No Stupid Questions

Step 1, figure out if any of your parents, grandparents, or in some cases great grandparents came from somewhere else. Many countries allow near descendents to get citizenship.

Semi serious. Who said it is gay to marry your homies?

Look up digital nomad visas. Get remote work here, then apply to relocate to EU country. Good luck with the timezone difference, tho.

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Associates degrees are non-existent and not recognized in the EU, and most if not all countries require you to be a graduate to be eligible for hire, which would make a student visa the easiest route.

Luckily many countries offer tuition completely for free; though bachelor degrees are often taught in the native language. If your Spanish is solid, you could of course go to Spain, else with English you'd be somewhat restricted to Ireland and Malta (English is the second official language, but the primary for tuition).

Other than that, some universities have English taught bachelor degrees, so you'd have to research them individually. Finland is very English- and Tech-friendly, for starters.

Step 1: Marry a EU Citizen

Step 2: ???

Step 3: Enjoy your life

(remember, same-sex marriage is legal in the EU so you got plenty of options, just saying 😉)

Are you able to spend a lot of money on it? Last I checked, there were a few places in the EU that had a citizenship track if you purchased substantial property. So if you're in position to buy a nice house, that's an option. I think Portugal is the most approachable cost-wise. But it's been a while since I looked at this so I'm sure things have changed.

Several countries will allow extended student visas, even if you only speak English. I think Sweden allows this.

Then of course there's the easy way: marry a Canadian.

Getting a student visa is easy and an excellent way to both get valid credentials and a feel for the local culture.

As to where you should go depends on what you're interested in, you'll almost certainly be able to make a home wherever, so pick something that seems interesting and go (you can always use your mandated vacation days to explore the rest of EU).

For language, in almost all the major cities people will be able to speak English, although typically you'll want to learn the local language sooner rather than later for social reasons.

If you know Spanish go Barcelona, beautiful city, vibrant in both culture and industry, and with values not too shockingly different to the US. For more info, either visit the Spanish consulate nearest you or look up their online presence.

If you want to keep to English, consider Ireland, they've also had a booming IT industry for all the giants needing a foot in the EU.

Mostly you can't go wrong anywhere in the EU. Biggest culture shock would probably be the Nordics or Slavic countries, but not necessarily in a bad way.

All of them have tons of info about student visas at each university, the degrees are standardised throughout the EU and most universities are good, and typically outstanding in a couple areas.
For more info you just contact their international coordinator, or their closest consulate.

Most countries also have dedicated Web pages that outline the process, steps, and how you move toward permanent residence and citizenship if you'd want that.

Moving is typically the hard part, but if you start as a student, you'll have a lot prepared for you (student accommodations, stipends, social activities, part-time job offers, recruitment fairs, incubators, etc.)

Get a working visa in AU's or Canada, stretch it out and in the 5th year when the concentration camps and gas chambers are in full swing, there should be a refugee visa available.

Student exchange programs - > job - > permanent residence is one of the easiest ways to migrate.

Your best bet is through a company. If you have a reasonable job opportunity, familiarise yourself with the work visa and residency procedures. Your future employer will likely help you in the process.

However, the economy currently is tough also in the EU, so you’ll need to find a niche.

Job visa or student visa

Mexico actually is a great country to live. Cheap living expenses, and the food is just ridonculously good. There are always good jobs available for educated people with good English

EU is not a single country, as the US. Each country has its own rules and regulations.

Some countries, as mentioned, offer a digital nomad visa (Croatia is one of them) others do not.

There's also something called the Shengen area, which allows for free movement between countries. Not all EU counties participate (yet) and even some non-EU countries are part of it. This allows you to have a citizenship in one country and live / work in another.

As for the language, your mileage can vary. Most countries will require at least a basic language knowlege to pass the citizenship test. For day-to-day communication, work and study, you can find options where English would be sufficient. Lots of universities offer English-language programs and lost of companies are international with English being the primary language. Most Europeans speak English quite well.

As others have mentioned, a student visa for one of these would be your best bet. Explore which country would make most sense based on your needs.

If student visa is not an option, then getting a job (in the target country) first would be a way in. Get a working visa and start applying for citizenship.

You should also understand that literary everybody in Europe (not just EU) has an ID and is registered as a citizen. It's therefore practically impossible to be undocumented and still get salary, open a bank account or visit a doctor.

TL;DR: Explore each country individually. "Moving to EU" makes as much sense as saying "Moving to Asia".

You could do your bachelor's in the EU. In that case, I believe the easiest way is by searching for universities that offer studies in english. The university I work at offers a master's in computer science in English but the bachelor's is in German. Most international universities also have offices that can help you with organizing your stay and visa.

There are a few weird historical rules which may be useful. For example, if any of your ancestors were Spanish Jews who were expelled in 1492, you may be entitled to Spanish citizenship. The same might go for Portugal.

One potential avenue is getting a job teaching English in another country. I've known a few people who did that for a year or two after college and enjoyed the experience. I think the pay is not great, and you're stuck in a classroom teaching a lot of the time, but it's a relatively straightforward path out of the country and into a life somewhere else, and with a company involved to expedite the process because they want to make money from you working ASAP.

Getting your BS in CS can potentially help you as well, depending on the country you want to move to. Not an expert but when I was looking into this awhile back I found various countries will give preferential treatment based off things like education and skills. Being a college educated SWE or whatever can make you more appealing to immigration authorities.

iirc we're right in the middle of hiring season for college students who graduate in May.

• look for job fairs. these are events to recruit college students. sometimes they're held online. Check out your school's career center to see what job fairs are scheduled. if you're at a small school, look at the schedule for nearby larger university. back when they were all onsite, you could usually sneak in, dunno about virtual.
• once you get to a job fair look for big international companies. ask about opportunities to work overseas. emphasize your CompTIA certs and ability to speak Spanish. it'd be easier with an undergrad but an associates is doable.
• consider going to Latin America, since you know Spanish.
• wait, did you say your grandfolks were Venezuelan? check out the Latino alumni club of your college. If your college is too small, check out the club of the nearest large university. If they have a "diversity lounge" with counselors go there and ask for an appointment. a lot of times companies make contact with those counselors for referrals. (I know a lot of companies are closing their DEI efforts but fam this is a cycle that happens every 5-10 years and the Latino/Black/etc people who work in those companies still make an effort to ensure fair hiring even if we have to review resumes in our spare time.)

Anyway, this is something to try alongside the schooling approach.

Just show up in Belgium. Ask for asylum. If you're denied, just stay. Belgium does not deport asylum seekers that got denied, you get access to unemployment benefits, free (for you) education, etc.

Do you have ancestry from a country that makes immigration easier if you can prove it?

Look up “working holiday visas” if you’re under 30. It’s a process to encourage people to get world experience while they’re young. I’m sure if you found somewhere you liked you could then try and get something more permanent.

Some countries are easier to get into than others. Start researching which ones have a path that could work for you.

Most are pretty strict but some are more open. If I recall correctly the Nordic countries may be a little easier, but don't quote me on that. It's been a long time since I accepted that this country had successfully trapped me here.