I know more Canadian/Australians/South Africans in the Berlin Tech Scene than Germans, and they seem to mostly share your motivations and seem rather happy with

I know more Canadian/Australians/South Africans in the Berlin Tech Scene than Germans, and they seem to mostly share your motivations and seem rather happy with their choice. The Freelancer visa rather easily lets you stay for two years. In that time, you can find a company to hire you and sponsor a more permanent visa. IIRC, you can apply for permanent residency after five years in the country. Berlin was dirt cheap for a long time, and still is compared to cities with similar size in similar countries. It's full of people trying all sorts of alternative approaches to life. As long as it's not criminal[0], you can do almost anything and probably find five to five thousand others than want to do it with you, two journalists than want to make a documentary about it, and one New York Times article declaring it the new trend. [0]: or probably even if it is