Originally Posted by ian-mstm

Your attitude sucks, and you seem to have a chip on your shoulder - the same chip I see in many Americans who feel some sort of entitlement on the world stage for no other reason than they are American. Do you honestly believe that US immigration is *not* "favored toward people who are giving up their freedom to marry a national"?

Oh, and for someone with a "7 figure bank account", your spelling and grammar suck as much as your attitude. You should consider buying yourself an education.

Ian

Originally Posted by Scouse Express

I'm pretty certain that you will find openings in Poland.......seeing as though the UK & Ireland, for that matter, are now full of Immigrants from that Country.

Are you married to a Brit??? What is your story and what is your connection to British Ex-Pats?

Originally Posted by Boiler

Pretty sure that you could moveto Mexico with that sum,they have a lower requirement.

Or perhaps try the Eastern Europe countries, Bulgaria etc, that seems very popular for 2nd Homes judging by the UK media.

$500 won't buy much in the UK.

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

How difficult would it be for an American to immigrate to Europe with out a special skill visa?Are there countries example France,Czech republic,Portugal,UK, ect ect that will allow entry based soluely on the fact that I can financially sustain my self?

Would any of the EU countries allow entry to a mid 40 year old with a 7 figure bank account who does not need to rely on that European government?Money in life usually is a factor.Is it in this situation?

Thank You

Originally Posted by marielawson

Marie
PS Forget about that guy Ian-etc., fortunately there are not many people like him in any forum.

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

How difficult would it be for an American to immigrate to Europe with out a special skill visa?Are there countries example France,Czech republic,Portugal,UK, ect ect that will allow entry based soluely on the fact that I can financially sustain my self?

Would any of the EU countries allow entry to a mid 40 year old with a 7 figure bank account who does not need to rely on that European government?Money in life usually is a factor.Is it in this situation?

Thank You

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

I have friends in the UK who have encouraged me to move over, and this site has been a big help in confirming my thoughts about what it would mean to live over there.

Originally Posted by marielawson

With that kind of money many Countries would want you; I am not sure about regulations in the UK, but from what I read it seems that it is difficult.

The EU is trying to enforce total reciprocity with Countries that require visas to their citizens; even some Latin American countries such as Brazil are requiring visas to citizens of US, Canada, EU in "reciprocity".

I know Spain has an open borders policy in the sense that is it very easy to move there if you have funds to provide for yourself; Spain has become the favorite place for British and German retirees and I agree with them, the Country is beautiful, not expensive, delicious food, friendly people, safe, close to their Countries and a lot of "fiesta".

London is beautiful but very expensive; however, I see you have a business plan there; I believe you will make it but an expert lawyer in London will be of great help to you. As a French and Canadian who studied in the US it was very easy for me to move around Europe and the US with my family. Europe has become such a diverse place to live, you have many kind of weathers and cultures, Sweden, Spain, Greece, Germany, etc.

I recently visited wonderful places in Madeira (Portugal) and the Canary Islands (Spain) they are a mix Africa/Europe/Caribean cultures with a nice standard of living; I would love to retire there, but I am still far from retirement.

Anyway, I am sure you will make it, a qualified British lawyer will tell you. Please let us know, for the benefit of the forum.

Best luck,

Marie

PS Forget about that guy Ian-etc., fortunately there are not many people like him in any forum.

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

Thanks for your thoughtful response.Tell you the truth I'd like to immigrate to the UK but based on how tight the laws are not sure if that is a possibility,maybe the 6 month tourist visa at best.I don't have a special skill that would work in my favor,I'm in the mortgage business and have a British friend who have explain the zero odds of using that route to a visa.
Once you are in the EU you can theroretically go wherever you want. This is what a lot of our, erm, "low-skilled-workers" have done. Not sure how this would work for you in practice.

No criminal history to hold me back and my only other language is abit of spanish which I speak better than I write.As I'm sure you know visting a place for a few weeks can only tell me what its like to vacation there ,so far that is the only experience I have in France and GB.I'm open to living in several EU and soon to be EU nations if the UK turn out to be a no go.
Lots to choose from, thats for sure. You will find lots of opinions but in general the richer countries are the ones you would expect and the poorer ones are also the ones you would expect. Ease of entry tends to be proportionate. For example, I am pretty sure Ireland would be easier to enter than the UK. Ditto Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland etc. If you like the Orlando climate and culture then I imagine the Mediterranean countries would suit you.

Netherlands,Italy,Czech Republic,Great Britain,Ireland,France,Sweden,Germany,Spain and Portugal are all cultural interesting nations which I'd consider.Living in or near a large city(2 million) would be idea or just being near enough to drive 50 minutes to night life and cultural points of interest.I would even be open to going the route of investor visa providing the investment is safe #1,and with in my means.
You will be aware from your travels that large cities in Europe were not designed with the car in mind. This makes a big difference to where you will want to live as your reliance on public transit will be higher. Public transit in the UK is generally quite poor. Popular cities in the EU tend to be all the capitals plus cultural centres such as Barcelona, Turin etc. Its not all good though. Some EU cities are pretty bad for petty crime. For example Marseille (which also has a big North African contingent).

Presently the UK requires nearly 2 million bucks to qualify.The max I could invest and still prove an acceptable yearly imcome on documents and my ability to maintain my self is $500,000. I'm thinking that amount will not get me even to first base for an investor visa.
$2M?! Good lord. Not being funny, but your OP mentioned a 7-figure net worth. Not that its any of my business, but Im guessing its not 9,999,999 else this wouldnt be an issue. Also, consider the cost of living in the UK. A moderate house will set you back $600,000 a moderate car $40,000. Puts a bit of a dent in the old savings, no? France, Germany etc are much cheaper. Watch out for real estate. Big crash coming to UK and there are plenty of nightmare stories about deals in Bulgaria and other former Soviet bloc countries.

Seem like the immigration laws in many countries are abit favored toward people who are giving up their freedom to marry a national or to those who are willing to spend most of their time working their tales off for one company usually at a lower salary.Would be nice if the concept of immigration would include a broader definition.
Now you know what its like for us poor suckers trying to get out. It's funny but we are all immigration until its our turn to try our luck. Heh. Anyway the big thing you have in your favour is capital. For jobs have a look at Ireland. The link is below. OK its a bit of a cultural backwater (Im part irish back from the day - before anyone gets on my back) but the immigration looks pretty easy. For lifestyle have a look at Spain (more below).

Originally Posted by ian-mstm

Your attitude sucks, and you seem to have a chip on your shoulder - the same chip I see in many Americans who feel some sort of entitlement on the world stage for no other reason than they are American. Do you honestly believe that US immigration is *not* "favored toward people who are giving up their freedom to marry a national"?

Oh, and for someone with a "7 figure bank account", your spelling and grammar suck as much as your attitude. You should consider buying yourself an education.

Ian

Originally Posted by guest5234

Jesus...

Originally Posted by wbexpat

Hi again.
Sorry about the delay in replying, Chrimbo and all that...

To save me having to think too hard Ive taken the liberty of embedding my answers inside your post (above). Hope thats OK.

In general I think your best bet might be to look at an extended stay in maybe Spain. I think you are good for 6 months as a visitor with a US passport. To renew just pop out of the EU and back again. Easily enough done with Morocco just over the water. Rent for 6 months (lots of empty Spanish property - and loads of ex-pat Brits there with connections you might be able to use). Go on a couple of scouting trips using Spain as a base and then see what the score is. Worth a pop. Treat it as a holiday. The worst thing that can happen is you have to come back to the USA!




Here's the link for Irish Green Card...

http://www.workpermit.com/ireland/ir...ard_scheme.htm

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

Much appreciate your postings.Had no idea Ireland was a strong immigration possibility I will look into it very soon to learn of my chances.I just so happen to have a good buddy from Australia who moved there 2 years ago and has nothing but good things to say about Dublin.I still have the UK as my target goal and will after the new year contact a immigration attorney to learn which options are possible.

I am not wealthy by no stretch of the imagination but am able to buy a moderately priced($800k) home in the UK while still investing $500k for that investor visa if I could qualify.Its all up in the air until I can get a clear picture of which countries might want to open their door to this middle aged American.

Originally Posted by wbexpat

OK Fella.
I hope the postings were generally helpful anyway and I hope you don't mind my comments re your net worth. My intention was to help you understand the cost of living issues before you got in too deep.

One thing: I personally would be a bit cautious about investments. The UK is alive with slick types who will take your "investment" and blow it on fast cars and cocaine before the ink's dry. Im not kidding. And there's nothing you can do once you've signed up unless you've got a LOT of lawyer money.

Good luck.

wbx

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

Look no further than the subprime lending racket which has cause so many people to lose their homes.