Would you leave your country right now?

[Missy]

DS lives in Texas @mellowyellowgirl, we live in the UK, so yes to quite a climate change, yes to quite a culture change, we don‘t have armed police on the streets here, but the area he lives in reminds him of ‘home’, and he will become a citizen this year and that is where his life is. On the day we travel, we’re up before 6am, get to the airport about 8am, flight is usually between 11-12 am. 10 hour flight, + 6hrs time difference, and an hour from the airport to his place, and it‘s not getting any easier.

Once we leave here, we won’t ever come back, we’ll get on with integrating there and making a new life for ourselves. We most definitely won’t be the typical ex-pats always complaining about how things are better back home, any country that welcomes us should expect that we will do everything to adapt and fit in.

And I am so excited to have you move here eventually @Austina!!! Anything I can do at all please do not hesitate to ask! You know we are here for you however we can be. When you and your DH move here (and your son becomes a citizen) the USA will be elevated a notch IMO.

 

[MMtwo]

America is a troubled teen at the moment. Everyone and everything is changing, some are acting out, some are working through scars and trauma, some are busy creating more.

What I hope for (and what I will try to find a way of doing) is to create room at the table for everyone, even people I find annoying, pandering, reactive and even politicians. Everyone deserves a voice. Everyone should be free to pursue their happiness without undue restrictions from others. Certainly this includes freedom from physical fear. I don't think stripping culture produces harmony any more than Colonization creates harmony - it's never worked before, even for the well meaning. There is so much to think about, challenge and consider.

But no, I wouldn't leave her.

 

[Jambalaya]

DS lives in Texas @mellowyellowgirl, we live in the UK, so yes to quite a climate change, yes to quite a culture change, we don‘t have armed police on the streets here, but the area he lives in reminds him of ‘home’, and he will become a citizen this year and that is where his life is. On the day we travel, we’re up before 6am, get to the airport about 8am, flight is usually between 11-12 am. 10 hour flight, + 6hrs time difference, and an hour from the airport to his place, and it‘s not getting any easier.

Once we leave here, we won’t ever come back, we’ll get on with integrating there and making a new life for ourselves. We most definitely won’t be the typical ex-pats always complaining about how things are better back home, any country that welcomes us should expect that we will do everything to adapt and fit in.

I hope very much that you move to Texas - lots of space and warm weather - but how will you do it? I thought you had to either be married to a US citizen or be sponsored by an employer. Also, I don't think you'd be eligible for Medicare because you wouldn't have worked the required forty quarters, so you'd need private insurance, which would be extremely expensive, and more so for senior-ish folks. When I was married we were both self-employed and it was $1,200 for us both, about eight years ago. That was for medical, dental, and vision, and we were well under 50 at that time.

My friend was married to a French man, and they found it was almost impossible to bring his parents over. Technically, he could apply to bring them once he became a citizen, but the wait was something crazy like fifteen years because all the applications for people who are spouses or children of US citizens are processed ahead of other relatives.

Also, I know someone who moved to Canada and his US parents were able to move there easily. I'm not sure why the US is so hard and Canada was so welcoming. You might all have to move to Canada!

 

[Jambalaya]

Just did a quick google search out of curiosity. Seems like things have changed! The friend's experience with her French in-laws was years ago. I had no idea that the (legal) immigration process was so efficient these days! Seems like it should only take a few months once your son is able to apply. Hot weather and fantastic steaks, here you come! Yay!!

 

[mommylawyer]

Not at the moment. I am happy to be in Belize right now. But when the kids go to college, we'll split our time between Belize and the United States.

 

[Austina]

DS will be a citizen (hopefully) later this year @Jambalaya and on that basis, we will be eligible for a visa. We understand that we will have to have private medical insurance (we do here as well as contributing to the NHS) and certainly wouldn’t expect to qualify for any kind Medicare there. Some things are cheaper there, housing being one of them, although property tax is much more expensive than here, but income tax is less. So all in all we don’t expect to be any worse off financially, and we will be totally self supporting anyway. Obviously with the lockdown, his application may be slightly delayed as they are not doing any face to face interviews and have also changed the citizenship ceremonies. We’ve been waiting 5 years for this, so hopefully we’ll be on the move within the next 12 months or so.

 

[Jambalaya]

DS will be a citizen (hopefully) later this year @Jambalaya and on that basis, we will be eligible for a visa. We understand that we will have to have private medical insurance (we do here as well as contributing to the NHS) and certainly wouldn’t expect to qualify for any kind Medicare there. Some things are cheaper there, housing being one of them, although property tax is much more expensive than here, but income tax is less. So all in all we don’t expect to be any worse off financially, and we will be totally self supporting anyway. Obviously with the lockdown, his application may be slightly delayed as they are not doing any face to face interviews and have also changed the citizenship ceremonies. We’ve been waiting 5 years for this, so hopefully we’ll be on the move within the next 12 months or so.

I think moving to Texas will be great! There is SO much space there, and it's probably much warmer than the UK! The people are very friendly, too. You're gonna love it!

 

[arkieb1]

Would I leave Australia at the moment? No, it's a safe clean genuinely decent environment to live in that socially supports and protects most of it's citizens in a O.K way. Would I leave and live overseas for a while? Who knows I don't mind an adventure so I really don't know what might happen in the future.

I think I'd always come back to Australia. There is something essentially great about the spirit of the place and most of the people that live here that gives it an attractive level of liveability.

Canada comes close, New Zealand is up there too. But I could live in Italy, Vietnam, and a few other places around the globe easily as well.

 

[OboeGal]

I would leave the US for Australia in a heartbeat. I would also go to Canada or western Europe or to a carefully chosen Caribbean island or to a carefully chosen Central or South American country, albeit not as eagerly.

ETA: That's today. Ask me again tomorrow, and the answer might be "no, I wouldn't leave; I'll stay and fight against everything that is so truly, truly horrible about the US" which is reeeeeaaaally a lot.

 

[OboeGal]

No. Why would I leave a country that has so much beauty and possibility to a bunch of gun-toting right-wing racists who don't believe in science or helping other people? They don't deserve it. I'm going to stay and fight to Make America Great. For Everyone.

Yes, this is exactly what I meant above if I were to stay and fight. They don't deserve it. Some days they succeed in driving me out; other days I'm determined to stay and not let them have it.

 

[OreoRosies86]

We discuss it a lot, but convincing my family would be a hard sell.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

My sister begs for us to just give it up and move on up to Canadia-land to be nearer to her family. We love Canada, it wouldn't be much different. Except milk in bags, that's super weird. Maine is basically Canada junior.
But
We will stay and fight until we can't. We won't go quietly.