Here's a silly thought I had some time ago. Given how hard it is to get a green card to work and live permanently in the US, how close to the US could you move if you all you have is an EU passport? That is, which places close to the US would let an EU citizen immigrate with no other documents than an EU passport?
Staying within the next two time zones east of US Eastern Time Zone, and going from north to south, here's what I found so far.
Greenland is an autonomous province of the Kingdom of Denmark, but left the EU in 1982 to keep EU fishing vessels away from its waters. The only EU citizens who can work and permanently live in Greenland, without first getting work and residence permits, are those from Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Oh, well. Nice, big piece of real estate, but it's pretty far from the US anyway. The currency is Danish krone and the time is two hours ahead of Eastern Time.
French overseas collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is the last remaining part of New France. If you have an EU passport, you MIGHT be able to permanently join the just over 6,000 fishermen, descendants of Bretons and Basques, on their 242 square kilometer archipelago, off the southern coast of Newfoundland. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is as French as "metropolitan" France (a.k.a. the Hexagon, the European part of France), with one seat each in the French National Assembly and the French Senate, and the currency is Euro. However, to the best of my understanding, overseas collectivities can restrict immigration, and I haven't figured out if Saint-Pierre and Miquelon has. Looks like there's a nonstop flight to Montreal, as well as boat to Newfoundland. The time is two hours ahead of Eastern Time.
In the Caribbean there are two overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe and Martinique. Being overseas departments of France make Guadeloupe and Martinique two of seven "outermost regions" of the EU, where all EU laws should apply. Overseas departments are therefore supposed to have the same immigration laws as "metropolitan" France and the rest of the EU, but do ask for a second opinion before buying a one-way ticket! They both have the Euro as currency and are one hour ahead of Eastern Time.
The Guadeloupe archipelago has almost seven times more dry land than Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1,628 square kilometers and a population of over 400,000, mostly of African descent. Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy split off in 2007, with each of them now being an overseas collectivity, allowing them to restrict immigration. Martinique has slightly smaller land area than Guadeloupe, but roughly the same population. I need to learn more about Guadeloupe and Martinique. Where are they on a scale from Haiti to St. Bart? I do remember hearing about social unrest on Guadeloupe fairly recently. I also have no clue what the flight schedule to the US and France looks like.
So how about the two other former colonial powers in the Caribbean, the UK and the Netherlands?
Well, there are several British overseas territories, but it seems their immigration policies vary, but tend to be restrictive. More like the French overseas collectivities than departments. I did learn that some British overseas territories won't let you stay permanently even if you have a British passport! There's an odd asymmetry here, because all their inhabitants are full British citizens and are free to immigrate in the UK.
Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea are autonomous regions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but NOT part of the EU. Again some asymmetry, the inhabitants are full Dutch citizens, and therefore EU citizens. Aruba has a dry climate and almost no hurricanes. The land area is 193 square kilometers, with a bit above 100,000 population. Good connections to the US, with nonstop flights to several destinations in the south and
east of the US. The archipelago of Netherlands Antilles have a total land area of roughly 800 square kilometers, and a population of 183,000. Unfortunately Aruba is restrictive on immigration, not even allowing all Dutch citizens permanent residency. The different islands of the Netherlands Antilles seem to be moving apart politically, some toward full independence and others perhaps even toward becoming outermost regions of the EU, which would allow all EU citizens to immigrate.
So what I managed to find out tonight was that it looks like Guadeloupe and Martinique might be the two closest places to the US where you can live permanently with no other documents than an EU passport. I might do a follow-up some night I have nothing better do, or at least am too tired to do something more useful.
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