I updated my data based on a review of over 400 media stories on the topic of “I moved abroad”.
Here is the updated analysis. Also see -> Start here: The Myth that Americans Can Easily Move Abroad
Who Moves Abroad?
About 64% of the 400+ “I moved abroad” stories involve persons who obtained residency or citizenship via marriage, prior dual citizenship or a “right of descent” ancestry privilege.
- About 40% of the subjects of these stories obtained residency or citizenship via marriage,
- About 16% had prior dual citizenship,
- About 8% had a “right of descent” ancestry privilege
In the case of “Marriage”, in almost all stories, the subject is an attractive, well educated, young American woman, typically working as a content creator, who married a foreigner.
For most people, moving abroad requires an “immigration privilege”, such as the above. If you are outside those categories, moving abroad may be impossible.
To Move Abroad
Here’s what the data says, based on the 400+ media stories:
- Be young, female, and attractive, and marry a foreigner
- Come from a wealthy family
- Attend an elite university
- Earn a degree in the humanities (English literature, creative writing, or journalism)
- Do a study abroad (primarily in Europe)
- Become a freelance travel writer
- Be born into the right family so you have prior dual citizenship or a right of descent ancestry.
- Beyond that is the work option – typically have a degree in an “in demand” field, which is typically health care or engineering – and obtain a sponsored employment visa
Who Writes “I Moved Abroad” Stories
- 80% of “I moved abroad” stories are to Europe, but only 20% of Americans abroad live there The bias towards Europe is because most stories are written by young freelance American writers with European ancestry, often recent.
- Why Europe Dominates “I Moved Abroad” Stories – explains the Eurocentric perspective and details about who writes these stories
- The stories are written overwhelmingly by young female freelance writers, who mostly write about themselves. The result is most stories cover young single women, or married women writing about their life abroad.
Half of the stories feature a single woman (about 50% – but who make up less than 14% of US adults), or a family that moved abroad (30%), 10% feature gays or lesbians or transgender, 8% feature single males (who make up 18% of US adults).
Travel writing is heavily biased towards women, and heavily biased against covering men who travel or move abroad. Even in the “family” stories, the story is told from the woman’s perspective. The travel media has morphed into “women’s magazine” like content, blending a personal story by an attractive young woman, frequently tied into a romance story (the marriage angle). This creates what they call a “two-fer” – a travel/moved abroad story AND a romance story – targeted at young women. Since these stories get the hits, editors commission more of them – and eventually, nearly all travel and moved abroad stories are literally the same story!
The main types of visas used
Left Y Axis is percent. 40% of the subjects had a marriage visa, about 16% prior dual citizenship and 8% with a right of descent ancestry privilege. That is 64% of the story subjects. For “normal” people, your choices are a work visa (about 14%) or an education visa (study abroad), about 5%.
Thus, if you want to move abroad – marry a foreigner or be an existing dual citizen or be born into the right family!
Data Table (January 2026)
| Marriage | 40.34% | |||
| Dual citizen | 15.65% | |||
| Work | 14.43% | |||
| Unknown | 8.80% | |||
| Ancestry | 7.58% | |||
| None/Tourist | 6.85% | |||
| Other/Education | 5.38% | |||
| Investment | 0.98% |
How Did They Get a Residency Visa?
Many, if not most of the pop media stories about moving abroad leave out details of how the subject of the story obtained a residency visa.
The majority of stories involve someone who had American wealth and an immigration privilege. These critical details are often left out of media stories. In fact, many if not most of the stories are spun as if anyone can move abroad – and find a better life than living in the awful United States! (The contradiction that their American wealth makes it possible for them to leave the awful U.S. is ignored!)
Researching those who appear in the stories, here’s what typically happens.
- Many married a foreigner, and through marriage, were able to obtain residency or citizenship
- Many had prior dual citizenship due to where they were born or because their parents were citizens of another country
- Many had a right of descent via ancestry or other immigration privilege. Basically, they have an ancestor from a country that provides immigration privileges to offspring (children or sometimes grandchildren).
- Some do not have residency visas and commute to and from the U.S. – they have not really moved abroad – yet the media often presents these incorrectly as someone who has “moved abroad”.
- Some moved abroad via a work visa, and then end up with marriage and permanent residency afterward.
Most of those who moved abroad permanently had an immigration privilege that you likely do not have:
64% of the stories have someone who married a foreigner, had prior dual citizenship, or a right of descent privilege.
Unless you fall into those 3 categories, most of you will not be able to move abroad.
Another insight – most of the stories are written by or about people who were well off and had upbringings that included much international travel and attendance at elite, expensive universities. Having wealth is another component to moving abroad for most of the subjects in these stories.