Compare countries on the things that decide a move

Put every country on your shortlist through the same six questions. The dimensions below say what to check and why it matters; country guides are added one at a time, each with its sources and the date it was last checked.

The six dimensions

Use these as your checklist when you read any country’s official pages.

01 · visa

Visa routes

Which door fits you: employer-sponsored work, remote or self-employed, family reunion, or retirement / passive income.

Is there a route for your situation, or only for a narrow list of occupations?
Can your partner and children come on the same application, and can your partner work?
Does the route lead to permanent residence, and after how long?
What must you show: a job offer, a minimum income, savings, health insurance, a clean police record?

02 · cost

Cost of living

Rent, groceries, transport and utilities in the city you would actually live in, not the national average.

What does a long-term rental of the size you need cost in your target neighbourhood?
Will you earn locally, or be paid in another currency that can move against you?
Which costs are new to you: school fees, a car, heating, private health cover?

03 · health

Healthcare access

When newcomers can use the public system, what it covers, and what private insurance has to fill.

Is there a waiting period before you are covered by the public system?
Does your visa require private health insurance, and at what level?
How are existing conditions and regular prescriptions handled?

04 · tax

Tax residency

When the new country starts taxing you, whether the old one stops, and how pensions and foreign income are treated.

What makes you tax resident: days present, a home, your family, or your centre of interests?
Is there a tax treaty between the two countries, and what does it say about pensions?
Do you need to formally tell your current country that you are leaving?

05 · settle

Banking and housing

The chain that trips people up: address, local ID number, bank account, lease, phone.

Can you open a bank account before you have a local address, or the other way round?
What does a landlord ask a newcomer for: payslips, a guarantor, months of deposit?
Which ID number do you need first, and how long does it take to get?

06 · family

Family and retirement

Schools, a partner’s right to work, bringing parents, and whether a pension can be received abroad.

How do school places work for children who arrive mid-year?
Can your state pension be paid abroad, and is it uprated each year there?
What happens to your healthcare if you retire and stop working?

Countries on the list

Each country starts with its official immigration starting point. We only publish comparisons once a guide has been researched against official sources and dated. Until then, ask the assistant and check the official page it points you to.