Unusual Case

[wollam11]

I am looking to immigrate to someplace in Europe but I don't know where to apply.

I am 100% disabled, as rated by my government (the United States). I have been deemed PERMANENTLY disabled and have been collecting disability benefits for the past 19 years. My government will pay me these benefits no matter where I live in the world because I became disabled during my military service for my country. So, I could live anywhere and not require one penny of help from the Canadian government for the rest of my life. And I do not pose any risk for unemployment (and collecting those benefits from the Canadian government) either. I am a gay veteran who served during the first Persian Gulf conflict (1991), with ultra left wing politics. I would like to move out of the country because I just do not like the general way my fellow citizens hold themselves -- bitter, selfish, suspicious, uptight, etc. In short, UNKIND. I find myself unhappy most of the time and unable to make friends. Though, my travels internationally have always resulted in the opposite. I fear what the U.S. will become in the future, especially if Donald Trump and his movement of hate is validated through his election to the office of President. No doubt the climate will be worse.

Given all of that, this leads to my question. Which is: Under what provision could I immigrate to a European country? Which country would be best for me to apply? If it matters, I am descended from French Huguenots who lived in southern Germany for a couple hundred years before moving on to the Americas. On my mother's side, I am descended from Ireland.

[noajthan]

I am looking to immigrate to someplace in Europe but I don't know where to apply.

I am 100% disabled, as rated by my government (the United States). I have been deemed PERMANENTLY disabled and have been collecting disability benefits for the past 19 years. My government will pay me these benefits no matter where I live in the world because I became disabled during my military service for my country. So, I could live anywhere and not require one penny of help from the Canadian government for the rest of my life. And I do not pose any risk for unemployment (and collecting those benefits from the Canadian government) either. I am a gay veteran who served during the first Persian Gulf conflict (1991), with ultra left wing politics. I would like to move out of the country because I just do not like the general way my fellow citizens hold themselves -- bitter, selfish, suspicious, uptight, etc. In short, UNKIND. I find myself unhappy most of the time and unable to make friends. Though, my travels internationally have always resulted in the opposite. I fear what the U.S. will become in the future, especially if Donald Trump and his movement of hate is validated through his election to the office of President. No doubt the climate will be worse.

Given all of that, this leads to my question. Which is: Under what provision could I immigrate to a European country? Which country would be best for me to apply? If it matters, I am descended from French Huguenots who lived in southern Germany for a couple hundred years before moving on to the Americas. On my mother's side, I am descended from Ireland.

Not clear what the connection is between Canadian pension and US disability assessment.

Huguenot ancestry probably won't cut it anymore. (I have that too btw 'cousin').

Suggest dig into Irish ancestry some more:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/mo ... scent.html

[wollam11]

Any else know of any countries?

[noajthan]

Any else know of any countries?

Have you followed up on Irish ancestry? Checked out Eire on requirements nationality through heritage?

You've missed the point; unless super-rich, you can't just roll up to a random country in Europe and start living there.
You need a reason to get in.

It's tenuous but Irish ancestry seems to be one option (even then it depends on which generation).
The Huguenot thing is way to far back in time.

[wollam11]

Isn't Ireland pretty conservative?
What about countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Slovenia? Those countries have poor economies. Surely they would welcome my $30,000 American dollars a year?

[noajthan]

Isn't Ireland pretty conservative?
What about countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Slovenia? Those countries have poor economies. Surely they would welcome my $30,000 American dollars a year?

Unrealistic.
How will you get in? You can't just go as a visitor and decide to stay on.

There's much more to it than choosing a tolerant country and buying a ticket.

And $30K may not go so far in some of these countries.
These countries are not banana republics.
Some are in the Schengen zone - you need a visa to get in (some of them) & then a visa to stay there and reside on some basis.

UK ofcourse is not in Schengen so UK is a different story (quite apart from cost of living).

Its only Union citizens (Europeans) who have 'free movement' around Europe.
So you need your Irish ancestry to turn into Irish citizenship.

It doesn't necessarily mean live in Eire, (& cost of living probably too high there); it means you are then a Union citizen and could live anywhere in the Schengen area - thanks to feee movement rights.
(You would still need health insurance to qualify as a self-sufficient person).

[wollam11]

I realize I can't "just go as a visitor and decide to stay on". I understand that there is a process. The reason I am asking is I was hoping I wouldn't have to research all 40+ countries immigration policies before I start with the first step somewhere.

Isn't Ireland pretty conservative?
What about countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Slovenia? Those countries have poor economies. Surely they would welcome my $30,000 American dollars a year?

Unrealistic.
How will you get in? You can't just go as a visitor and decide to stay on.

There's much more to it than choosing a tolerant country and buying a ticket.

And $30K may not go so far in some of these countries.
These countries are not banana republics.
Some are in the Schengen zone - you need a visa to get in (some of them) & then a visa to stay there and reside on some basis.

UK ofcourse is not in Schengen so UK is a different story (quite apart from cost of living).

Its only Union citizens (Europeans) who have 'free movement' around Europe.
So you need your Irish ancestry to tun into Irish citizenship.

It doesn't necessarily mean live in Eire, it means you are then a Union citizen and could live anywhere in the Schengen area - thanks to feee movement rights.
(You would still need health insurance to qualify as a self-sufficient person).

[noajthan]

I realize I can't "just go as a visitor and decide to stay on". I understand that there is a process. The reason I am asking is I was hoping I wouldn't have to research all 40+ countries immigration policies before I start with the first step somewhere.

Ireland is best bet and first port of call.
Parent or grandparent ancestry. That's your way in.

[ALKB]

If it matters, I am descended from French Huguenots who lived in southern Germany for a couple hundred years before moving on to the Americas.

Presumably, after a few hundred years, they were actually German nationals by the time they immigrated to America - how long ago was this?

[wollam11]

If it matters, I am descended from French Huguenots who lived in southern Germany for a couple hundred years before moving on to the Americas.

Presumably, after a few hundred years, they were actually German nationals by the time they immigrated to America - how long ago was this?

400 years ago

[secret.simon]

I am inclined to agree with noajthan that your best bet is researching into your Irish roots.

You can inherit Irish citizenship through multiple generations, provided your ancestors were registered on the Foreign Births Register, if they were born after 1956. I reproduce the paragraph below from the Wikipedia article on Irish nationality law.

In practice, anyone with an Irish citizen grandparent born in the island of Ireland can easily claim Irish citizenship. His or her parent would have automatically been an Irish citizen and their own citizenship can be secured by registering themselves as in the Foreign Births Register. In contrast, those wishing to claim citizenship through an Irish citizen great-grandparent would be unable to do so unless their parents were placed into the Foreign Births Register. Their parents can transmit Irish citizenship to only those children born after they themselves were registered and not to any children born before registration.

Italian and Polish citizenships are some of the other citizenships that can be inherited over multiple generations outside the home country. You may wish to explore them as alternatives.

Once you have the citizenship of one of the EEA countries, you can live in any of the other EEA countries.

I would however caution you about getting your hopes too high. In the UK, we have just had a very divisive referendum debate (we go to the polls today) and it has been compared repeatedly to the current election debate in the US. Yes, it was that bad, focussing on immigration and scare-mongering on both sides.

The atmosphere in the rest of Europe is not much different. Last year, we had more than a million refugees enter Europe. The volume of refugees and some of the events that followed (mainly the sex attacks by the refugees on women celebrating New Years Day in Cologne) has turned many people in Europe against refugees and migration in general. Switzerland voted in 2014 to limit foreign immigration. Austria very nearly (50.3% against-49.7% for) elected a far right President earlier this year. Italy has just had an anti-politics political movement (The Five Star Movement) reminiscent of Donald Trump's campaign win the mayoralty of Rome. The far-right Marine Le Pen is leading opinion polls for the French presidential elections early next year. The AfD, which went from being a party of economists to being a party of (open) dearly beloved, is mounting a serious campaign to enter the German Bundestag in elections towards the end of next year.

The mood across Europe is swinging towards the right, unfortunately it seems, towards the far-right. With deference to the "ultra left wing politics" views that you say you espouse, the left has been in power in most of the world for the past twenty-five odd years. It may not have been the hard left that you espouse, but it was broadly been left-of-center, especially in the US and Europe. I believe that politics is a pendulum and that it is globally going in the opposite direction. Think about it, even Cuba and China are implementing capitalist economic policies.

You may not therefore find solace from a political point-of-view anywhere.

I understand from your post that you currently reside in Canada. The Canadian political system is philosophically closer to Europe than it is to the US and I believe it is a whole lot more courteous than the US's discourse on politics. I think Canada may be better suited for you than migration to Europe.

[ALKB]

If it matters, I am descended from French Huguenots who lived in southern Germany for a couple hundred years before moving on to the Americas.

Presumably, after a few hundred years, they were actually German nationals by the time they immigrated to America - how long ago was this?

400 years ago

This does not make sense. Most Huguenots left France in the late 1600's (including a branch of my family tree). Even if your ancestors left France in the 1500's, then lived in Germany for several hundred years, they cannot have immigrated to America 400 years ago.

What I am asking is: how many generations ago did your ancestors arrive in America? Was your father still German when you were born? If not, was your father born before your grandfather naturalised as American? Or was it earlier than that?

[wollam11]

The Wollams (aka Wollens) immigrated to America in the mid 1620s. They left France in the 1400s. I call them Huguenots because they left a Catholic country for one that was Protestant. I don't know the circumstances of their particular move, but I do know that Protestants were forced out of France during the 16th and 17th centuries, being roughly around the same time. If they weren't Protestants, it's ironic that their movements would foreshadow the tens of thousands of French who were to do the same thing later.

I chose the assumption that they were Protestants who left France because the environment was too hostile for them. Sorry if that is not the case.

Both wings of my family tree have been in America at least 120 years.

This does not make sense. Most Huguenots left France in the late 1600's (including a branch of my family tree). Even if your ancestors left France in the 1500's, then lived in Germany for several hundred years, they cannot have immigrated to America 400 years ago.

What I am asking is: how many generations ago did your ancestors arrive in America? Was your father still German when you were born? If not, was your father born before your grandfather naturalised as American? Or was it earlier than that?

[wollam11]

I learned all of this from an extensive internet search a few years ago. The details may be wrong, but the places the Wollams lived, I'm pretty sure, are correct.

[wollam11]

I may be confusing Wollen with Walloon. All I remember is there was a variation of the name Wollam. In my research, I learned that my forebearers lived along the Rhine. I just assumed that was in Germany, since that's all I knew of the Rhine. But I see now that it does go into the Netherlands. Thus, all the pieces fall into place.

[secret.simon]

Both wings of my family tree have been in America at least 120 years.

Do you know who among your ancestors were the most recent to migrate from Europe to the US and when did they migrate? A paper-trail that proves their identity and their nationality at that point would be necessary to have to prove your claim to nationality via descent from them.

Wallonia is the French speaking half of what is Belgium. Given the stretch of history we are talking of, that region has been ruled by Burgundy, Spain, the United provinces of the Netherlands, Austria, the Holy Roman Empire, France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Luxembourg and finally Belgium. The battlefield of Waterloo is in Wallonia and that region was called the Cockpit of Europe because of the number of battles fought there.Your ancestors may not have fled from one kingdom to another, but may have merely been conquered by another kingdom.

If your ancestors fled in the 15th century, it is just before the Reformation and hence it is unlikely that they would have been Huguenots. It is however possible that they were Jews. While the Jews were persecuted in Europe even then, they were also welcomed by some courts because of their wealth. Given that the currency then was gold, getting the Jews to come to your kingdom was the equivalent of quantitative easing in those times, by bringing their gold into your country

In any case, I digress. This is not a history forum. Reverting to your immigration question, you would need some very recent immigration from Europe to the US, along with a paper trail linking you to that ancestor, to count for the purposes of claiming citizenship to migrate to Europe.

Alternatively, you may wish to consider either Asia or the insular areas of the US. Have you looked at moving to Guam, American Samoa or the other islands in the Pacific? I believe that the US military has strong presences in these places and hence you may be more at home there, while being well away from the political storms in Washington. The sit-in in the House of Representatives would have been quite entertaining, had it not been for our Brexit referendum.

[ALKB]

Both wings of my family tree have been in America at least 120 years.

In any case, that's too long ago for claiming German citizenship, so no easy in from that side.

Just for your information, Germany does not have retirement visas as such and any application would be outside the rules and likely to be refused - I know of the parents of an American woman married to a German who have been trying to retire in Germany for years without any success.

I hear that Italy has an 'elective residence' visa and I think Spain also has a category of residence permit for people who receive a pension/overseas income. Mind, that's hearsay and you'd have to research domestic Italian and Spanish immigration law regarding this.

EDIT: Malta seems to be an option:

http://www.legal-malta.com/immigration/pr-conditions