If you fulfill the criteria to obtain a visa, then permanent residence and eventually citizenship that is indeed the way to do it. The thing is, you need to get a working visa first. You can’t just show up and expect to be allowed to stay until you have found a job. And in the case of Ireland your employer has to prove that they needed to employ you because there was no equally qualified candidate from any EU country.
Obviously that isn’t a problem for a successful musician but it will still be harder than he maybe imagines.
There are countries in the EU where you can buy (okay “invest”) citizenship. Malta is famous for that because it’s less than a million euro, but Portugal and even Austria have citizenship by investment schemes.
Also, even with a second passport lined up, renouncing U.S. citizenship isn’t as easy as saying “I quit”. The unusual income tax regime (Americans are taxed no matter where on the planet they live) plus the “greatest country on Earth” exceptionalism means that the U.S. makes you jump through a whole series of time-consuming hoops before it releases its claim.
Yes, and family members you might want to visit or provide care for if they get sick. Once one officially renounces it stays on the record and it can make re-entering the U.S. an unpleasant and difficult experience.
Right now they still let most people who renounced in, but they’re not gracious about it. You’re likely to spend an hour or two sitting at secondary screening at immigration while they puzzle out why you’d choose to give up all this “wonderfulness” and confirm that your tax situation is in order.
I anticipate this whole process getting a lot more nasty if the federal government becomes a Putin-style regime dominated by the death-cult party.
It’s really something that US politics have moved right of the military. On the last few issues like this, the DoD has taken similar stances that are more progressive than whatever horrible thing congress/SCOTUS just did.
I got a taste of that when I moved back to Canada after being on a green card in the US for many years (also in response to Former Guy). I get lectured every time I cross the border about wanting to live in a horrible place like Canada and why on earth would anyone do that. I’ve learned to just say my parents are ill because that ends the conversation to their satisfaction. That’s the only possible reason someone would leave the Land Of The Free and move to Communism Everywhere Else. They have total power over you in that moment so all you can do is sit and listen to their self-righteous little speech.
When I applied for my SENTRI card in 2015, I got a similar talk when I told them I would be spending a majority of my time in Mexico. Not so much hand-wringing, but definitely a “Please remember to come back” vibe.
The military has to be at least somewhat rooted in reality; they know what happens if you let your ideology blinker you. (We’re seeing a live cautionary example w. Russians in Ukraine right now.)
Yep that seems to be a universal truth at the Border.
When I was doing my fellowship in the States I was on a TN visa which is was renewed every 2 years and grants no immigration options.
Nearly every time I renewed (and some random border crossings) a good portion of the time was spent explaining why on earth I wouldn’t want to permanently move to the States. I had a easy out because my wife is a phsyician (not licenced to practice in the US), but I witnessed some other applicants get grilled on that point.
I kept my Green Card for a long time before getting U.S. citizenship and got the little lecture more than a few times. One time there was also the not-so-veiled threat of having my card taken away if I didn’t promise to get citizenship soon. Now I have a U.S. passport and address, so I can tell the border officer “I’m coming home” even if I spend most of my year outside the States these days.
I plan on spending more time away if things keep trending in the wrong direction. That brings us back on-topic to the here-and-now.
Beau is absolutely right about what needs to be done, but there’s only uncertainty here. First, we need to get a real Dem majority in both chambers, one that will make DINOs like Manchin and Sinema irrelevant. I hope this anti-choice decision, along with other extremist ones, energises people to get out and vote Dem.
Assuming that happen, we have two years to implement the reforms needs to make the SCOTUS more equitable and to prevent/reverse GOP attempts to set up the big cheat for 2024. Since such reform moves at a glacial pace, the plans for the next two years need to be in place yesterday. I’m hoping the Dem leadership in Congress has taken some time out from doing yoga and reading poems to formulate those plans.
Not sure why everyone is worried about rape and incest exception, everyone knows you can’t get pregnant through rape. Well, at least the republicans believe that.
Back in 2012 Missouri Congressman Todd Akin made that same claim and, at the time, even some of his fellow Republicans backed away from him. Two years later he doubled down on it.
I suspect it’s going to get even more traction now. There may be Republicans who know it’s not true but they’re going to be too cowardly to say so. Besides, even those who claim they’re fine with exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother must know that Roe v. Wade being overturned makes it even more difficult for women to get vital medical care even in those cases.
