who moved out of USA/Canada?

I moved from California to Hong Kong, Residency wasn't a problem as i had lived here before and registered my own company and invested money in property etc which seemed to speed up the whole process.

Different countries have different requirements for visa/residency. Some countries require sponsorship to gain a work visa, while others will give you residency if you are willing to invest x amount of money into the country.

Also remember that just because you leave the US doesnt mean you dont have to pay US taxes...if you make over a certain amount per year the income is taxable.

In the Philippines, you have several options:

1. Show up and keep extending the travel visa. Costs a bit every few months but isn't that much. Then you only have to leave the country once a year. Most people just jump over to Thailand for a few days.

2. get an ACR and become an employer or employee. Legal resident, you will pay taxes, and is more expensive then just working the travel system.

3. Investment Visas. All about the $$$ and how much you bring to the country.

More to it then that but those are the three common forms. Google would have more detailed info.

yeah seems a lot of people are just hopping back and forth from the country just to stay legal..

What part of HK do you live in?

I've been toying with the idea of leaving Thailand for HK.

dirtywhiteboy whats wrong with thailand

I was looking to move to the PI last year but change my mind. Outside of a few areas, it's just too much of a shit hole and I HATE dirty street kids running around begging for food and money. That's just not something I want to deal with.

Not that Thailand is light years better, but it is much cleaner and you don't see the dirty street kids everywhere. Well, that and the pollution in the PI is just horrible.

People wise, I prefer the Filipinos over Thais, without question. I often say if they could import the Filipinos into Thailand and export the Thais to... say... Hell, it would be perfect.

I just can't get past the filth, homeless kids and pollution. Not really wanting to be confined to just 1 or 2 areas that are clean like Makati. That would drive me crazy, I like to roam about. But if someone would clean all that shit up, I'd be over there in a second.

On another note regarding street kids... in Brazil years back (not too many ago) they had death squads that would kill the street children because there were so many of them. Brutal.

Yeah...very dirty and poverty is extremely bad in many areas. You have to get out of town as often as you can to stay sane. Which I usually don't get around to doing enough .

Some areas are cleaning up, but until the government begins investing the peoples tax money back into...the people...no major changes in the class structure/beggars/poverty stricken will be seen. The corrupt government is primarily interested in lining their own pockets which is really holding things back. A shame too, because there's so much potential that isn't being realized.

The people of the philippines are very hospitable to you and I, but what amazes me is how quickly they stab each other in the back...and that's not only my observation, rather the opinion of several of my filipino friends

That thing about Brazil is fucked up...

One thing to consider right now is the exchange rates and whether or not it's profitable.

Since Ive been out here, the dollar has dropped 20% against the peso...so my purchasing power has been reduced considerably. Cheap housing and food are the primary reasons it's still worthwhile. All depends on your bankroll of course and if that would effect you.

id like to move into..

Nothing is "wrong" with Thailand. You just have to jump through hoops to stay here long term. They don't want you here anymore. With that said, you can BS you way into a visa that allows you to stay should you choose to do so.

My only real problem with Thailand is the Thai people. I could write a book on why I dislike these people, and someday I may. But as a location, you can't beat it. It's fairly cheap, great food, great entertainment, world class accommodation (and dining), state of the art medical facilities, beautiful women, ladyboys everywhere, whores galore, stunning beaches, beautiful islands, city or rural living, you're just a short plane ride to anywhere in Asia... the list goes on and on.

It really is a great place to stay once you get past the visa bullshit and are able to have as little dealings with the Thais as possible. "Common sense" is not a word in their language. They don't know what that means and they don't understand it when you explain it to them. Not joking. The term "shit for brains" is an understatement here.

When they go to school they are ONLY taught Rote Learning. This means they can not problem solve, but can remember damn near ANYTHING. This is why you can return to your favorite hotel in Bangkok a year later and they remember your name. I mean they remember EVERYTHING!!! However, they can't problem solve ANYTHING. Nada. Ziltch. But you can bet your ass they will remember every lie you tell them and bring it up when you least expect it.

When I say there is no "problem solving" I mean there is no THINKING. There is no thought process, there is only what they have been told or taught is right. If you need them to do something outside of what they have been taught, forget it. You will be told over and over "Mai Die" which translates to "Can Not." This will sooner or later drive you to the brink of insanity.

Of course there are the educated. But chances are you will have fewer run-ins with them than the general population unless you set out to hang in the most trendy spots and run with the hi-so crowd. But that gets pretty old as well as I have found most of them pretty shallow and boring.

With all of that said, come on over!!! It will take you a long time before they wear on your nerves as much as they do on mine.

Yea, it's a shame. I really enjoy the people there, very friendly and warm. But the day they do clean the place up, I'll be there.

Up till about 2 years ago I lived on the main Island (Central District) but I needed to get away from the crowds and so I moved to Discovery Bay (on Lantau Island)....much better but only problem is its full of expats, which can be nice a lot of times but other times you forget you live in HK.

Im sure you've been here before so you know its a lot more expensive than Thailand but its clean, people are for the most part well behaved and its the safest city Ive ever lived in. and once you've legally lived here for 7 years you can apply for permanant residency...it can happen a lot faster if you are willing to invest a lot of money. Last I heard a friends uncle invested $20 odd million and was given his residency within 2 months.

I moved to canada to poland, but it was easy for me because I have dual citizenship.

Moved from Canada to Costa Rica back in '02, quite a few people I know followed me from USA/Canada heh heh.... Applied for temporary residence back in 2004, nothing's happened yet but the proof that I applied lets me stay.

I live in Mexico. You can get an FM3 at your local Mexican embassy for 160$ tell them you want to buy property. You dont even have to have it picked out, but you have to be able to show at least 2k in monthly income.

Once you have that you are legal to live in Mexico full time WITHOUT having to leave. The FM3 is good for a year, and then you have to renew it. at the immigration in the city where you live. You can bring you car, with little issue, and prices are cheaper than the US.

Would advise you to rent a place for about 3 months first.

See how you like it.

Where I live, I have 3 walmarts withing 4 miles. I have 2 LARGE movie places within 4 miles, and places like applebe's to eat. There us 4 hooters here, and 2 chili's. as well as a hardrock and other places similar.

But I live in Cancun, and the norm in most rental houses, and even ones for sale, is NO AC. or only room AC's. It gets into the upper 80's here so it can get warm.

Nice to live in a foreign country ... changes from the american way of life ....

PS: Are they planning on opening a Taco Bell also ?

I moved out of the US and live in Panama for a list of reasons so long that the character limits would keep me from being able to explain it all here.

It all boils down to -

Higher quality of living for a lower cost of living.

I moved out of Canada.

........... to the US. :[

as mentioned above, just because you move out of the USA to a foreign country you are still required to pay the taxman ;)

You must renounce your US Citizenship to avoid taxation at home, and if you make over
$100,000 you are legally still required to continue paying taxes for 10 years.

Two exceptions are if you are a citizen of another country or if you live outside of the US for at least 330 days per year you are exempt on earnings up to $80,000 or $160,000 for a married couple.

hong kong would be cool

its cool 80k exception is cool plus if u play it smart im sure u can hide income ;)

Honestly if I could live in the USA legally I would.

I've always wanted to move to Scotland.

I love HK. It's one of those places that I just keep thinking about over and over and can't wait to return to.

I didn't know that about the 7 years for residency. That's a nice bonus. I don't have 20 mil to spend to get one in two months though. Heh. That's ballin' out of control. Though if I had 20 million for SURE I would be living the high life in HK.

I feel like this has been coming up a lot...Anyway, I live in Panama, moved here from California (I know, I'm crazy). However, there are a ton of biz opps here, not to mention sunshine, beaches, and the like.

My favorite thing is NEVER knowing what to expect. It can get annoying, when you're not in the mood, but when you are, it's the funniest shit ever. Everyday something random happens that makes me laugh out loud...

Oh, also, like ANY immigrant who is familiar with living in the USA can tell you, marriage is always the easiest and fastest!!! However, in Panama, you can either come in and out, or invest in stuff...The "cheapest" way to get immediate residency (other than marriage) is a visa that "costs" $40,000 investment.

why do people want to move there from us/canada i dont get it? I mean it's cool to get a condo there so you can go on vocation for couple of months during winter, but other then that wtf ?

upwards of 50% tax is one good reason.

Speaking of living abroad. I have a buddy who is selling a GORGEOUS place in Yucatan Mexico on the Beach that would probably cost $10 million in the US. If you want to be King of your Empire then this is it. $2.6 Million. Property there is booming so this is like getting in on a good thing early. Great Investment. It once belonged to a Mexican Governor. He is selling because he bought more land nearby and is going to build his dream home. (as if this wasn't) If interested leave your email addy and I'll forward it to him. Stunning Home!

Yeah the high life in HK is different than anywhere else, the amount of money some people throw around for apartments/houses/cars is fucking ridiculous.

I am sure someone could give you full time php work in the USA and get you a visa too.