Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

news.ycombinator.com

11–20 of 49 posts

Re: Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

#11
post #8
post #2

What do you mean with expat? You'd like to get an employer in the US that sends you to work in the EU on their behalf?

"expat" means "immigrant" but it's used by people who believe they are somehow above others

No expat means expat and immigrant means immigrant. Immigrant implies that the intention is to settle in the host country, whereas expat implies that the reason for staying is temporary and hence the intention is not to stay permanently.

For example, if I am doing a PhD in France, with no intention of staying in France afterwards, wouldn't it be rather inaccurate to call myself an immigrant to France?

Re: Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

#12
What do you mean by "graduate school" exactly, is that a Master's or a PhD? If it's the latter, in the Netherlands you get paid salary to do it and it's the easiest path to a work/residence visa. Keep in mind though that our housing market is abysmal.

Alternatively, if you really want to go via an employment, look into the companies that have permission to ask for a knowledge migrant visa: https://ind.nl/en/public-register-recognised-sponsors/public...

Re: Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

#13
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"expat" means "immigrant" but it's used by people who believe they are somehow above others

No expat means expat and immigrant means immigrant. Immigrant implies that the intention is to settle in the host country, whereas expat implies that the reason for staying is temporary and hence the intention is not to stay permanently. For example, if I am doing a PhD in France, with no intention of staying in France afterwards, wouldn't it be rather inaccurate to call myself an immigrant to France?

You are not an expat in the country you are currently in. You are an expat in the country you left.

If you're in a foreign country, you're either an immigrant (as a generic term) or, if you want to get pedantic, you can use whatever more apt definition they have (visitor, migrant worker, non-immigrant, etc).

Re: Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

#16
post #3
post #2

What do you mean with expat? You'd like to get an employer in the US that sends you to work in the EU on their behalf?

Expat to mean residence in a non-US country. So it would mean an offer from an EU-based company to either sponsor a residence visa or one that qualifies for Blue Card. Either way, an offer is needed in the EU.

Oh, I see, you'd like to immigrate to Europe. In that case, I'd suggest looking at the multiple options for immigrant visas, the rules for which vary country by country.

I believe, as others have stated, that the educational way is probably the most practical, as you can get a residency visa based on attending school (not necessarily a graduation, I know plenty of people that initially came to study the language, and that would qualify you for such visas), and subsequently after living there for a while follow the normal paths towards long-term residency.

As far as I'm aware, the Netherlands and Germany are destinations that have reasonably well-understood processes for immigration and a significant technical market. Both of these countries also have the advantage that you can mostly live your life in English – albeit you should of course strive to learn the local language if you intend to settle there.

For Germany specifically, there's been a recent reform in the laws which give you a very fast track even towards German citizenship, which then would allow you to live and work anywhere in the EU. On the other hand, the Netherlands seem to have a more digitalized bureaucracy, which can be practical: in Germany everything is still done by snail mail.

I've also heard good things about Switzerland, but there I have less personal experience. It is also not in the EU, for what it's worth.

That being said, I'd point out that from a technology market perspective, it's certainly more difficult to find employment at the moment than it was perhaps 10 years ago. This comes and goes in cycles, so I'm saying that so you don't get discouraged if it takes long and requires applying to hundreds of positions: that's the case even for us natives. There's geopolitical and macroeconomic reasons for that, interest rates, etc.

I wish you the best of luck!

P.S. Of course, if you're so inclined, you might want to be aware that Svalbard has no specific visa requirements for residence. You could conceptually move there tomorrow, as long as you're allowed to transit through Norway, which assuming you hold a US passport shouldn't be a problem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard

However that place is certainly... not for everyone :-)

P.P.S. On a more serious note, and it's of course not the EU, but Australia has very friendly immigration paths and I personally know multiple people who were able to move there, quickly obtain work in technology, and two of them actually obtained Australian citizenship by now.

Re: Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

#18
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"expat" means "immigrant" but it's used by people who believe they are somehow above others

No expat means expat and immigrant means immigrant. Immigrant implies that the intention is to settle in the host country, whereas expat implies that the reason for staying is temporary and hence the intention is not to stay permanently. For example, if I am doing a PhD in France, with no intention of staying in France afterwards, wouldn't it be rather inaccurate to call myself an immigrant to France?

This is the distinction between permanent resident and temporary immigrant.

An immigrant is someone who moves to a country other than their own with the intention of residing there for a significant period (usually at least one year), regardless of their ultimate intention to stay permanently or leave later.

Re: Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

#19
My Qualifications: I moved to Germany for 7 years

I can only add my voice to what others have said: Just apply to universities and get your student visa.

In general it is very difficult applying to jobs in countries from abroad, and in many countries they have laws requiring that companies must prove that they couldn't source talent locally first.

Meanwhile student visas are very easy to get, and after you are in the country on a student visa, you can seek part time work, or get a job as soon as you graduate. Many countries offer fast-track residence permits for expats who have graduated from one of their universities.

My story: I applied to a german university, got accepted, and got the student visa relatively painlessly. After graduating I found a job relatively quickly and got a work permit.

Re: Ask HN: What was your path toward expat?

#20

My Qualifications: I moved to Germany for 7 years I can only add my voice to what others have said: Just apply to universities and get your student visa. In general it is very difficult applying to jobs in countries from abroad, and in many countries they have laws requiring that companies must prove that they couldn't source talent locally first. Meanwhile student visas are very easy to get, and after you are in the…

I have some more tips, specifically pertaining to Germany and your requirements:

> Language: In Germany you can get around no problem with 0 German. Me personally I downloaded Duolinguo the day before my flight and I did just fine learning as I went.

> EU financial foundation: I'd say you can just build a US financial foundation then send it over via bank transfer when u arrive.

> Established living situation: If you get accepted to a german university, try to show up at least a month before courses start. Take that time to open a bank account, get insurance, enrol and find an apartment. Do NOT try to find a rental when you don't have boots on the ground, there are a bunch of scams that target international students trying to secure accomodation. For your first month or so, just stay in an airbnb until you find a place you like long-term

>

Post reply on HN