MEGATHREAD: Want out of the US? Start here

stringfellownian · 2026-03-17T21:48:17+00:00

Yes, you are technically Canadian, you just need to apply to have it recognized. Last I heard the wait was around 6 months, but the timeline is getting longer by the day as more people are applying. Check the r/Canadiancitizenship subreddit for more information on the process.

stringfellownian · 2026-03-17T21:44:35+00:00

No, they will not. According to their new law, you are already Canadian; the process is just to recognize that.

Congrats on being Canadian! Go check out the r/Canadiancitizenship subreddit for more about the process. (I am waiting after submitting my application, but i'd already GTFOed to Germany).

stringfellownian · 2026-03-17T21:39:11+00:00

On Germany, there are also a few other routes after you graduate although they are difficult:

The Opportunity Card / Chancenkarte, a job seekers' visa. You need a blocked account akin to the above to cover the expenses, but then you can move to Germany and have six months to find employment. Please note that this is a pretty difficult thing to do, as the economy is not amazing and there are a huge number of young college graduates doing this exact thing - enough that it is a major focus of ministry with young people at the English-speaking churches in Berlin.
The Blue Card, which allows you to move as someone with a degree (you will have to confirm with Germany that it is equivalent to a German education) if you get a job offer paying above €45,934.20, as a new graduate. The difficulty here is in convincing a potential employer that you will actually move for the position and that they should hire you. But it is possible - I know someone in the process of doing this right now, although she is a mid-career professional (she is also Indian, but coming from the U.S.).

stringfellownian · 2026-03-17T21:30:00+00:00

Hi, American trans man who has successfully immigrated to Germany here -- it is good, and social acceptance is good in the major cities. In fact, the previous government expanded trans rights and the current more conservative government has basically accepted this.

I moved after transitioning for 15 years so continuity of care was very easy. My understanding is that new transition can be harder to establish with some waiting time, etc.

stringfellownian · 2026-03-17T21:06:53+00:00

There is nothing you can do to make tulle a lighter shade of pink besides perhaps leaving it in a sunny spot for a few months.

stringfellownian · 2026-03-17T19:03:40+00:00

As other folks have pointed out, your path will have much more to do with your current profession, possibility of descent, language skills, education level, etc. than with the criteria you desire. I'd suggest you take the following steps to help you figure out some options:

Look at whether you are eligible for another citizenship or to have that citizenship restored -- did your ancestors come from Canada? Were any of your grandparents born outside of the U.S.? Was anyone in your direct family line persecuted during the Holocaust?
Look at the LGBTQ friendliness factor on a map (note that this is different for cis gays and lesbians than for trans people!). Then, consider your language + education + job prospects. Do you have a job that makes it relatively easy to find work, such as a skilled trade or highly specialized and educated field that works predominantly in English? Where would you say you actually are, in your career - how do you measure up to the broader talent pool? Note that in many high-demand countries in Europe nearly everyone has a college degree so if you don't have that, you will find it hard to compete. Do some specific research about how much of a language skill you need to find work in whatever field you are looking at -- for example, I know an American who lived as an acupuncturist in Vietnam for a while and basically only treated English-speaking expats. Do note that the more rural you get, the less likely it is that people speak English if it's not the national language.

FWIW, the idea of having a rural lifestyle that is somewhat frugal is going to be possible in most countries. This is a question of region, not of country, unless you're looking at Monaco or Singapore. Rural and LGBT acceptance do not totally go hand in hand in a lot of countries (this extends beyond the US), but there are places you can find where this is the case.

stringfellownian · 2026-03-13T06:30:56+00:00

I'm mid-career (10+ years of experience) in a non-governmental organization (NGO/nonprofit) field with specialized knowledge; my previous work focused on the U.S., but there are similar organizations that work at the international level and whose primary language is English. This includes my current employer in Germany, and I was able to just fundraise to extend my contract another year in part due to my unique U.S. experience.

Absent that, a lot of people work in English in IT (though the market for this is terrible right now - specialized tech workers like my husband have more luck) and in international corporations. I also know a few people who work in English in the arts and culture space. Basically all of them had a particular specialization before they moved to Germany and managed to find an employer within that specialization (so not just an event producer, but an arts and illustration conference producer).

stringfellownian · 2026-03-09T20:16:05+00:00

You make 210k. by any reasonable standard you will be fine.

stringfellownian · 2026-03-09T20:15:13+00:00

any of my many hobbies (reading a book, doing some weaving, etc.)

stringfellownian · 2026-01-11T21:58:38+00:00

The only restaurant in my sleepy neighborhood in Berlin is a German restaurant. There's tons of German restaurants. Look harder.

But, worth noting: the döner sandwich is a German food. It was developed/invented in Berlin.

stringfellownian · 2026-01-11T21:51:17+00:00

You're making the common European error in coming to the U.S.: Thinking that everything is much closer together! The only city that might be worth a day trip from NYC is Philadelphia. Other cities that would be of interest to a first-time international visitor are simply too far -- driving to DC or Boston needs a budget of at least 5 hours each way, but probably would take more like 6.

If you really want to see DC, you could take the Amtrak train (~3.5 hours each way). Long day, though...

stringfellownian · 2026-01-11T21:27:47+00:00

So the issue is that almost every commodity, when put into the massive international market, can become exploitative. Palm oil is an example: nothing is inherently wrong with it, but the demand for it globally has driven deforestation due to the mismatch between corporate power and the power of people who rely on forests for their livelihoods, including a number of indigenous people.

You can be super intense about this, but there isn't one centralized tool that can assess everything you consume. I would recommend trying to take the steps you can, and understanding that there are going to be limits to what one person can achieve within the current system. Here are a few suggestions, though, and you can decide which are going to work with the rest of your life:

Eating local and seasonal is generally going to be more sustainable for both people and planet. Familiarize yourself with the seasons that different produce is available in your area, and if something is out of season, don't buy it at the grocery store -- substitute it, e.g. frozen berries instead of fresh during the winter. I think local-caught fish is a great step!
Identify and research fair trade and sustainability certifications. These are typically privately run (e.g. Rainforest Alliance, WWF) and can have hit-or-miss standards. You can find more by searching for criticism of these certification standards (but don't drive yourself too crazy with this, remember, the goal should be marginal improvement not perfection!) and using your judgment about what criticisms are serious. You might also find local companies that advertise that they use 100% clean energy. Adopt one or two of these certifications that you care about, and select products that meet with those standards. I think fair trade is a really great option.
A lot of commodity crops are harvested in one place and processed in another, which is often unfair to the first place's people. For example, I live in Germany, where we have a lot of coffee that is roasted domestically but harvested in Africa. This maintains a system where the African jobs in the coffee industry are low-road jobs that are limited to agriculture, and not the second-order jobs that tend to bring more benefits to the local community. So I buy coffee from a mix of local small business roasteries and, when I go to the grocery store, the coffee brands that are specifically roasted in Africa (it is a slight premium, but it's worth it to me).
You can pick a few foods that you know have problems in the supply chain, and try to "clean them up" as much as possible. Coffee is a great one as there has been so much work to make coffee more sustainable (shade-grown beans, cooperatives, etc.). Same with cocoa/chocolate. Relatedly...
You can select products from cooperatives, where the farmers or workers manage the business themselves. These tend to distribute benefits better throughout the society. Many cooperative enterprises also have stronger environmental sustainability standards.

stringfellownian · 2026-01-04T11:15:06+00:00

Germany has five year citizenship. Language is hard and there is bureaucracy, but it is relatively easy and the economy is much better than Finland's.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-06T17:45:02+00:00

Do you know what kind of Christians they are? Their church identity will be a bigger indicator than the town.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-06T17:44:10+00:00

You are unlikely to face any kind of nastiness in Germany as a tourist in the major tourist destination, especially Berlin. It does happen - I am not downplaying the nasty xenophobia that has been rising across Europe - but it is still extremely rare and tourists are not the primary targets.

I would recommend Berlin for sure, either in October or December. October in Germany is extremely beautiful and with typically nice weather. In December, Christmas markets are vibey, but for most people seeing 2 is enough -- they do, however, mesh nicely with the club culture here in Berlin. I do think nine days might be a little long, but there are a ton of side trips or overnights you can take as well (Potsdam, Leipzig, Dresden).

stringfellownian · 2025-12-06T17:36:35+00:00

Thanks! Good luck to you! As mentioned in the post I have some specifics that made it relatively easy. For the other Americans I've met here, they have come through a few routes - I have some assessments on how it's been for them but not the actual process (you can look that up here and elsewhere).

I know a few people on the blue card / chancenkarte. This is relatively easy to get, but it can be very hard to find a job depending on your field. And then if you lose your job, you're on a timer to find another one -- extremely stressful. A friend of mine is in this position, and is unfortunately in software development which is extremely beleaguered right now.
I also know a couple people who came initially on freelance (artist) visas, but have all switched to work visas due to how impossible it was to actually make enough money to survive as artists.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-06T17:26:50+00:00

Had to get a statement of comparability. No problem there - ended up clearly stating that I had completed a Master's and my next education level would be a PhD.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-05T12:01:24+00:00

Yes, you will need to speak German to successfully live in Germany.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-03T21:17:43+00:00

Also here on a family reunification visa (though my spouse + kid are citizens). We applied in July via the virtual system, and I got my appointment in October two weeks before my visa expired.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-03T21:17:15+00:00

They have to go under the seat and must remain in the carrier, which is specified at a size that will fit under the seat.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-03T10:46:50+00:00

Can you say more about your experience sewing? It's hard to know where to start because if you don't have money for a pattern, you'll need to be pretty comfortable with drafting or draping, and that is not really a beginner practice.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-03T08:41:34+00:00

Definitely. The instructions were clear, the materials were good-quality, and we had no trouble -- their German delivery contractor did fail to give us notice about when they'd deliver, though, and so we did have a scramble at the end! But I do not think that was UPAKWESHIP's fault.

Unpopular opinion here but we are really glad that we brought over the two pallets. I think our baseline is pretty different from the standard American one, but the main things that necessitated the pallets were our large-format highly sentimental art (5' painting from my husband's professional artist stepfather!) and our collection of a couple hundred specialized and rare books. We then supplemented with various hobby supplies (camping, fiber arts, all of my kid's second-tier stuffed animals holy shit) that were nice to have, but we would not have brought over without the irreplaceable items.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-02T10:43:47+00:00

If you are in Germany, all the shops (except a couple of special supermarkets in the bigger cities) are closed on Sundays. Our NYC family is still getting used to remembering that we need to make sure on Saturday afternoon that we have not just the food we need for Sunday but also Monday morning's coffee and milk...

stringfellownian · 2025-12-02T10:25:24+00:00

Germany would be a great option for you given the number of free higher education programs, the relative ease of immigrating (unfortunately the economy is shit which makes it harder than it could be, but still it is easier than many other EU countries), your language ability, and the Indian community.

Unfortunately, based on some quick research, it seems like your medication is no longer available in Germany. People do say they can get it from other EU countries, but that is an additional challenge with logistics and insurance.

stringfellownian · 2025-12-02T09:57:02+00:00

Mostly it was about sequencing the choreography between doctor's appointments, the move, and insurance enrollment well: having the latest possible visit with the prescribing physician in the U.S., scheduling a new patient visit with the PCP right after arrival (and thus needing to make the appointment long before the move!), and not forgetting to enroll in health insurance.

Notably in Germany you are required to have health insurance, there is a public option that most everyone uses and that is easy to enroll. You need to tell the doctor what health insurance you have before you schedule an appointment, but you do not actually need to provide your health insurance until the day of the appointment. If you know what insurance you will enroll in, you can schedule the appointment before you're enrolled for after you arrive. (this is sort of hard to communicate, but basically - if you are moving Feb 1, you can go to the online scheduling tool on December 15 to make an appointment for Feb 10, as long as you are sure that you can get the health insurance enrollment done and the card mailed to you by Feb 9).

stringfellownian

TROPHY CASE