I found this on Mastodon, and though it would be a good idea to leave it here.
Want to leave the US?
Here’s how you can move to germany, even if you have no official credentials (like a university degree) or job that can get you a sponsored visa.
Germany is not perfect. We have our own fascism issues, but we didn’t just elect someone who openly paraphrases hitler as supreme leader.
Step 1: Start studying for german B1 language level. Duolingo can get you there, I also heard good things about babbel and other apps. Step 2: Find an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships in Germany are weird compared to the rest of the world. It’s a mostly full time job with a bad wage that is supposed to train you how to do a job. Finding one, if you have B1 language skills, entitles you to a work permit for the duration of it, completing one entitles you to a settlement permit.
I did an apprenticeship in IT, but there’s many options. Healthcare is one of the options with the best chances of getting hired and it pays pretty well compared to others. If you don’t mind waking up early, bakeries often receive not a single application for their apprenticeship postings.
I would recommend you to not go into the major cities, as their immigration offices are overworked and rent is too high to pay from an apprentice wage. Step 3: Finish the apprenticeship and apply for a settlement permit Step 4: Congrats, you can now live in germany as long as you want and work in any industry Step 5: After 3-5 years (depending on how well you do at work or how good your language skills are) you can apply for citizenship. If you get that, you can live and work in any EU country.
This website has a lot of resources on different ways to get to stay in germany, and I have personally found it very helpful to help someone acquire a work permit here: Working, studying, living in Germany
Would be good if anyone has interesting resources to add. I would add resources about coming to spain but honestly… is not like we’re in a good place right now, with high unemployment rates, inaccessible housing market and a quarter of spain voting for the fascists…
Good idea. I just wonder if it’s worth locking the thread so only members can see it, especially if advice on reproductive health is being shared. Just a thought.
Reminder that many countries offer birthright citizenship if one of your parents (or in some cases grandparents) held citizenship. The said predecessor may not need to be living but you’ll probably need their citizenship documentation from the said country.
Honestly, if the entire BBS isn’t completely locked for members only it should be.
ETA: It’s not my site or my decision, just a suggestion. I’m guessing you’re already vetting new sign-ups and excluding “AI” crawlers. I’m thankful this place is here but there are now new safety issues to consider.
I have the option to possibly get an Italian visa because my great grandfather on my mom’s side was Italian. Problem is that the process and getting the needed documents costs about $10k, i hadn’t thought too much about it but now it might be more of an option i seriously need to consider.
Alternatively i do have a Venezuelan citizenship but i am not moving back there.
Lastly i have a very close friend that’s moving to Costa Rica at the end of this year, we’re practically family and she’s been telling me that if i ever want to move to her farm in Costa Rica that i have an open invitation. So again, we’ll see.
At the end of the day though my parents and siblings, and other relatives are here in the US. I’ve spoken about it in the BBS but i’ve already moved countries once and leaving home and family behind was traumatic, i don’t have it in me to do it again unless my life and safety is in imminent danger. For those that can just up and move that is a privilege.
Germany will restore the citizenship of anyone whose ancestors left to flee the Nazis. If that is in your family history, it’s worth looking into.
Also remember that the citizenship of one EU country entitles you to legally living and working in any EU country. So even if you don’t fancy living in the country you can get citizenship for, it might be worth it.
On-topic (and thanks to @Abe_the_honest for creating it), a lot of vulnerable Americans are about to learn that the problem is not so much exiting the fascist regime* but rather finding a relatively safe** country that’s willing and able to take one in.
This quote from a movie cast with many refugees comes to mind, with a new dash of irony:
With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas.
Lisbon became the great embarkation point. But, not everybody could get to Lisbon directly, and so a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang up - Paris to Marseilles… across the Mediterranean to Oran… then by train, or auto, or foot across the rim of Africa, to Casablanca in French Morocco.
Here, the fortunate ones through money, or influence, or luck, might obtain exit visas and scurry to Lisbon; and from Lisbon, to the New World. But the others wait in Casablanca… and wait… and wait… and wait.
[* That’s possible for a while, albeit usually at the cost of most of one’s assets being stolen.]
[** Unfortunately, every country in the world is going to experience blowback from this disaster in the USA, but one takes what one can get.]
This. Even if one is out already, it is agonising to be separated long-term from family and friends. There’s also the question of finding a way to make a living in one’s new home, which refugees know is difficult under the best of circumstances.
But also remember that if you move to Europe, you’re moving next to a war zone that will get much more dangerous soon and into countries whose economies will crash under the burden of tariffs, high energy costs (much of our LNG comes from the US and once Trump realises that, he will ask for more money) and increased military spending demands.
It’s lovely. For the moment, expats can stay there semi-permanently on a 90-day tourist visa by exiting and entering to Nicaragua or Panama for 24-hours, which re-sets the clock (I suspect they’re going to get stricter about that in light of the new political reality in the U.S.).
Also, while they have socialised medicine, non-citizens there will likely not be able to sign up for it. Same goes for other countries. Attaining reliable and reasonably priced medical care is yet another challenge for refugees, especially the aging ones.
Not just those who fled the Nazis. The § 5 StAG law of 2021 provides new citizenship routes for “discriminated children” (such as myself).
In order to finally and fully address gender discrimination under previous laws, the new law amends the Nationality Act, which now provides a procedure whereby anyone born after 23 May 1949 (the date which the Basic Law “Grundgesetz” entered into force) may be eligible to acquire German citizenship upon declaration. This applies to persons who were previously unable to acquire German citizenship by birth or lost their German citizenship due to these prior discriminatory regulations, and are thus, now afforded the ability to become citizens by way of declaration. § 5 StAG does not require any language skills and/or proof of financial disclosures.
The Fourth Act Amending the Nationality Act, which entered into force on August 20th 2021, has created a ten-year right of declaration for children bornafter May 23rd 1949 (entry into force of the Basic Law) to a German parent, who were excluded in a gender-discriminating manner from acquiring German citizenship by descent. The option of acquisition by declaration also applies to their descendants.