Hello, I'm a US citizen, in my 4th year of college but am seriously against a number of the government's policies, including taxation and Selective Service. Therefore, I want to leave my country and gain EU citizenship asap, because I believe that life in Europe fits me better. My plan is to relocate in Svalbard this summer (the only place that I know of that any American can reside in freely and permanently), get a degree at UNIS, work there for some time, and, when I have sufficient funds, buy an EU passport (A Bulgarian passport is currently selling for 150k Euros). Would anyone mind giving me advice on whether it is practical to expect to be accepted into UNIS and find a job, or whether there is an alternative option to escape my country? (I know, adapting to Svalbard is no joke, but I'd be happy to battle it through if it helps me to escape from America, as long as I can sustain myself there.)
Do you know the level of taxes in the EU? You want to pay double as in the US?
The Norwegian "governor" in Svalbard can determine if you are allowed or not to stay there. He will look at you having sufficient funds to live in one of the costliest countries in the world and if you have a job or equivalent. You also have to get a super costly health insurance. No or very few jobs if not speaking Norwegian and having specific experiences (experienced arctic guide?) - there is a reason that only 2000 lives there
If you think your own government's policies are so bad, why not become involved in politics and do something to help change those policies? Or simply wait a few years - as eventually the government will change? People in many places in the world would give everything they own to have the right to reside in the US.
It might be worth your while to get a 12-month working holiday visa for Australia or New Zealand just to experience life in a different country - you might be surprised at how much you miss the country you seem to despise.
You are against a number of your government's policies, so you NOW want to move to another country!
So what are these policies that you are so strongly against, that have been acted into law of late?
None of these posts addresses my question. With EU citizenship, I can open up an entire realm of opportunities, and enhanced freedom to move about in nearly 30 countries, which is what I'm fighting for here. And Svalbard is actually cheaper in a number of ways, as there is no tuition fee at UNIS, and accommodations there for students, according to the site.
http://www.unis.no/10_STUDIES/1040_Student_Life/accommodation.htm
"No or very few jobs if not speaking Norwegian and having specific experiences (experienced arctic guide?) - there is a reason that only 2000 lives there"
Why wouldn't I be employed if I get a degree at UNIS?
"People in many places in the world would give everything they own to have the right to reside in the US."
I'm not interested in listening to others' opinions. I just want a reply on whether I can gain EU citizenship this way. An EU citizenship is worth my limbs to me, because I don't trust that the government of the US won't do anything stupid, and am not willing to be under the mercy of just one country.
"So what are these policies that you are so strongly against, that have been acted into law of late?"
Why do you care? I just want to move to the EU, and am asking for help on how to get there, not why I should go there.
If it was that easy, I think a lot of people would do it. I think the following issues may be an impediment:
UNIS is not a university, but a university centre, and we do not offer any programs or degrees, but only single courses on bachelor, master and PhD level.
All courses at UNIS are approved by the Norwegian universities. Questions about incorporating UNIS courses into your degree should be directed to the faculty or the Student Affairs office at your home university. We recommend our foreign students to get the UNIS courses approved in advance by their home institution.
So you aren't going to get a degree from UNIS: most students just spend half a year or a year there as part of studying at another university. (But they do have an arrangement with the University of the Arctic based at Rovaniemi in Finland if you do all your studies there.) But the truth is you can study at just about any university in Europe if you get in and can afford the arrangements, since student visas are routinely available. But you need to choose carefully if you want it to lead to citizenship. It used to be the case in Britain that you could carry on working for a couple of years after your degree and if you were successful in keeping yourself employed in jobs of a suitable level of quality then fairly easily get residency and move on to citizenship. However that process has now stopped in Britain, because they have stopped people staying on to work so easily as they used to. It has made British universities a lot less popular internationally than they used to be. But I think there are still countries in Europe where studying there is a route to residency and citizenship if you manage to keep going and do well enough, but I don't know so much about it.
Your assertion that you will get a job in Svalbard Norway after studying at UNIS is flakey. The economy of Svalbard comprises (1) tourism (2) mining (3) some academic activities (4) the local service economy, and that's about it. It is far from clear that the courses at UNIS lead to working in this economy: there is are Arctic Technology courses which may be relevant to mining - but are you an engineer? Because UNIS's official language is English, you may fail to pick up Norwegian which would give you general access to the Norwegian jobs market.
If it is US taxation you don't like, and the US does have some rather annoying taxation practices, in general I expect you will find European countries more annoying. The specific annoyances of the US may not be present, but the annoying feature of European taxation, in nearly every case, is the high rate of taxation. There is hardly a country in Europe with a lower average rate of taxation than the USA. That includes Norway, despite its high levels of oil income.
There are also some countries in Europe with military service or similar and I think Norway may be one of them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription#Countries_with_and_without_mandatory_military_service
I just want to move to the EU, and am asking for help on how to get there, not why I should go there.
There is not free movement of labour between the EU and US, and the EU having much higher population density than the US tends to be more restrictive than the US. The simplest methods of achieving migration are:
(1) internal transfer within a company with both US and EU offices, and
(2) marriage, having had careful attention to the rules - if you marry a Briton they must have sufficient income to be permitted to bring you into the country
More general work visas are possible, but require you to have a high level of skill.
Ehh - you do not get an EU citizenship by staying and working in the EU for a few years. First of all and MOST IMPORTANT staying in NORWAY which isn't an EU country is not qualifying!!!
Staying in Svalbard which has some kind of International zone status due to and old treaty is probably even less qualifying - if anything can be so.
This said then add that there is nothing like an EU Citizenship - you still have to become citizen in an individual country and then utilize the free movement of the workforce.
You do not get an EU citizenship by staying and working in the EU for a few years. First of all and MOST IMPORTANT staying in NORWAY which isn't an EU country is not qualifying!!!
Norway is an EEA member and there is freedom of movement of labour in the whole EU/EEA area, so it is a close substitute for an EU country. In many EU/EEA countries, you do get the opportunity to apply for residence and later for citizenship, with a high success rate, if you live/work there for long enough with correct status (Switzerland being one notable exception, very difficult to become Swiss). It normally does not suffice to complete a university course in a country, and what happens when you complete your course is probably the most difficult transition. However some countries do encourage promising international students to stay on and work after their degree and eventually get an opportunity to apply for citizenship: until recently this used to be common in Britain and I'm sure it has been mentioned on this forum that a number of forward-thinking EU/EEA countries are still more encouraging about it, but it requires some careful research of where and what the conditions are.
This is not meant as either encouragement or discouragement to OP. OP needs to understand that completing a degree in the EU/EEA does not ineluctably lead to citizenship if you want it to: but it can be under the right conditions, a first step: for many talented individuals it has been such a first step.
and, when I have sufficient funds, buy an EU passport (A Bulgarian passport is currently selling for 150k Euros
If you are content to use a scheme for wealthy individuals, you hardly need a European degree and you will find it easier to become sufficiently wealthy in the US as incomes, especially in comparison to cost of living, especially to economically successful individuals, are generally higher there.
A number of European countries do have schemes for attracting wealthy individuals, especially those who set up businesses and make investments. But there has been a clamp-down on by the EU on those member states' schemes which look more like "buying" a passport without any residency or investment in those countries. For example, I met a Russian who had simply bought an Irish passport about a dozen years ago, for a sum of the order you mention, without ever being resident there, but she wouldn't be able to do that now. If maybe you can still simply buy a Bulgarian passport for €150k, or with very light other details attached,I wouldn't rely on the continued existence of such an arrangement for very long.
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