tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post7686242430289664334..comments2023-09-23T11:16:00.352+02:00Comments on The Franco-American Flophouse has moved: Migration between Highly Developed CountriesVictoria FERAUGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-67500332017331054812012-03-15T09:18:43.186+01:002012-03-15T09:18:43.186+01:00Thank you very much for your comment and you make ...Thank you very much for your comment and you make an excellent point. Yes, salaries are higher in the US (in general) but the social benefits and infrastructure are quite poor. So in the migration equation you have to compare what you would have to pay out of pocket in the US out of that salary versus a lower salary in Europe which nevertheless will entitle you to health care, a good education for the children and many other things. Personally I think you'd just about break even in the end. And there are other things on the europe side that I find very attractive - more job mobility, for example, since I never have to worry about losing my health benefits because I want to take on another job.<br /><br />Hi usxcanada - that is interesting to hear. I based my impression of the US expat community in Canada really on Vancouver (the only city I know well in that country). If you have a chance give me your impressions - why do you think there isn't much of a US expat community in Canada? Is it proximity?Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-63843277453049551822012-03-15T08:51:21.434+01:002012-03-15T08:51:21.434+01:00Today, Americans can find vibrant expatriate commu...<i>Today, Americans can find vibrant expatriate communities in the UK, Germany, Japan and Canada.</i><br /><br />Many years of living in four major cities tells me that this is not the case for <b>Canada</b>.usxcanadanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-33751960406427276502012-03-11T12:31:46.684+01:002012-03-11T12:31:46.684+01:00My reason for immigrating (US to France) was almos...My reason for immigrating (US to France) was almost entirely because of social benefits for my children (and I don't have children yet.)<br /><br />We could have chosen either country. We both had jobs in the US, my husband has a greencard, we had family in both places, we like both cultures. <br /><br />But I have been an American without health insurance, and when I finally got health insurance with my first job post-college, it was really crappy health insurance. And I have this horrible, horrible fear of a child of mine, or myself, or my husband being sick or injured and not being able to get care because of finances. <br /><br />I know French health care is not perfect, but I can't tell you how wonderful it is to not have to stop and think, "Should I not go to the emergency room because my co-payment will mean I can't pay rent next month?" <br /><br />Once I got here there were all these other benefits that started popping up that I didn't even know about before I moved. I can walk to the grocery store without needing the car! I don't have to obsessively check all the labels on food for ridiculous amounts of crap! There is LOTS and LOTS of vacation!<br /><br />Now it's my husband who wants to move back to the states. He misses all-you-can-eat buffets, basketball games on tv, nice little suburban houses, and cheap restaurants. <br /><br />I never want to move back to the states. All of that, I tell him, is what made our lives incredibly unhealthy. <br /><br />I think this is a subject we will revisit again and again. We're really lucky because (moving costs aside, which are horrendous) we are free to move between the two countries. We're young (25 and 26), we've got the future ahead of us. But my heart, head, and spirit is in France. I don't imagine that will change.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06920942318771110034noreply@blogger.com