Three Things You MUST Do if You Want to Emigrate from the US
Real Talk That Most “Expat” Writers Don’t Mention
Elizabeth Silleck La Rue
1/3/20251 min read


As someone who emigrated from the US as a self-employed consultant with a legal background, and who is now providing services to help people conscientiously emigrate from the US, I find myself laughing when I read some of the popular (yet incredibly oversimplified) articles about becoming an “expat,” digital nomad, or retiree abroad.
You know the articles I’m referring to.
“Five Countries You Can Move to RIGHT NOW” are the clickbaity headlines, and no attention is paid to who the “you” is, or whether or not those countries actually want “you,” with your particular circumstances.
Forget about whether people with your specific identities will be safe, comfortable or welcomed in the countries being touted as the best for US “expats.”
Quite frankly, these articles appear to be aimed at some generic, well-resourced, independently wealthy, healthy, white, male, heterosexual individual who has zero circumstances that require further consideration.
They also hardly ever meaningfully acknowledge or grapple with the increasing backlash globally to people from the US treating the world as their personal playgrounds and driving up costs of living while contributing little to local economies.
These articles also often border on dishonesty. The information about income requirements is frequently outdated — I saw one just recently, published in Forbes, that listed income thresholds for temporary residency visas in Mexico that were applicable in 2022, but have since risen twice.
Crucial eligibility criteria is left unmentioned (for example, age restrictions for visas aimed at retirees), and overall, these articles paint an unrealistic picture of unfettered accessibility to the rest of the world with no caveats.
I’ll be the one to break it to you: not everyone in the world is clamoring to accept US citizens as immigrants, and there are certain limitations that I have never seen mentioned in these popular blog pieces.
And if you’re a person in the US considering emigrating, I would hate for you to do something that could jeopardize your plans simply because you didn’t know it could.