It’s not easy, and is likely impossible for many. After the election, perhaps 1 in 3 Americans decided they would pack up and move abroad. Unfortunately for them, and their naive understanding, it is not easy.
Here’s – finally! A reality check in the mainstream media:
While people on social media depict leaving the U.S. and moving to Canada as a seamless and effortless process, the reality begs to differ. Moving across countries is tedious and time consuming, requiring heaps of paperwork and money. Relocating to Canada may be a dream, but it is not that easy.
The quickest method of moving to Canada, the Express Entry program, can take anywhere between six months to a year, has an application costing over $1,000 per person and is a points-based system, meaning that there are no guarantees of being accepted after you apply. Its ideal candidate has a master’s degree, is fluent in English or French and has at least one full year of work experience, making the program very competitive.
Moving abroad is not that simple – Daily Trojan
This is from the student run newspaper at USC! They understand the reality far better, than say, Business Insider, which writes endless aspirational nonsense stories about people moving abroad (2/3ds of which has prior immigration rights).
While moving abroad can be the right move, it is not the utopia that social media envisions it to be.
Also, most Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck and/or have no “emergency fund” – most Americans do not have the money to move abroad – despite the endlessly stupid news stories saying everyone is moving abroad: Americans Show Curiosity About Moving Abroad Post-election, Despite 34% Living Paycheck To Paycheck | Bankrate
- A typical family move to Canada – if they can get visas – runs about US$17,000.
- The cost of moving one or two people to the UK is about US$24,000.
The costs of moving to other countries that are popular with Americans are similar to those above, and may vary on many factors including age, cost of visas per country, and how much personal property is moved.