Preferably into the EU. I speak some Spanish and I’m set to graduate with an Associates this semester. Hoping to get CompTIA certs sometime soonish and would like to continue schooling to get a bachelor’s in Compsci. Most notable work experience is 2 years in an office setting making collection calls and processing payments. What resources are available to me? Who or what agency/department can I contact to get more information? What’s the pipeline look like?
I know I could look most of this up, but there’s a lot of information out there and some(a lot) of it I find somewhat confusing. Plus, I don’t really even know where to start.
Do you have ancestry from a country that makes immigration easier if you can prove it?
If Americans could stay in the US that would be great.
Those that want to leave are probably not the ones you want to avoid.
IMO, anyone who is awake and aware of the situation in any capacity, and can think rationally has, or is, considering leaving, or has left already.
It’s the people who agree and are happy with what is happening that you should probably avoid, and they don’t want to leave.
There’s a small third category. Those of us that see the problems and are willing to fight and die to try and save our country.
Fair enough.
Those that want to leave are probably not the ones you want to avoid.
They’re probably the ones I want voting there though, would be nice if people would move around more within the US specifically to counteract the gerrymandering and electoral college 😅
Americans who want to leave are clearly able to identify the problems in the US, and are therefore probably not the ones causing the problems over there.
And in general we should welcome people who want to change their life conditions. Freedom of movement is important.
No need to take the chance. They got a pass the first time. You don’t get another. You vote in a rapist please stay where you are and deal with it.
Seems xenophobic
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
Associates degrees are non-existent and not recognized in the EU, and most if not all countries require you to be a graduate to be eligible for hire, which would make a student visa the easiest route.
Luckily many countries offer tuition completely for free; though bachelor degrees are often taught in the native language. If your Spanish is solid, you could of course go to Spain, else with English you’d be somewhat restricted to Ireland and Malta (English is the second official language, but the primary for tuition).
Other than that, some universities have English taught bachelor degrees, so you’d have to research them individually. Finland is very English- and Tech-friendly, for starters.
I don’t think they offer free tuition to non-EU citizens
In Germany “not free” means something like 400$ per semester at the public universities, doesn’t matter the nationality.
TIL: that’s not the case in the federal state of Baden Württemberg.
Wrong, correct answer is that it depends on the university.
Nordic countries do
Germany does
While most German universities are tuition-free, foreign students will still have to prove they have the means to support themselves, which means a 5-figure sum for each year.
There are countries that do, but you’ll still need to demonstrate that you have the financial means to support yourself without working or needing recourse to public services for the duration of your study, so there’s still a fairly significant financial barrier to entry for most individuals. If you have the money to put down for 3 years of rent, food, utilities, etc, while you complete a degree in Europe, I imagine you’re generally doing pretty okay for yourself in the US.
But to be fair, the tuition is quite cheap depending on what and where you study. For myself the tuition is about 50€ per month(I just assume that the tuition is the same for non EU citizens).
50 euro tuitions are heavily subsidised, usually the price is a lot higher without subsidies.
Look up “working holiday visas” if you’re under 30. It’s a process to encourage people to get world experience while they’re young. I’m sure if you found somewhere you liked you could then try and get something more permanent.
You could do your bachelor’s in the EU. In that case, I believe the easiest way is by searching for universities that offer studies in english. The university I work at offers a master’s in computer science in English but the bachelor’s is in German. Most international universities also have offices that can help you with organizing your stay and visa.
Your best bet is through a company. If you have a reasonable job opportunity, familiarise yourself with the work visa and residency procedures. Your future employer will likely help you in the process.
However, the economy currently is tough also in the EU, so you’ll need to find a niche.
There are a few weird historical rules which may be useful. For example, if any of your ancestors were Spanish Jews who were expelled in 1492, you may be entitled to Spanish citizenship. The same might go for Portugal.
deleted by creator
Wow is that true? :D thats a crazy long time ago…
Some countries consider limitless ancestral pathways, but you must have factual evidence (birth records, marriage certificate etc.) that are unquestionable. Several countries also consider the paternal side only, meaning you must be able to trace your lineage through your father’s male family line only.
I haven’t heard of anyone being able to trace their line back to the discovery of America, but who knows. Certainly heard of some Brazilian successfully claiming German citizenship dating back to refugees from WW1, which is already 110 years ago and 3-4 generations later.
Do you have ANY Italian ancestry? Even fairly distant like 100+ years ago? Irish grandparents?
Other than that it’s gonna be tough bud.
Not EU but there’s ways to do remote work in other countries… Look into some “digital nomad” communities although they often come across as gross privileged fucks who just want to exploit lower costs of living and not try to fit in at all.
My maternal grandfather was born in Italy and moved to the States as a child. Does that open any doors for me?
It likely depends on if your great-grandparents naturalized as US citizens before your grandfather was an adult.
https://www.italiandualcitizenship.net/italian-citizenship-by-descent/
deleted by creator
Huh, didn’t know that. It is pretty hard to start a business, but the process itself seems pretty straightforward. I’ll keep this in mind and look into it more, thank you.
You think being an entrepreneur is more of a sure thing than finding an employer?
Being an entrepreneur in a new country with a different culture and set of laws
80% of startups fail as a benchmark. It’s pretty tricky to create a company.
*successfull company, incorporating is dead simple.
What do you mean by incorporating? I’m not super familiar with the term
Incorporating is just the legal paperwork that brings a corporation into existence. Never done it, but I bet it is just paperwork and money.
In the Netherlands it’s, no joke, 15 minutes and ~60 bucks.
Did it before, as a foreigner too, easiest shit in the world.
They even have dual language forms.
Look up digital nomad visas. Get remote work here, then apply to relocate to EU country. Good luck with the timezone difference, tho.
Getting remote work with my current level of education and experience seems almost impossible. I’ve looked on Remotists.com and Indeed, all the ones I saw ask for a bachelor’s minimum or very high skill set that I simply don’t have yet. Do you have any recommendations on where to look for remote jobs I might qualify for?
You might be able to find one with state/federal government - but they might have rules about residing within the state you’re at. Or require you to come in occasionally. But they can be good places to get started in a career. www.governmentjobs.com or usajobs.gov Not sure about private.
A couple of months ago I had a recruiter from the Department of State hit me up on Linkedin about onsite technical support roles at their embassies. The location selection process sounded more like military deployment and really sounded like a lot more uncertainty than I’d want to put my family through but if I didn’t have kids I’d have absolutely pursued it just for the experience. They were hiring for a ton of open positions so those might still be open if you have an IT background
I recently lost my mostly-remote role to layoffs and struggled to even land an interview, and ended up accepting a fully in person role an hour’s drive away. Job market’s pretty tight right now.
From the analysis I heard on the economics podcast I listen to, people aren’t changing jobs much and employers aren’t listing new jobs much at this second. Employers are apparently trying to wait and see what the new administration has in store for them before trying to expand their teams
Make sure to research expected pay in your desired target countries. I was shocked when I saw the difference between compsci job salaries in the US and Italy. Can adjust for cost of living differences but it was still a significant decrease. Would be good to be aware ahead of time and not surprised if you’re not happy with the salaries presented.
What’s the healthcare cost difference? Student loans?
Some countries are easier to get into than others. Start researching which ones have a path that could work for you.
Most are pretty strict but some are more open. If I recall correctly the Nordic countries may be a little easier, but don’t quote me on that. It’s been a long time since I accepted that this country had successfully trapped me here.
Are you able to spend a lot of money on it? Last I checked, there were a few places in the EU that had a citizenship track if you purchased substantial property. So if you’re in position to buy a nice house, that’s an option. I think Portugal is the most approachable cost-wise. But it’s been a while since I looked at this so I’m sure things have changed.
Several countries will allow extended student visas, even if you only speak English. I think Sweden allows this.
Then of course there’s the easy way: marry a Canadian.
You saying we’re easy? I mean… we are but you’re not supposed to just say it
Sorry
Did I pass the immigration test?
One of us!
I wonder how substantial they mean. I might be able to afford a down payment on something small, as long as the housing market is nothing like the one here in the States (ie significantly better). I’ll look into it, thanks.
Sorry, it looks like the real estate option in Portugal is no longer available. :( Now it would take a €500K investment in a local business or €250K in a nonprofit. If you’re that stinkin’ rich, you probably have better options already.
According to https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/real-estate-citizenship/ , Cyprus offers a citizenship path with real estate purchase of €300K. Greece and some other countries do, as well.
iirc we’re right in the middle of hiring season for college students who graduate in May.
- look for job fairs. these are events to recruit college students. sometimes they’re held online. Check out your school’s career center to see what job fairs are scheduled. if you’re at a small school, look at the schedule for nearby larger university. back when they were all onsite, you could usually sneak in, dunno about virtual.
- once you get to a job fair look for big international companies. ask about opportunities to work overseas. emphasize your CompTIA certs and ability to speak Spanish. it’d be easier with an undergrad but an associates is doable.
- consider going to Latin America, since you know Spanish.
- wait, did you say your grandfolks were Venezuelan? check out the Latino alumni club of your college. If your college is too small, check out the club of the nearest large university. If they have a “diversity lounge” with counselors go there and ask for an appointment. a lot of times companies make contact with those counselors for referrals. (I know a lot of companies are closing their DEI efforts but fam this is a cycle that happens every 5-10 years and the Latino/Black/etc people who work in those companies still make an effort to ensure fair hiring even if we have to review resumes in our spare time.)
Anyway, this is something to try alongside the schooling approach.
Illegally cross the border into Canada or Mexico and try to get citizenship before they deport you back.
Why not legally cross? It’s not that hard to do so.
Because imma bad boy 😎
Badman* FTFY
