After the recent US presidential election, a surge of disgruntled Americans is predicted to move to Canada, going as far as Googling what it takes to move north or hiring an immigration lawyer to take the initial steps toward obtaining a visa. Andrew Henderson advises them to think again.
Henderson, known online as Capitalist Nomadhe says these Americans lack creativity. Sure, as another primarily English-speaking country, along with the US, Canada seems like a convenient backstop, but it doesn’t have open borders. Although many Americans believe that immigration laws and procedures do not apply to them, moving to Canada is not as simple as finding an apartment on Craigslist and hopping on a plane or train headed north. Henderson would like people who are really interested in going abroad to explore other options.
“Why go from one pan to another?” says Henderson luck. “Why go from one place to the exact same place when we can choose 252 different places?”
Henderson, who runs one Popular YouTube channel and is a controversial figure in the Digital Nomad community, having contributed for over a decade Especially high net worth clients in the US get dual citizenship or stays in countries around the world. He advises on international tax laws, visa-free travel and more. It works with a worldwide network of experts to provide the most up-to-date information golden visa and passport optionsmany of which, he says, are not easily found elsewhere.
Americans, he says, often come to him interested in Australia, Canada and England—popular spots for America’s wealthiest, but not Henderson’s favorite destinations. For one thing, taxes are often higher, while wages are lower. Housing expenses London and Vancouver-The rich, accustomed to their comforts, will not be interested moving to smaller and cheaper towns—It can surpass the already astronomical figures of the largest cities in the United States. And without a job, a citizen spouse, or a significant amount of money to invest, Americans cannot move to these countries.
“Americans have this idea that they are very special. And, in fact, it’s the other way around,” he says. “The American kind of thinks, ‘Why don’t they want my American money?’ Yes, they don’t. There are a lot of people with money these days.”
Henderson’s country assessments focus on their tax regimes and cost of living, the lower the better. Recently, for example, Oman, the Middle Eastern country at the base of the Arabian Peninsula, has shown enthusiasm. Of course, you stop living in a democracy and your freedom of expression is reducedbut Henderson says it has other advantages.
“Not everyone is going to go there,” he says. But “for a family that wants safety and security and more conservative values, but very open, good weather, good taxes, it’s a place that can be on the radar for half the price of Dubai.”
If Oman feels a bit foreign, he says, a more practical option for many Americans might be Mexico. It’s cheaper than Canada and usually easier to get around. (Americans have realized: they have He approached Mexico City in recent years.)
Henderson, who renounced his US citizenship in 2017, has helped clients move to about 33 countries and collected data on about 100. It charges an initial planning fee of $28,000; clients will also pay all fees and make the necessary investments to secure a visa or citizenship in a new country. That can cost hundreds of thousands to even millions of dollars, depending on the country.
For most of his clients, moving to a new place and renounce their US citizenship it is not the goal; instead, it primarily supports residential and investor sectors. And most people who vow to leave the US because of politics — whether it’s the election of Joe Biden or Donald Trump — don’t follow through. It takes more than a new president to uproot a whole life.
In most cases, Henderson’s clients are self-made businessmen who want a plan B or better mobility. Obtaining a passport in a country that is part of the European Union, for example, means visa-free travel to any other member state.
But instead of sticking to familiar entities like France or Switzerland, Henderson encourages people tired of the US and committed to expatriate life to think outside the box. Where would life really be different?
“I think that every country is going to operate like the US is really stupid,” he says. “The basic problem is that people are looking in the wrong place to go because they don’t want to change somehow.”
Hiring a business or immigration attorney to explore different options can help; Fees vary across the board. Henderson suggests that those interested in living abroad pick a few places and commit to living among them, at least initially. Test the waters, have an adventure.
“My point of view, there is a geographic solution to every problem,” he says. “I think life is better that we’re selling people.”
