Saw someone talking about moving that reminded me to ask this. I really want to stay in the U.S. to build socialism but sometimes I fear it is past the event horizon, that things will only get more gruesome, and I want my loved ones to live.

I have not the slightest clue where I would move to. Obviously the one we all think about sometimes is China, but I know next to nothing about the language, culture, history, values etc. and don’t know how I would adjust. It also seems it would be difficult as someone with no education or marketable job skills in respected fields.

Sometimes I think about places like Cuba because it is much more familiar to me culturally, linguistically etc. but then it seems an area like that is going to get a bad hand dealt to it with climate change.

Western countries would be the most familiar, and I do think perhaps they have a greater capacity for positive change than the U.S., but this also seems like it would be moving somewhere just 5-10 years behind collapse of America. Who’s to say which of these societies will jump ship to the new world order, if any?

Sometimes I also fear people across the world slowly (and understandably) becoming vehemently anti-USian, whether the US empire dies or clings on. Many older generations across the world seem to still think very fondly of Americans and our country, but I do not think the younger generations seem as affected by the global pro-American propaganda. Perhaps this is American cynicism to think like this, but perhaps it is not too crazy to imagine an era of people hating Americans and resenting American refugees, even if we try to play the “But I hated America too!” card.

Regardless, obviously being a refugee sucks regardless if one leaves “ahead of the curve” or not. It’s not supposed to be fun to feel coerced into leaving your home to escape doom, as many a country has experienced under American brutality.

It also seems kind of impossible because moving is so expensive, although I understand that if the situation becomes truly dire many Middle Easterners and Latin Americans in the last half century have managed to make grand treks with little to no possessions…although of course, many then end up in terrible situations.

What about you all? What are your situations, considerations, predictions, and interest regarding this topic?

  • redtea
    5·
    2 years ago

    So how is the immigration system with AES countries then?

    I don’t know, I’m afraid. The only thing I’ve seen is political exiles like Assata Shakur, but I can’t recommend her route.

    I had a quick look and it looks like the application for China costs ¥250. Then there are different routes. For business, you need thousands in a deposit account. But for work, you just need a permitted job. These tend to be jobs requiring higher qualifications or skills, but they’re not impossible jobs. Then there are other requirements if you want to stay when you retire, etc, including making a contribution to Chinese society.

    But, to clarify, I have no expertise on this. My original point was only to challenge the idea that AES are stricter then the west. They may be strict, but not stricter. If anything, the strictness is of a different type. Like in China, if you spend 4 years building socialism, they’ll want to to stay. In the West, they only care about money.

    Why even allow a marriage visa/citizenship by marriage at that point lmao

    Cruel and vindictive. Westerners might be able to travel the other way in some cases. Or to third countries.

    (Edit: This would not be a marriage visa. The state won’t stop people from getting married, but neither will it automatically grant a spousal visa.)

    This happens even after the immigrant in question gets citizenship or green card?

    It takes years to get citizenship, if it’s ever granted. In the meantime, they might acquire a permanent right to reside, but that also takes years. Citizenship and the so called permanent right to reside are regularly revoked. Usually individually, sometimes en masse. In Germany, although their website is very sanitised, they also have an option, ‘temporary suspension of deportation status’: https://www.bamf.de/SiteGlobals/Forms/Suche/EN/Expertensuche_Formular.html;jsessionid=88A11484BE7023F86C30FDD52D4489B1.intranet232?cl2Categories_Bereich=asylfluechtlingsschutz&faqId=341378&cl2Categories_Typ=faq&cl2Categories_Themen=zugangarbeitsmarkt&pageLocale=en.

    Work visas are tied to the work, so if an immigrant worker goes on strike or gets ill or does anything else to violate their visas terms, the visa can be revoked.

    Then there are surcharges for social welfare, which are covered by standard taxes of domestic workers, making it harder to stay even if they do secure a visa.

    I didn’t understand what you mean here, would you like to elaborate?

    Depending on the country, immigrant workers have to pay extra taxes. Higher taxes make it harder to meet one’s daily needs. In the UK there appears to be an extra tax to access the health system, on top of the ordinary taxes for citizens:

    The surcharge is £470 per year for students and those on Youth Mobility Scheme visas and £624 per year for all other visa and immigration applications. The same amount must be paid for any dependants. (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide#immigration-health-surcharge) There are exceptions for some groups. But a working wife earning enough to bring her stay-at-home husband and 3 children would have to pay £624x4 extra per year.

    Some of your other questions are also answered on the FAQ page for the EU Blue Card scheme in Germany: https://www.bamf.de/SiteGlobals/Forms/Suche/EN/Expertensuche_Formular.html?cl2Categories_Bereich=migrationaufenthalt&cl2Categories_Typ=faq&cl2Categories_Themen=blauekarteeu&sortOrder=title_text_sort+asc&pageLocale=en