Photograph by Oscar Wong/Getty Images. It’s not uncommon for people to say they’ll leave the country when their preferred party loses a big election. It’s also something that’s a lot less taxing to say you’ll do than to actually do. Take it from someone married to an immigrant, with loads of family members who live in countries they weren’t born in: immigration is hard, and there’s no guarantee that your new home will be immune to sharp political shifts. Just ask the Americans who split for New Zealand during Trump 1. But maybe, unlike me, you’re made of the right stuff to take on such a task. Here are some pathways to consider. (And please remember, this is not legal advice. Consult a competent attorney, not a blogger.) Is citizenship to another country lurking in your ancestry? Some countries may offer citizenship to people whose family trees have roots elsewhere. If your parent was an Irish citizen, for example, you’re entitled to citizenship after you apply to have your birth recorded in the country’s Foreign Births Register. (Things get more baroque if your Irish ancestor was a grandparent). Ghana may grant a “right of abode” to members of the African diaspora. There are countries that offer citizenship to people whose ancestors had to flee: Spain, for example, has a “Democratic Memory Law” that applies to people who “suffered exile for political, ideological or religious reasons or for sexual orientation and identity reasons.” Can you purchase citizenship, or something like it? The terms of art here are “citizenship by investment” and “residence by investment.” If you have $105,000 to park in Vanuatu, for example, you could be saying, “Hello, Port Vila” sometime in the near future. Some countries, like Thailand, offer long-term visas to people who can meet certain income tests. Are you an exceptional individual? I mean, of course you are, dear. But unlike a DC medical marijuana card, you probably can’t self-certify. The United Kingdom offers a “High Potential Individual” visa to recent graduates of certain universities. It will give you two years in Blighty, during which time you can apply for a permanent visa. Australia has a “Global Talent visa” for people who can show they “have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement” in sports, the arts, or academia, among other fields, or have “a nominator with a national reputation in your area of talent.” Some other things to consider Starting your life over in another country can be really difficult. Opening a bank account, establishing a credit rating that allows you rent or buy a place, figuring out healthcare and insurance, buying a car, navigating a workplace in another culture—none of this stuff is easy. And as the New Zealand example above attests, the political situation in other countries can change. One branch of my family orbits France, which narrowly defeated a far-right government earlier this year, and I am not optimistic that that was the last word on the matter. Still, moving abroad could be an excellent adventure, if you can stomach the hassles.The post Want to Move to Another Country? It Won’t Be Easy. Here Are Some Ideas Anyway. first appeared on Washingtonian.