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Expats: Successfully Emigrate from the USA?
07-31-2013, 02:35 PM
Anyone here successfully emigrate (permanently) from the USA (I'm thinking towards EU but interested in other stories as well…) How hard was it to do? Did you obtain a 2nd passport or special long term visa?
If only you knew how bad things really are.
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Expats: Successfully Emigrate from the USA?
07-31-2013, 02:41 PM
Most get residency. Usually to get citizenship you need to speak the language.
Its hard in most countries. Most guaranteed way is marriage.
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Expats: Successfully Emigrate from the USA?
07-31-2013, 08:31 PM
What are the tax advantages of Israeli citizenship (specifically for a dual American-Israeli)?
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Expats: Successfully Emigrate from the USA?
07-31-2013, 08:35 PM
I'm living in Brazil on a 2 year work visa after originally coming in on a tourist visa (while getting paid under the table by the company that eventually sponsored my visa).
The work visa process, like every bureaucratic process here, is a cluster fuck. Apparently renewing is not difficult. I've heard that eventually I can apply for permanency, but I haven't yet looked into that yet.
The other ways to relocate here are with an investor visa (a R$ 150,000 (if I'm not mistaken) investment in a local business gives you permanency) or through marriage.
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Expats: Successfully Emigrate from the USA?
07-31-2013, 09:09 PM
It's usually easier to go for a residence permit (kind of like a green card in the US). You still retain your US passport, but you have permanent living/working rights in the other country.
Start researching your family tree. More than once, I've come across people who discovered they're 1/8th Irish or Spanish or something and can therefore apply for a passport from that EU country. With an EU passport, you can live and work anywhere in the EU.
As for taxes, as a US citizen, your worldwide income is taxable. However, nearly all countries have a tax treaty with the US = prevention of double taxation, and also if you are a true expat (not on US soil for at least 330 days/year), then you also get a foreign income exclusion on your US taxes of like $90k or something.
The bottom-line, tax-wise, is you'll end up paying the higher of the US tax rate or the tax rate where you live, but never double taxes since taxes paid in one place get credited to the other. A good way to reduce your tax burden is take dividends (set up your own company) instead of salary, as that's taxed like capital gains on US taxes = much lower rate (for anyone making decent money).
Overall, I'd say taxes are the least of the issues to worry about.
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Expats: Successfully Emigrate from the USA?
07-31-2013, 09:36 PM
Ive been abroad for over 3 years just staying on tourist visas. This is easy to do in Latin America with the exception of colombia, equador and brazil which make it hard to stay longer than 6 months a year on tourist visas.
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Expats: Successfully Emigrate from the USA?
08-03-2013, 10:21 AM
Quote: (07-31-2013 09:09 PM)paninaro Wrote:
Start researching your family tree. More than once, I've come across people who discovered they're 1/8th Irish or Spanish or something and can therefore apply for a passport from that EU country. With an EU passport, you can live and work anywhere in the EU.
That would be an ideal situation for me if possible.
One of my parents was born in Germany but I've discovered this fact is irrelevant/useless for me since they didn't have citizenship.
However, after doing some more research, it does look like Germany is somewhat more friendly to Americans in the granting of residence permits if you're self-employed. And as a US citizen apparently you can apply for one after arrival, which a lot of countries don't let you do.
That Columbia pensioner's visa does look like a great option if you were already retired.
If only you knew how bad things really are.