3 ms·

The city/town you relocate to also has an impact. I think it's generally accepted that moving to the capital of a country is easier for foreigners.

by jasfi 4y ago

EduardoBautista 4y ago
I think you are making the assumption that the capital city is the most diverse and open. This is not the case for Canada, Australia, and the USA just off the top my head. I wouldn’t say that the capitals are close minded, but they shouldn’t be the first option for easiest to integrate into by a foreigner. I recently moved to the UAE, and Dubai is considered more foreigner friendly than the capital, Abu Dhabi.
- doctor_eval 4y ago
  You’re correct that “the” capital city of those countries is maybe not ideal, but “a” capital city in Australia or Canada could also mean Melbourne/Sydney or Toronto/Vancouver. I agree with your general point, but I think it’s more about finding large cities that are likely to have an expat community.
  - flockonus 4y ago
    The capital of BC is Victoria btw, counter-intuitive yes.. and i can't tell about easy to settle down, but i've seen more ppl from Victoria -> Vancouver, and can't think of a single one the other way around. I'd assume big heterogenous centres in general are easier, being a capital happens to be a correlation.
- mastazi 4y ago
  IMHO this is also the case in Italy - Milan is more foreigner friendly, compared to Rome. (I grew up in Rome and have visited Milan on many occasions as I have friends who live there).
- jasfi 4y ago
  You're right. The larger and more diverse cities are what you should look for. I had other, specific countries in mind when I wrote that, where I thought it applied.
carlob 4y ago
I think Milan is easier than Rome. Milan might not be the administrative capital, but it's certainly richer, more tolerant and more international.
thefz 4y ago
In Italy it's a matter of north/south. The further down, the more middle ages mentality you will get.
frollo 4y ago
This is not the case in Italy. While Rome is probably more accommodating to foreigners than a random 100-people village deep in the Alps, Rome is also the worst mess of a city we have. Milan, Turin and Florence are probably more suited for somebody who doesn't speak the language or understand the bureaucracy. If you can afford to live there, smaller municipalities used to deal with tourists are also a good choice. At least they'll speak English. I think one of the most important things to keep in mind, if you want to move to Italy, is that Italy is a diverse country. There are places which are very open-minded and welcoming and places where people don't want even other Italians to move in, let alone strangers. Doing some research before moving will help a lot.

The city/town you relocate to also has an impact. I think it's generally accepted that moving to the capital of a country is easier for foreigners.

by jasfi 4y ago

The city/town you relocate to also has an impact. I think it's generally accepted that moving to the capital of a country is easier for foreigners.

EduardoBautista 4y ago

I think you are making the assumption that the capital city is the most diverse and open. This is not the case for Canada, Australia, and the USA just off the top my head. I wouldn’t say that the capitals are close minded, but they shouldn’t be the first option for easiest to integrate into by a foreigner. I recently moved to the UAE, and Dubai is considered more foreigner friendly than the capital, Abu Dhabi.

doctor_eval 4y ago
You’re correct that “the” capital city of those countries is maybe not ideal, but “a” capital city in Australia or Canada could also mean Melbourne/Sydney or Toronto/Vancouver. I agree with your general point, but I think it’s more about finding large cities that are likely to have an expat community.
- flockonus 4y ago
  The capital of BC is Victoria btw, counter-intuitive yes.. and i can't tell about easy to settle down, but i've seen more ppl from Victoria -> Vancouver, and can't think of a single one the other way around. I'd assume big heterogenous centres in general are easier, being a capital happens to be a correlation.
mastazi 4y ago
IMHO this is also the case in Italy - Milan is more foreigner friendly, compared to Rome. (I grew up in Rome and have visited Milan on many occasions as I have friends who live there).
jasfi 4y ago
You're right. The larger and more diverse cities are what you should look for. I had other, specific countries in mind when I wrote that, where I thought it applied.

carlob 4y ago

I think Milan is easier than Rome. Milan might not be the administrative capital, but it's certainly richer, more tolerant and more international.

thefz 4y ago

In Italy it's a matter of north/south. The further down, the more middle ages mentality you will get.

frollo 4y ago

This is not the case in Italy. While Rome is probably more accommodating to foreigners than a random 100-people village deep in the Alps, Rome is also the worst mess of a city we have. Milan, Turin and Florence are probably more suited for somebody who doesn't speak the language or understand the bureaucracy. If you can afford to live there, smaller municipalities used to deal with tourists are also a good choice. At least they'll speak English. I think one of the most important things to keep in mind, if you want to move to Italy, is that Italy is a diverse country. There are places which are very open-minded and welcoming and places where people don't want even other Italians to move in, let alone strangers. Doing some research before moving will help a lot.