How does one up and move to a foreign country?

I have recently been toying with the thought of moving to Europe (specifically Germany) in the next year or two. I'm a US citizen, my girlfriend is Canadian (German father, British mother). As my user name suggests, I am a pilot, but I would not plan on flying over there as a profession; unless I was able to afford to convert all my FAA licenses to JAA.

With my piloting career, unless I had a pretty awesome gig fall in my lap, I would pretty much be destined to live somewhere in America. I'd like to travel the world and see as many places as I can. My girlfriend is the same way. (history buff fascinated with all different cultures). I was thinking that while I'm still young and not locked into a big high paying job or strict schedule, now would be the time to do something drastic.

Since my gf's dad is German and Germany is the Fatherland, she can get a German citizenship easily. I would somehow use her citizenship to explore job opportunities at an airport at whatever town we end up in.

We are planning out a backpacking trip sometime early this next year. We will stay with her cousin in Hildesheim and go from there.


I haven't looked into citizenship too much, but I know most countries require you to be some type of "skilled worker" in order to get a job that allows you to have citizenship. I have a business degree that specialized in airport management and I would like to use that to get a job in a large airport working in the corporate office or doing some type of customs work.



edit:

Hmm looks like since I am a US citizen I can move to Germany with my passport and look for work for up to 3 months. My girlfriend automatically gets a German passport and the right to live anywhere in the EU (lucky)

Originally Posted by Stylish Pilot

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I have recently been toying with the thought of moving to Europe (specifically Germany) in the next year or two. I'm a US citizen, my girlfriend is Canadian (German father, British mother). As my user name suggests, I am a pilot, but I would not plan on flying over there as a profession; unless I was able to afford to convert all my FAA licenses to JAA.

With my piloting career, unless I had a pretty awesome gig fall in my lap, I would pretty much be destined to live somewhere in America. I'd like to travel the world and see as many places as I can. My girlfriend is the same way. (history buff fascinated with all different cultures). I was thinking that while I'm still young and not locked into a big high paying job or strict schedule, now would be the time to do something drastic.
lol

I haven't looked into citizenship too much, but I know most countries require you to be some type of "skilled worker" in order to get a job that allows you to have citizenship. I have a business degree that specialized in airport management and I would like to use that to get a job in a large airport working in the corporate office or doing some type of customs work.

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Maybe you should do that.

So whats your question?

I haven't looked into citizenship too much, but I know most countries require you to be some type of "skilled worker" in order to get a job that allows you to have citizenship. I have a business degree that specialized in airport management and I would like to use that to get a job in a large airport working in the corporate office or doing some type of customs work.

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this is usually no big issue.

Originally Posted by legorogel

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So whats your question?


this is usually no big issue.


Idk if I even had a question. I guess I'm jst looking for input.


In some of the reading I've been doing it seems like it kind of is. Saying that unless you're involved in some type of IT field or and entrepreneur, they aren't just going to hand out a work permit. I'm not sure how true that is.

EU nations send a ton of pilots to the US for training, so you'd probably be able get a skilled worker visa as a pilot.



You could also sign up for language classes and get a student visa that allows you to work, but IDK if there's a limit on hours.

You want to check on how long all the paperwork takes. It took me about 18 months, and several grand to an immigration attorney, to move to the US.

Originally Posted by BigPoppa

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EU nations send a ton of pilots to the US for training, so you'd probably be able get a skilled worker visa as a pilot.



You could also sign up for language classes and get a student visa that allows you to work, but IDK if there's a limit on hours.

The European pilot market is just a flooded as the American one. The just send people over because training is cheap in America. I do hope to one day fly over there, but that would be down the road a bit.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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You want to check on how long all the paperwork takes. It took me about 18 months, and several grand to an immigration attorney, to move to the US.

So that long to immigrate from Canada? My gf was looking into this as well, possibly trying to find a teaching position down here in a few years.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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You want to check on how long all the paperwork takes. It took me about 18 months, and several grand to an immigration attorney, to move to the US.
Wow. Why so long? I know this might sound silly but I was under the impression that you could just pick up your crap and move to whatever country you wanted, provided you had a passport/visa and whatnot.

^^ lool

Originally Posted by Rambo

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Wow. Why so long? I know this might sound silly but I was under the impression that you could just pick up your crap and move to whatever country you wanted, provided you had a passport/visa and whatnot.

This is only true if you are moving from Mexico to the US.

With an American passport you are allowed entry into most European countries for up to 3 months without a visa. If you plan to stay longer than that, you need a visa. This means either a student visa or a visa/work permit. Your girlfriend's eventual German nationality doesn't help you diddly squat. It may not even help her if she does not yet have a German passport.

If you want to stay somewhere for more than 3 months (UK may be 6 months?), then you need to be enrolled in a student program or have a job lined up. If you have a job lined up, the employer will take care of the initial paperwork and it is then generally a piece of cake for you as an American to get a work visa. If you make good money and live in the country for at least 5 years, you are often eligible for a greencard, meaning you can stay in the country indefinately, with certain minor restrictions. Anyway, it is no fun living in a foreign country if you can't speak the language, and that is also often a practical necessity.

Originally Posted by Siggy

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With an American passport you are allowed entry into most European countries for up to 3 months without a visa. If you plan to stay longer than that, you need a visa. This means either a student visa or a visa/work permit. Your girlfriend's eventual German nationality doesn't help you diddly squat. It may not even help her if she does not yet have a German passport.

If you want to stay somewhere for more than 3 months (UK may be 6 months?), then you need to be enrolled in a student program or have a job lined up. If you have a job lined up, the employer will take care of the initial paperwork and it is then generally a piece of cake for you as an American to get a work visa. If you make good money and live in the country for at least 5 years, you are often eligible for a greencard, meaning you can stay in the country indefinately, with certain minor restrictions. Anyway, it is no fun living in a foreign country if you can't speak the language, and that is also often a practical necessity.



Thanks for the heads up. So far this is essentially what I have read. My US passport will get me into those countries for 3 months. Then I'll need to find a job or have one lined up. She is applying for her German passport now. We have plans of getting married eventually, but for now I know her just being my girlfriend will not help.


Thanks for all the info guys. Keep it coming.

I've read some things about using some national job agency thing in Germany to help set you up with a job. IDK if that is how I would go about finding a job at the airport. I know for sure that's not how I will get a piloting job.

I don't know anything about pilotiing possiblities or about a German national job agency. You could look into piloting jobs with UPS, Fed Ex and the like. Also, check what related jobs there might be at or around the Frankfurt airport (largest in Germany). I imagine, however, that it would be very difficult to find something in Europe (if you are military you might look there).

I pretty much know for certain that I will not be able to get a flying job. Like I was saying earlier, Europe is just as flooded with pilot as America is.


The plan is to scope things out when we go on our trip over there.

Your girlfriend likely can't 'get a German citizenship easily'. It's a massive bureaucratic mess, and Germany is a lot more strict with its jure sanguinis laws than many other nations. If her father ever renounced his German citizenship (such as when being naturalised in the US), chances are she can't get citizenship until he reacquires his, and you can't get citizenship until after you're married and spend a few years in Germany with her.

For you to work in the EU you'll probably need to be an EU citizen. Even people with visas get turned down for work because the process is a mess and employers don't want to sponsor visas or rely on employees to maintain their visas. Working on a tourist visa is illegal, and applying for work with a tourist visa is illegal in some countries as well. Most of Europe has highly protectionist labor laws with many qualified citizens waiting in line for jobs.