A thread on somewhat related topic prompted to make this comment. I've had a strong interest in immigration as a topic and thought y'all might find this helpful to an extent. Although immigration is a complicated topic, I've attempted to chart out the most common path to PR/citizenship for some of the countries below: UK: + PR after 5 years + Citizenship after 6 years + Dual citizenship permitted + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried, no children on GBP 100k: 33.5% Luxembourg: + PR and citizenship after 5 years + Need to pass a Luxembourgish language exam (around A2/B1 level) and integration test + Dual citizenship permitted + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried on EUR100k: 25.6% Netherlands: + Both PR and citizenship after 5 years - you need to speak Dutch at B1 level at least to obtain citizenship + Dual nationality strictly not permitted + 30% tax ruling is valid for 5 years only + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried on EUR100k: 42.1% (with 30% tax ruling, this will be effectively: 24.6% for 5 years max.) Ireland: + Both PR and citizenship after 5 years + Fast-track PR after 2 years only for specialty professions - most tech/IT jobs qualify for that. You get Critical Skills Employment Permit. + Dual citizenship permitted + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried on EUR100k: 38.8% Germany: + PR after 33 months (<3 years) if you are on Blue Card (nearly everyone here would qualify) + PR after 21 months (<2 years) if you are on Blue Card AND speak German at B1 level (need to take language proficiency test) + Blue Card = your salary is above EUR 58k. Or above EUR 45k if you are in specialty occupation - most tech folks qualify. Valid for 4 years, cannot change jobs for first 2 years (unless you get your PR prior to that). + Citizenship after 8 years (cumulative) with at least A2 level of German. 7 years for those who completed Integration course. 6 years if you have B2+ level German and some proof of community involvement etc. + Dual citizenship permitted only in very specific scenarios + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried on EUR100k: 43.5% Switzerland: + Both PR and citizenship only after 10 years (PR takes 5 years for the EU citizens and Americans/Canadians) + Citizenship extremely difficult to obtain (requires same time period as above - 10 years + you need to be vetted by the locals + speak local language to a high-degree of proficiency >B2) + Dual citizenship permitted + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried on CHF150k in Zurich (much more realistic number due to higher CoL): 24.6% + Mandatory Health insurance contribution of 500-1000 CHF/month resulting in net burden of 28.6 - 32.6%. Spain: + 5 years for PR + 10 years for citizenship. 2 years if you are an Ibero-American/Philippines citizen/Sephardi Jew. + Citizenship processing time is at least 2-3 years + Dual citizenship permitted + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried on EUR100k: 35.6% Note: a) Unlike the US, all of these countries have a fairly straightforward path to the citizenship so that once you get a visa and are on the job, you pretty much do not have to worry about the rest of the things. b) In some countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland, a wealth tax also exists that would result in further personal tax burden. Above mentioned income tax component includes pension contribution and public health insurance (with exception of Switzerland) for all countries listed. c) In case you're confused by it, terms like A2/B1/B2 determine language proficiency, check out "CEFR Language levels" for more. #workvisa #h1b #immigration
Why isn’t Sweden here? - Both PR and Citizenship after 5 years - Dual citizenship is allowed - Tax are high but the social welfare compensates for that - No language requirement to obtain citizenship! But Swedish is fairly easy to learn (I picked it up in months; self-taught)
True, please feel free to add data. Sweden: + PR and Citizenship after 5 years. To apply for citizenship, you must first have a PR even though the time period is same (this is typically a requirement for all mentioned countries) + Dual citizenship permitted + No language requirement + Processing time for citizenship: 6 months + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried on SEK 1 Million (equivalent to USD 113k or EUR 96k) : 40.3%
1) is sweden the only nordic to exclude language requirement during citizenship application? 2) I noticed your datapoints are towards single and unmarried people. Is the taxation significantly less for married people or people with kids in EU? I’m contemplating a move from Seattle to nordics or Luxembourg.
- Ireland: As you can see from your numbers, tax rate is incredibly high with no real social welfare in return. Salaries are miserable and rents as high as Paris or New York. So just stay away - Germany: As I see people here commenting about marrying to get residency/citizenship, you will get German citizenship after only 3 years if youre married to a German. Other countries are similar I suppose. The Blue Card you mentioned is highly criticized and apparently not working as well as it is supposed to. Language and cultural adaption can also be quite the challenge. - Switzerland: Citizenship highly depends on the state you live in, as they use a strong federal system where every state can to a high degree set their own tax and immigration laws. So it can easily be longer than 10 years or even never if the local government does not find you suitable. One of the most difficult citizenships to attain but also one of the most valuable. - Spain: Miserable salaries again so most Spanish immigrate to other countries even if its only for a few years.
1. Ireland - true, it surprisingly lacks a comprehensive healthcare system. Irish healthcare system is way behind the NHS of the UK. 2. Germany: Immigration is a complex topic by itself and, for the sake of brevity, I didn't include other alternative options (citizenship via marriage, descent etc.). Fwiw, Spain provides citizenship within 1 year if you're married - processing time is...very Spanish though. 3. Blue Card is a lot of hype and very poor implementation. IMO - only Germany has, to a certain degree, implemented it to some degree of adequacy - would've been better if they provided some tax rebate as the Dutch do. Then again, Blue Card is not a solution in itself to attract talent; you need to cultivate at least innovation hubs as well. 4. Switzerland: My opinion differs on the "value" of the Swiss citizenship - it carries that image due to the history and the Swiss neutrality. Today, more countries have a powerful passport than the Swiss do - Germany being one of them.
How about Netherlands?
Portugal info please
How many tech companies do you know based out of Portugal? That's why I didn't include it. I don't have all the info there but: + 5 years for PR as well as citizenship + Citizenship: requires B2 level of Portuguese and "sufficient" link to community + Dual nationality permitted + Great place to retire though: you can live in Portugal as a Non-Habitual Resident and pay very low tax rates on further income/dividends/gains. T&C apply - check on the web. + Under NHR status, any overseas income/gains/dividends will be tax-free for 10 years. No wealth tax either. Any income generated in Portugal itself will be taxed at a reduced rate of 20%. Must live in the country for 183 days at least which isn't bad when combined with absolutely low CoL, solid healthcare system, and sunny beaches. + If you're also somewhat rich, you can outright buy a Golden Visa giving you immediate right to residence. Out of scope of this post though. Details here: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/solicitar/residir/art90-a/
Portugal has a lot of tech offices OP. You should add it to the list.
Tax info looks too positive for uk to me, is it real ?), do you have some sources ? edit: looks like it can go up to 45% Band Taxable income Tax rate Personal Allowance Up to £12,500 0% Basic rate £12,501 to £50,000 20% Higher rate £50,001 to £150,000 40% Additional rate over £150,000 45%
The UK has more lucrative Income tax rates than its many European counterparts. IMO its "high tax rate" image comes from the fact that: a) More Americans/English-speaking folks would move to the UK (compared to DE/NL etc.) and see that the tax rate is higher than the US. b) Except for London, the UK's implementation of what happens with the tax money is subpar. Note I haven't talked about the Capital Gains tax at all - that's an entirely different ballgame. Sources below: https://listentotaxman.com/100000? https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php
I mean, as per that tax band itself, the PIT (Personal Income Tax) rate would be GBP 27500 + Mandatory National Insurance (GBP 5860) = Take Home pay of GBP 66640. Btw, this is for England/Wales. You pay a bit more if you are resident in Scotland (effective tax rate would be 35.4% there)
Good post. In the end, Uncle Sam lets you keep more money. Long live Capitalism!
Which you will use to provide yourself a retirement paycheck (already provided in EU) and increasingly expensive elderly healthcare (free in EU). If anything is left, college for kids (mostly free in EU). It’s not like you get to spend those savings on luxury cars.
UK / EU Pensions are not enough to live on. It’s like social security in the US. College is not mostly free, it costs on the level of a non flagship state university in the US. Source: family in EU, I am a dual resident.
This is all timely for me, has anyone here read “sovereign individual”?
Where did you pull the above information? Would like to know the same details for France.
Multiple caveats exist for France. (for eg, if you did a 2-y Master from a French uni etc.) Here is the scenario for a foreigner who has never lived in France earlier/not married to a French spouse etc. + PR and Citizenship - both take 5 years (like others, you first need a Titre de sejour) + Mandatory 12 months - 16/18 months (realistic) processing time for naturalization application + Language level required: >B1 at least + Dual citizenship permitted + Est. effective tax rate for single, unmarried, no children on EUR 100k: 35.2%
Thanks! Helpful
Info for Norway and Czechia pls?
You are missing something major with respect to the UK. Most employers won’t pay for a Tier 2 General visa and instead give you a Tier 2 ICT visa which does not lead to ILTR unless you can convert it to a long term specialty occupation visa, but this is rare and hard to get.
1) I would not say that employers wouldn't pay for Tier 2 General Visa - it is a nominal cost for them. Its that the process is quite horrendous. 2) Good news being that the UK is implementing new visa rules that go live from January 2021. They are far more simplified and sensible IMO.
I feel like Zapata knows 10x more than IBS (relocation/visa company) do you have links to new visa rules ?
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Where are you currently? Are you planning to settle in one of these countries?
I've lived in one of the countries listed. (Germany) Potentially planning to settle there.
Okay I've been living in London. But I don't think I'll settle because there's no provision of parent visa.