I've looked into it a few times and there doesn't seem to be any good options

It's expensive.

And there's a strong loss-aversion aspect. I own land that I struggled a long time to purchase and then develop as a home. To start from scratch again at my age would be tough.

Even moving to another state would be pretty rough.

And the USA is not alone in restricting immigration to those who they think will improve their economic strength.

I could probably attain that only by becoming a corporate lackey -- part of the problem I'd want to escape.

Hard to choose an answer for that one. It's already difficult having my heart in two places on the emotional front but if I had money to travel that would resolve that. And there's the practical admin level (aka would I be allowed to live and work somewhere and could I afford to live there) and then there's the practical work of setting up a new life and the emotional level of missing my other homes. Because I moved around so much as a kid, I really value both having deep roots and community, knowing a place over time and having a relationship with it.

And are we talking about it in a "it would be nice to live elsewhere" way or a "if you had to flee the Nazis/political oppression would you have somewhere to find refuge" way?

when you have done it once and left behind your original social circle, it is easier to do it again.

I suppose it is also easy for folks who move cities for their career.

Much harder now, thanks to Brexit. Previously it would have been 'somewhat easy', if that different country was within the EU.

it looks pretty impossible to do the immigration thing.

Survey ✅ Long answer: I already moved from Europe to Canada where there is more physical, social and mental space available. If I was in danger or jeopardized by climate change consequences, I would quite easily do it again but now there's no better and safer place for me to be than in Eastern Canada so it would be quite hard. https://www.lapresse.ca/debats/editoriaux/2023-02-16/et-si-c-etait-nous-sur-le-chemin-roxham.php

literally work in a country I wasn’t born in, wasn‘t a difficult move. EU makes it easy.

I answered "very hard," but then I realized it depends on what you mean. If you mean "permanently," then it's "very hard." If you. mean "for a few years," then it's "somewhat easy."

well, last time I moved to a new city fell into suicidal depression from the isolation and other factors, which among other things meant I had a very hard time holding a job for more than a few quarters. My circumstance are different now, but I can't imagine it would be even remotely a good idea for me to uproot my entire life to live somewhere where I'd be a hated foreigner and where my welcome would be contingent on me holding a job for a work visa.

Technically I am closer to southwest Ontario than I am to Cleveland or Erie. It would just be a trip in a boat across the lake. I simply don’t meet qualifications to be more than a short-term tourist to Canada under present legislation. I just narrowly miss the mark.

Other countries require a bit more research, of course.

I moved 1 year ago between France to Scotland. Not alone, but with wife and childrens. Just like that, because we just want to move, to live an adventure. So, now I know : it isn't easy, but ... it isn't very difficult too. New language, new climate, new work, new people, new culture ... an all new life.

me? Easy. Convincing my partner? Probably impossible.

I picked VERY EASY because that is my attitude, even though the opportunity might not be there. I have been living between Canada and Japan for a number of years, and have really looked at going to a third country. I do remote work, so that is sorted. And over 40 countries have some sort of nomad visa. The challenge is schooling for the kids. International school is expensive. Also, even if *I* want to be a nomad, my kids deserve some stability. So maybe after they move out?

depending on which country

I’ve done it a dozen times. Honestly it’s always kind of hard but I think I figured it out. I get settled and find friends faster. For now. I’m quite happy settled in Aotearoa New Zealand.

define “hard”. It can be very easy financially, less so technically for some countries and hard psychologically. Moving isn’t simple.

Content warning: Politics Click to open/close

it’s hard/complicated but very worth it (for leaving the US). It took me nearly a year to secure housing and importing my cat was one of the hardest processes I’ve ever gone through. And that’s without moving any belongings - that I have yet to even figure out bc it’s so insanely expensive. But being out of the US is heaven lol

I wonder how you would see moving within EU as a EU resident.

Giving that moving there might be as close as moving within Germany, say Hamburg to Munich.

So within EU, I say it is REALLY easy. I am actually planning to do so. Moving out of the EU I have a mental barrier. Many safety nets exist in EU.

Not owning land nor a house helps to stay mobile tho.

Very vague question. I have already moved countries twice. I think I would do it easily again, but not quite sure where to move.

damn it I missed this one! My visa came through—can confirm it has not been easy, and I would not have been able to do this without money and privilege!

This was a tough one, especially because moving to another country can be a very complex task on a lot of different levels: social, personal, financial, bureaucratic, political, ecological.

I say very hard. The move I made, US to Canada, has been tough on me personally and for my friends and family. I love where I live, but having two hometowns tears your heart in two.

Thanks to everyone who responded!

Is every one of your polls going to ask questions with ambiguous wording? Do you mean move to temporarily or migrate to permanently? Do you mean, how difficult would it be emotionally, legally, financially, or logistically?

The answer would be different for each of those questions. Legally, it would be very difficult for me to find another country that would accept me as a migrant. Logistically, it would be a headache but doable. Emotionally, it would require some long involved conversations and negotiations with family. Financially, it would depend on whether the new country provides pension benefits for new immigrants.

@bhawthorne great. Now, take all those ideas and integrate them into an answer.

And, yes, most of my polls are general enough that a big percentage of people can engage with them.

I thought that’s what I just did.