In light of the 2024 presidential election results, many U.S. residents have been looking into moving out of the country. It’s understandable and valid to feel scared for what the future will look like and to look for opportunities to maintain a good quality of life elsewhere. When values, morals and rights important to people are on the line, they should do whatever possible to keep those intact.
However, there are many issues that come with this decision that make it more viable for U.S. residents to stay.
First is the issue with beginning the move. There are lots of moving parts that go into making such a life-changing decision, such as choosing a country, finding visas and researching immigration policies of other countries.
For example, many U.S. residents have looked into moving abroad to Canada. A quick search about visas and requirements can tell someone everything they need to know to apply for residency based on what fits their needs best. But if one looks further into what it takes to move to Canada, they can find that the country has recently changed its immigration caps, reducing the number of applicants who can get approved.
Even if one hones all of this down and is successful in moving abroad, there are lots of challenges afterwards — homesickness, integrating into a new culture and society and simply having to rebuild your life from the ground up. These all directly impact an individual, but there are broader impacts under the surface.
For one, there is a lack of knowledge U.S. residents have with what it takes to move abroad. This is somewhat understandable, because most residents haven’t had to think about moving abroad to be able to live comfortably and without fear. But as a melting pot country with immigration being a constant pressing topic, there must be some general understanding of how immigration works.
Gaining a better awareness of what it takes to migrate can help prevent a sense of superiority the U.S. as a whole has on migration. There’s the obvious superiority and discrimination that comes when someone says the phrase, “go back to your country.” But there’s also the superiority that comes with the lack of knowledge on immigration.
The U.S. as a country is strict on immigration policies, but as soon as there is an internal problem such as what the country is facing now, U.S. residents act as if it’s easy to leave before being stopped in their tracks from looking further into it.
How can the U.S. as a whole make immigration a major platform issue, when there’s little to no understanding of what it takes for migrants to legally enter the country, from various walks of life and with various reasons?
Moving forward to a more concrete issue, U.S. residents moving to another country will negatively affect that country’s economy. Some countries are easier for U.S. residents to move to than others, making it more welcoming for those to try the move.
There are other benefits and reasons for people to move to these countries, such as lower cost of living or seeking more affordable higher education. Plus, it’s a win-win situation as countries will see some economic stimulation and growth as the U.S. dollar’s spending power comes into play.
However, an influx of U.S. residents staying for the long term can cause problems for locals, such as price gouging and inflation. A good example of this happening in a Global South country is in Medellín, Colombia. This city has been dealing with gentrification and inflation in certain areas as the economy is beginning to market more toward digital nomads and foreigners rather than their locals.
Even Global North countries like Portugal are reducing the amount of digital nomad visas with how much long-stay foreigners and companies like Airbnb have affected their economies. In the case with digital nomads, or remote workers, U.S. residents will definitely have a larger impact on a foreign economy, since most will be making many times more money than the locals and will be driving the demand and pricing for products and services.
But what if someone isn’t a digital nomad, and is looking to become part of another country’s workforce?
This is also an issue. The main aspect that makes this an issue is the difference of what a country’s economy is based on. In the U.S., the economy is based on importing goods and labor from other countries. With this type of economy, the U.S. is able to focus much of their labor force into skilled work controlled by corporations.
Moving abroad and trying to join another country’s workforce means that U.S. residents would most likely look for skilled work. Not only does this add more requirements to get approved for a visa in a country — like being fluent in a target language — it also puts more competition onto a country’s labor force and job market.
Lastly, the truth of the matter is that the difference between migrants coming into the U.S. and Americans moving abroad, is that the U.S. economy and way of life compromises others in the name of comfort. The cheap prices that the country has enjoyed comes with a hidden price — the country was built on immigration, and it continues to thrive off of the hard work of immigrants.
Ultimately, this isn’t to deter anyone from moving abroad, but to make people think about what’s at stake when it comes to moving abroad, especially the issues that don’t directly affect the individual. Plus, most people who have and are able to move abroad already have the resources and privileges to do so.
It’s important for those well equipped to know that although they have the choice to leave, they can use those resources to help out their fellow Americans. Everyone has a voice, yet some voices are louder than others. Leaving the country is one way to take a stand, but staying shows that one is willing to stand up for what’s right. There is strength and hope in numbers.
