Ask HN: Opportunities to study abroad without a previous degree?

Long story short, I couldn't finish my education in university (even with an scholarship) for personal reasons. I have been a web — and then — backend developer for ~6 years now (PHP and recently Go) and my previous employers have stated that my profile is good, but once I touch the immigration process topic they try to avoid it because they understand — and I do too — that a formal education is the key in the process. I have tried to move to Canada four times: one to Quebec, two to Canada using the FSW and Express entry programs, and this year asked for a tourist visa and was rejected because "[I] don't have roots in the home country to guarantee a return". So I get it now, there is no way I can immigrate to another country — from South America — without a formal degree. I'm 25 years old, so it is not like I am too old to enroll in an university once again, but the education system is not good enough to consider five years of studies an investment. Do you know of universities in your country that accept international students without a previous degree? I know that many universities expect that you are currently studying in a local university or that you already have a degree before they allow you to enroll in their careers. — PS: I recently was interviewed by a Japanese company doing some machine learning stuff and the interview was going well until we touched the topic about my education. Japan and many other countries are very strict with their work visas, so it was clear that I would not be able to move there without a formal degree.