I am an American that would really want 2 live and work in Belgium... What steps should I take in acheiving this? why?
Belgium - 10 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
You can't
2 :
You really don't want to move to Belgium. Seriously. The weather is always cloudy, the girls are ugly, the streets are too narrow (one lane per way, ALWAYS). There are no real cities, only bigger villages, or towns. Brussels sucks. What you can do in this country is visit it (at the most). I even came across Americans that moved here, and they really regret it and want to go back, but don't have the money. I know that by now you are thinking "wow this guy is nutz" but believe me, i used to want to move to Belgium as well (5 years ago) but after 1 year i stopped seeing the "good things" and went into depression, my face got full of zits because of no sun light, i turned pale and weak. I'd even go back to my 3rd world country Romania, at least they have hot girls, good music and sunshine :P If you still aren't convinced, than welcome to the degenerated incestuous race of belgians. All you have to do is buy a house here, 200.000 - 350.000 euros depending on the region. The Flemish part sucks from a geographic point of view, it's BORING ! And the Wallon part is more or less mediocre, but there are no jobs there. Have fun with your choice.
3 :
Your best chance may be in Flanders. You will need to seek out the so called bottleneck jobs (knelpuntberoepen). These are jobs were there is an acute shortage of qualified personal, even during the crisis. As you are not an EU citizen, an employer may be more willing to go through all the paperwork of promoting you. in any case, it won't be easy. Another option is to base yourself in Brussels as a lot of multinationals have their European HQ's here, including many US companies. Depending on your skills, this might be easier than the first option. And depending on where you want to settle, it would help greatly if you learnt French or Dutch, or preferably even both. Especially if you ever plan to acquire the Belgian nationality. In any case, the first step you should take is making an appointment with a Belgian embassy to find out what your particular options are.
4 :
Bear in mind the 'bottleneck jobs' mentioned are that for the simple reason they are not the better paid ones or at least not the ones with good career prospects or have unfavourable working conditions as they call it. Most of them are manual work and many are trades. Don't consider coming to Belgium without a diploma or preferably a degree if you have any sense as diplomas are everything here and you will not be able to work your way to the top without possessing the right qualification for the job.
5 :
First step I would take is visit the embassy website to see what the visa requirments are. http://www.diplobel.us/ moving to any Schengen country is difficult for an american.
6 :
search for a job in Belgium
7 :
I would like to answer to the retarded Romanian who does not like it in Belgium with its ugly girls and villages including Brussels with EU headquarters and Nato. Nobody asked you to come to Belgium mister. Why didn't you stay in your wonderful Ceausescu dominated backwater paradise to starve . Unlike you I have been in your Dracula haven and have seen the poverty , the despair and the lack of opportunity. And so Romanians come illegally to Belgium and other EU member states and become depressive with zits on their face when they are not offered top jobs immediately. Or they go and sit on the Meir street walks with a cardboard on their neck: "J'ai faim" (I am hungry). And when Belgians give them a one Euro coin they throw it back: paper money only please. (Real anecdote) Or they pass the time insulting the country of which they are an illegal guest and of which they obviously know nothing. Poor guy some surprises expect you in Belgium that sucks,
8 :
Better think twice. First of all, you need a permit to stay and that is only limited if you don't of a job or work contract. Almost impossible to find a job, even when you do a Dutch course.
9 :
I can't help you what you need to become a citizen, but I do know what it is to live here. You will have to speak/read and write the language of region; Dutch for Flanders, French for wallonie... You will need to have a job, but be aware that we are a knowledge country, so do check if your degrees are of any meaning here. It will be difficult to get a job if they aren't. You will also have to have a permanent place to stay, a belgian bank account, an European drivers license And some strong willpower to make it work. But to be really happy here you will have to adapt to our culture, that will be the biggest issue. You're name is Dutch, so I guess you have family here? Also a 'knelpuntberoep' is just a name for a job opening where there is more demand then offer. It has nothing to do with career opportunities or salary. Your salary could even be higher because there are few competitors.
10 :
just go and stop wasting your time on yahoo and- MOVE :) wish you luck!
