What are the immigration requirements to work in Switzerland for a British citizen?
Does a British citizen need a work permit to be employed by a Swiss company? Does the company need to apply for it? Also, does a British citizen need to apply for a residency permit to live and work in switzerland. Anything else?
If I am an American who does not speak Icelandic, can I still move to and function in Icelands community?
Góðan daginn! Lyonel Perabo is right. It is pretty hard to immigrate to Iceland as an American.A person may be naturalised as an Icelandic citizen after seven years' residence in Iceland. There are various concessions to the residence requirement:1.A reduction to four years for a citizen of another Nordic Council country2.Where a person is married to (or in a recognised union with) an Icelandic citizen, the residence requirement is reduced to three years. The Icelandic spouse must have held citizenship for five years, and the marriage must have subsisted for four years.3.Persons in a recognised cohabitation with an Icelandic citizen, the residence period is five years, subject to the same criteria as for spouses4.A reduction to two years for the child of an Icelandic citizen, provided the parent has held Icelandic citizenship for five years5.One year's residence is required for former Icelandic citizens6.The residence requirement for recognised refugees is 5 years7. person born in Iceland and not holding any other citizenship may be granted citizenship after three years' residence.Applicants are expected to be of good character and capable of supporting themselves in Iceland.For more information please visit Icelandic Nationality Act and the webpage is in English.However, living in Iceland without speaking Icelandic is not that hard as almost every Icelander speaks English (fluency based on their education). But learning Icelandic certainly helps as it will be easier for you to integrate into the community and find a job. Good luck in the land of the Vikings :D
Where should we move to? Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Russia?
Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland are all members of the European Union. To live and work in any of these countries it's necessary to be a citizen of another EU country. Non-EU citizens, for example Americans, are not allowed to move to Europe to live and work - it's illegal. While your father might qualify for a job in one of these countries, the problem is that the employer will need to prove that there are no qualified EU citizens available to fill the position. Something which is just about impossible. And, despite his good qualifications, you don't state whether your father speaks the language of any of the countries you mention. While Russia and Norway are not members of the EU, it will still be extremely difficult to get a job in the current economic climate, especially a person who does not understand the language. These day's migration is impossible to most countries. I live in Australia, and it's possible that your father would qualify for migration here, but it takes years to get a visa. It's not something that's going to happen "ASAP" regardless of the country you choose. If your father is interested in Australia, get him to look at the information on the Australian Government's Immigration website: http://www.immi.gov.au
Is it a good idea to move to Iceland from USA in 5 years?
I'm infatuated by Iceland for many reasons. I want to know if it is a good idea in 4 or 5 years, how to move there (simplified, please), and good-paying jobs there. Also, how to be a citizen and get a house. Thanks!
Is it good idea to go to Iceland?
A2ACant say much about Finland but here's what I know about US and Iceland...Iceland has public education for its citizens. That means that education is as close to free as it can get. There's an enrollment fee of about $600, for a full year's worth of education for the public universities, like University of Iceland but privately run universities usually have higher tuition fees. For example, the University of Reykjavík has a tuition fee of about $1600 dollars per semester, at the BA/BSc level.But like I said, those are prices for Icelandic citizens and residents, who's tax money goes towards supporting the education system. Foreigners entering the country on a student visa can expect higher fees.For a foreigner to come to Iceland to work, you either need to have a very good education, that would make you a valuable contribution to the job market. By law, companies have to advertise open positions locally and provide a credible case that they can't find a qualified individual, before they're allowed to petition for a work visa for a foreigner.A foreigner who already has a residence permit in Iceland can apply for any job in Iceland like a normal citizen can. EU citizens also have an easier time to move to Iceland and do the same. However, if their Icelandic is not good, it would probably severely limit their option of jobs. Exceptions would be if the individual is highly educated in a valuable field, like medicine, computer science or something in the same degree.The USA in contrast has a very expensive education system in place. Prices can easily jump to $60.000 per year. This is creating a problem in the states, where graduates are coming out of school with severe debts.At the same time, you can expect to be payed a little bit more in the States vs Iceland. Based on a personal experience I can say that an entry level position for a BSc graduate in Computer Science is roughly $50.000 a year, in Iceland, but a similar position in the States can net you between $60.000-$100.000 a year, depending on the company.On the flip side, you have to deal with higher expense, privatized healthcare (which might be covered by your employer) and factors like that.No place is perfect.
Living & working in Europe vs. America?
I moved to Italy 11 years ago from Colorado and love it here. However, I also was very happy in Colorado and still have my home there. It is pretty easy to get around here when you have weekends or holidays if you can afford it. However, living here is more expensive than most places in the US and jobs are very scarce. It's also difficult to get a visa that would allow you to live and work here. Employers have to advertise jobs and can only get a work permit for a non European if they can demonstrate that there are no viable European applicants. Personally, I don't spend any less time working to support myself here than I did living in the US. Generally, I get to work around 6:30 am and leave around 7 or 8 pm. You do get more vacation time here typically than in the US and there are usually interesting things to see and do on the weekends. Europe can be a great place to live and work, but don't expect it to just be a full vacation. You still have life's overhead - jobs, housecleaning, shopping, studies if you're in school, and you have to deal with the bureaucracy to maintain your legal status here which is not a big burden, but can take time. If you're an expat in Italy, you have to file income tax returns in both Italy and the US every year and that can be both complex and expensive.
Why would anyone want to live in seattle if they had a choice?
This place sucks the biggest a** ever. Yet there are thousands of people who live in the metro area. Were they lured here by propaganda? Is this a corporate job trap place? Do selfish people simply aggregate here like in LA? People get used to the money and they can't leave? Do people actually "choose" to live in Seattle? I don't see the attraction. I don't get it. Please explain if you can. Thanks.