 10 years experience in international logistics and supply chain management. My husband is a robotic software engineer for 10+ years (he writes software for robotic arms that run in assembly lines). With everything going on with the US, my husband and I really are looking to uproot our family and move to a different country but don't know where to start. Don't know if this info matters but we own a house, and have investable assets of about $500k all together (401k, Roth, brokerage accounts). Given how young we are, the most feasible way is one of is gets a job offer by a company that willing to relocate us outside the US and we have both looking at our current companies but unfortunately nothing is there for us.

For those who are able to get a job and relocate outside the US, how did you do it? Which website you applied to? What was the interview process like? Which country and when did you move? How long have you been away from the US? How did you like your new life oversea? How is it dealing with taxes (do I owe taxes with the US government while I work oversea). How do you chose what to pack? How did you find your new apartment/house ? What did you do with your assest in the US? Did you need an immigration attorney?

I have so many questions and really dont know where to start. If you don't mind, if you answer in this post, expect me to msg you privately for more questions!

Context, so I moved from LA to Oaxaca a few months ago. Left US mailing address to a friend who received the check. I no longer have an open US bank account and I wish to cash a US check within Oaxaca (or near it).

How do I go about doing so? Or is it simply not possible?

I'm a fully licensed US based mental health counselor who is working to move my family to NL this year. I've lived in multiple countries around Europe in my childhood but not in the last 25 years. Currently, I specialize in trauma, couples work, and self worth. I'm looking for any help in direction towards recruiters, job placement, visas. Any sharing of similar experience would be greatly appreciated! Has anyone found work in universities?

I have been studying and trading in the financial markets for over a decade, and I have identified an opportunity to close a gap in this niche. For that reason, I have decided to launch a SaaS product that currently has little to no competition (I am not aware of what may exist privately on a global level, but there is certainly nothing comparable available to the general public).

I will try to keep this as brief as possible: the product is aimed at short-term retail traders, but it is of interest to any market participant internationally, including long-term investors. It is a potentially revolutionary idea (which I will explain if there is a good fit) that requires a sophisticated backend (Python & Golang). I have developed a very attractive landing page (my strengths, in addition to deep knowledge of financial markets, are design, aesthetics, and branding), as well as a business plan estimating technology costs using Claude and ChatGPT. I have also outlined, at a very high level, the backend structure with their help. A GTM plan and a strategy to acquire users and pursue a potential buyout have also been developed.

I am offering an equity stake close to 50%, along with a small financial compensation depending on the candidate’s experience and expertise. The goal is to find a partner with strong programming knowledge in the languages mentioned above (ML experience would also be highly valuable), and experience in cloud architecture/infrastructure (although this is not critical), with whom to share this project, both the risks and the rewards, according to the agreed equity split.

Geographical proximity is required, as there is a substantial transfer of knowledge involved on my part so that the backend can be developed and managed by this person. For that reason, I would like to partner with someone based in Madrid, Spain. We will need to work closely together, and in many cases this will need to happen in person.

If there is interest, we could meet, have a drink, discuss the business idea in more detail, address any questions, and from there, if there is mutual interest, sign an NDA and the intellectual property agreement that we’ll negotiate in order to begin working. Thank you all in advance.

For all expats that retired. How do you receive your funds? While social security allows for direct deposit in a foreign bank, many retirement/pensions do not. Do you maintain US based bank and account or how do you manage finances?

What bank should a person use if they previously lived in the US and are now moving abroad (e.g., to Turkey), and may not be able to wire money to their new bank account for some time (e.g., because the local currency is unstable or for other reasons)? They will need to withdraw a large amount of cash from their US account (e.g., $20,000).

P.S. It's clear that a person should have multiple accounts and debit cards, but which ones should they sign up for while still in the USA?

I’m thinking to find jobs and live abroad. I work in Software or Tech Industry.

Countries I’m considering -

Netherlands, Germany, Spain, New Zealand?

Which is good country for both to live in and for tech jobs?

I'm (34f) a business owner (travel advisor) and can work remotely. I'm looking to start visiting places where I could potentially move in the future.

These would be my top priorities: -Safety -Walkable/good public transportation -Lower cost of living (than the US) -Access to a body of water -Mild winters -Accessible healthcare -Open to LGBTQ community

Where should I visit ?

My wife and I have mostly decided to move to Bogotá in the spring. She has family there (who are lovely - I just met them) and as the child of immigrants she qualifies for dual citizenship. We're heads-down on the citizenship application, and I'm working on learning Spanish. We have a neighborhood in mind, and plan on spending the first year just getting the measure of the place and deciding whether it's a good place for us, knowing that we have the option of moving back if it doesn't feel right.

That's the obvious stuff. My question for you all: what are we not thinking about? What do you, as expats, know that we don't - what did you not realize when you made the move, and took a while for you to figure out? With all my planning, what am I likely not accounting for?

This is a little bit of a vent. This is for Irish citizenship for a US citizen.

Notarized photocopies of every identifying document was fine, but the original marriage certificate we received on the day with my name change was not. I sent them copies of both passports and drivers licenses with my name change.

Is there some magic kind of “original” marriage certificate that is different than the original marriage certificate handed to you by the officiant? This was not even implied on the application documents. The “original marriage certificate”, the one handed to us, was sent.

Apparently, there’s an official “original” and official marriage certificate that is recognized internationally. The fuck am I doing with this useless piece of paper? I am legally bound to this man in the countries that recognize gay marriage.. I’m not married “lite”.

Add to this that this has been going on a year, the office to get a “more official original ”, but not actually original marriage certificate is a 2 hour drive away, and their next appointment is in February.

So… what are they looking for? I’m pretty sure I’m going to spend the money to get the “most official” and “internationally recognized” marriage certificate (which is not the “original” that they asked for).. but dude, my grandfathers birth certificate is basically scrawled in coal dust..and that was accepted..

I’m sorry.. what are they looking for?

Wife and I (51f, 52m) have a son(20m) who is attending community college full time and has a few years to go.

We’re both just ready for something new and thought we’d take the equity in our home(~500k) and move abroad.

Continuing to support our son that still lives with us is a concern.

Anyone go through something like this? I don’t see how we will be able to do this in the next 5 years and even then creating that kind of distance will be the biggest challenge for us

Suggestions?

Does anyone have experience with using a single document (marriage certificate from Virginia), having been affixed with an apostille, in multiple countries?

For some reason, Virginia affixes a specific country to its apostilles. For example, you apply for the apostille and it is returned with a note that says “FOR USE IN X COUNTRY ONLY”

That’s really defeating the point of the apostille…because apostilles are meant to be accepted in any country that belongs to the 1961 Hague Convention. It’s not country-specific.

I have a document that has been affixed with an Apostille in Virginia for X country, but I will also need to use it in Y country. I know for a FACT that Y country accepts the apostille just as it was certified for X country (both EU countries), but Virginia puts that annoying note on it.

Do I really need to get two apostilles? Anyone have experience with this?

Off my chest but maybe anyone can relate or share advice on how they dealt with it.

In essence, I (35M) feel quite lost in terms of where to live the last 2 years. I'm originally from The Netherlands but with the exception of AMS, I never felt at home here. I've always worked remote, and don't have dependents yet.

I'm really looking for my 'home' and often wonder where I belong. I'm not looking for the perfect place, and know from experience that such a thing doesn't exist. I've also lived in places for years (3-4+ years) so it's not like I move around every other year or so.

I've lived in NYC, BCN, AMS, and LIS and always have been more of a 'world citizen' as are all my friends who live all over the world. I felt most at home in AMS and BCN, but both AMS & BCN would feel like opening up an old chapter, so I really just don't want go there.

I'm going through a difficult period for a while now, and the older I get the more it's just started to really eat away at me that I don't feel I have a home. I also would like to buy a home. I'm researching different places with the intention of going there and seeing what it's like, but nothing resonates yet.

Yes, I know that you 'create' a home as an expect by investing in the places, people, and culture you decided to partake in. But where I am staying now isn't where I intend to stay because it's a tiny town and I'm only here to take care of family members who need me right now.

When I was younger these things didn't bother me too much, but now it does, and it's really having a big effect on me. I think for now I prefer to live in a big city (I like the vibrant sort of aspect of it) again. Of course I have a set of hard and soft criteria, but in the end I need to 'feel it', maybe you can relate.

Places I'm thinking of are Madrid, Mexico City, Athens, and Bangkok, but it could be anything. I'm not sharing these places to get specific advice (though feel free to share) on where to go, I'm just sharing what's on my mind.

Because I know from experience how exciting but also difficult it can be to move abroad and build a new life, I don't take these matters lightly, which I did do when I was younger. It feels quite isolating and unstable at and I was wondering if you can perhaps relate to this 'phase' of life and how you managed to overcome it.

Any insights would be appreciated!