FX.co ★ 5 hardest countries to immigrate to

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein seems to have the toughest citizenship laws. Once a foreigner gets a residence permit, the Immigration and Passport Office asks them to renounce the citizenship of another country. Liechtenstein also imposes strict requirements on people born in the country. They are required to have lived no less than 30 years there to confirm their citizenship status. If a foreigner marries a Liechtenstein resident, they can apply for citizenship already in 5 years.

Qatar

Qatar also has one of the strictest immigration policies where you can get citizenship if your father is the country’s citizen. You are not eligible for Qatari citizenship if you have a Qatar mother. Foreigners who want to be Qatari citizens must have lived in the country for at least 25 years without leaving it for more than two months in a row. Every year, Qatar naturalizes no more than 50 foreigners and grants permanent residence to only 100 expatriates. Notably, naturalized citizens do not have the same rights and benefits as native Qatari.

Kuwait

Kuwait is a country with difficult immigration laws and low living standards. Foreigners are required to have lived in the country for 20 years to gain citizenship. This period is reduced to 15 years if a person is a citizen of another Arab country or the spouse of a Kuwait citizen. In addition, a person seeking citizenship in this country has to speak Arabic and be a Muslim by birth or be converted for 5 years.

Bhutan

Immigration will not be easy for those moving to Bhutan. This country has a rigorous immigration regime. The government controls all travel to the country. Bhutan is one of the most isolated countries in the world. It opened its doors to tourists only in 1974. People are granted citizenship in this country if both their parents are Bhutan citizens. However, if they have only one Bhutanese parent, they can apply for naturalization after 15 years of living in the country. Foreigners without Bhutanese parents must have lived in the country for at least 20 years to apply for citizenship. For government employees, 15 years of residence in Bhutan will be sufficient enough to gain citizenship. Naturalization requirements include taking an oath of allegiance to the king, the country, and the Bhutanese people.

New Zealand

New Zealand is the final hardest country to immigrate to on our list. It is included in this rating due to the low standard of living and high financial costs. However, these issues are offset by a healthy environment and isolation from the rest of the world. According to an InterNations survey, 49% of New Zealanders believe they are in the worst financial situation. Respondents mostly believe they do not have enough money to live comfortably. Meanwhile, 75% of respondents say life in the country is too expensive. In addition, some aspects of New Zealand's immigration policy, in particular fair wages, are lower than the global average. Some New Zealand politicians describe this situation as a "cost of living crisis" and point to rising food, gas, and housing prices. As much as 95% of New Zealand visitors rated the state of its natural environment as good.