Practical guidance for life abroad

Make moving abroad feel possible.

GO ELMS helps you explore international opportunities, understand what a move requires, and find the right information and support for your next step.

Start planning How GO ELMS helps

Useful information first. Destination-specific support when you need it.

A couple planning life abroad together at a sunlit table overlooking a European neighborhood — Plan the move—and the life you want around it.

Start with the questions that matter

Prepare for the move, not just the idea.

Moving abroad touches work, money, paperwork, housing, healthcare, and everyday life. GO ELMS organizes the practical questions so you can make informed decisions before committing.

Explore your options

Compare realistic routes based on your goals, timing, qualifications, and circumstances.

Prepare the essentials

Understand the documents, budget, timeline, and decisions that often come before a move.

Plan everyday life

Think through housing, work, healthcare, transportation, family needs, and settling in.

Know when to get help

Use trusted professional or recruiting partners when a question requires specialist support.

For Americans planning a move abroad

The parts of the process nearly every move has in common.

The exact visa and residency rules depend on your destination. These U.S.-side responsibilities and planning questions are a reliable place to begin.

Confirm your legal route

Entry permission is not automatically permission to live or work. Check passport validity, entry rules, visa options, and residency requirements with the destination’s embassy or immigration authority before making commitments.

U.S. State Department travel checklist

Prepare official documents early

Birth, marriage, education, background, and other records may need certified copies, authentication, or an apostille. The required process depends on the document and the country where it will be used.

U.S. document authentication guidance

Plan for two tax systems

U.S. citizens generally continue filing U.S. tax returns on worldwide income while abroad. A destination may also treat you as a tax resident. Credits, exclusions, and treaties can help, but they do not automatically remove filing obligations.

IRS guidance for Americans abroad IRS Publication 54

Understand foreign-account reporting

Opening accounts abroad can create separate U.S. reporting duties. An FBAR is generally required when the combined value of reportable foreign accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point in the calendar year; other reporting rules may also apply.

FinCEN FBAR guidance IRS FATCA summary

Arrange health coverage that works abroad

Do not assume a U.S. plan will cover routine or emergency care overseas. Medicare usually does not cover care outside the United States, and medical evacuation may require separate coverage.

State Department health guidance Medicare coverage abroad

Keep essential U.S. connections organized

Review overseas voting, emergency contacts, account access, mail, and benefits before departure. Social Security agreements may prevent dual contributions in some countries, while STEP can provide destination security alerts.

Social Security agreements Voting from abroad Enroll in STEP

How GO ELMS works

Information before pressure.

You can begin by learning. When a supported pathway fits, GO ELMS explains the next step and the role of any outside partner.

Explore

Learn what living abroad may involve and which questions to ask.

Understand

Review the practical requirements, tradeoffs, timing, and likely costs.

Prepare

Organize what you need and identify gaps before making commitments.

Connect

Choose whether to use a relevant recruiter or professional partner.

Supported paths

Focused help where GO ELMS has a real pathway.

Each destination has different rules, partners, and decisions. The paths stay separate even though they share the GO ELMS approach.

A new arrival experiencing everyday life in Seoul

Candidate pathway

Teach in South Korea

Explore a paid year abroad, check initial readiness, and prepare for a possible introduction to a recruiting partner.

Explore teaching in Korea

A family walking through a lively neighborhood plaza in southern Spain

Information pathway

Move to Spain

Understand practical relocation questions and when individualized visa or immigration help should come from a qualified professional.

Explore moving to Spain

Clear boundaries

Guidance and connections—not guarantees.

GO ELMS provides general information, preparation, and destination-specific connections. Employers, schools, professional advisers, service providers, and government authorities make their own decisions. Partner relationships and compensation will be disclosed where applicable.