Which country is the hardest to move to

The short answer

There is no single country that is objectively the hardest to move to. Difficulty depends on what you mean by moving, your own circumstances, and the specific country. What is very hard for one person, or one goal, may be far easier for another.

So rather than looking for a definitive answer, it is more useful to understand what makes a country hard to move to and to focus on the specific country and route you care about. Any confident ranking of the hardest country should be treated with caution.

What do you mean by moving?

Difficulty varies hugely with what you actually want to do. Visiting a country is generally far easier than living and working there, which is in turn easier than settling permanently, which is easier than gaining citizenship. A country that is easy to visit may be hard to settle in permanently.

So the first thing to pin down is your goal. Asking which country is hardest to move to is really several different questions depending on whether you mean to visit, to live, to settle, or to naturalise.

It depends on your circumstances

Your own circumstances make an enormous difference. Skills in demand, a job offer, family ties, significant means, or a strong genuine connection can make a country far easier to move to, while the absence of these can make the same country very difficult.

So difficulty is personal, not just national. Two people considering the same country can face completely different levels of difficulty depending on what they bring, which is another reason a single answer is misleading.

What makes a country hard to move to

In general terms, countries are harder to move to when they have strict eligibility criteria, selective or capped immigration, high requirements around skills, income, or investment, limited routes for ordinary applicants, or a strong preference for particular categories of migrant.

So difficulty comes from the combination of a country’s rules and how they fit your situation. The same features that make a country selective for one person may be readily met by another, which is why the experience of difficulty varies so much.

Some countries are widely regarded as difficult

Some countries are commonly described as having strict, selective, or restrictive immigration and citizenship policies, whether because of high requirements, limited routes, or a strong emphasis on genuine, long-term settlement. But such reputations are general impressions rather than an objective ranking.

So while you may hear certain countries described as among the hardest, treat these as broad characterisations, not a definitive league table. What matters for you is how a particular country’s rules apply to your circumstances and goal.

Living there versus gaining citizenship

It is important to separate the difficulty of moving to live in a country from the difficulty of gaining its citizenship. Many countries allow residence relatively accessibly through work or family, while citizenship is more selective and takes longer. A country can be moderate to move to but hard to naturalise in.

So when you ask which is hardest, be clear whether you mean residence or citizenship. The answer can be very different for the two, since they are governed by different, and usually differently demanding, criteria.

Singapore's position

Singapore is often seen as selective, particularly for permanent residence and citizenship, since it manages immigration carefully and grants these statuses on a considered basis. But it is far from impossible: many people move here to work, settle as permanent residents, and become citizens each year.

So Singapore is selective rather than closed. Moving here to work is achievable for those with the right profile, and PR and citizenship, while selective, are genuinely attainable for the genuinely settled and committed. It is a good example of how selective is not the same as impossible.

Comparing countries is genuinely difficult

Comparing countries meaningfully is hard because their rules differ in kind, not just degree, and change over time. A country that is hard to settle in permanently might be easy to work in temporarily, and policies shift with economic and political circumstances.

So any comparison is a snapshot at best. Rankings of the hardest countries can quickly become outdated and often oversimplify very different systems, which is why they are unreliable guides for an individual decision.

Focus on the country you actually care about

Rather than trying to identify the single hardest country, the productive approach is to focus on the specific country you actually want to move to and research its rules for your goal and circumstances. That tells you what matters far better than any general ranking.

So channel your energy into understanding the particular country and route relevant to you. Whether it is objectively the hardest is irrelevant; what matters is whether, and how, you can move there.

Research the specific route

For any country, difficulty is really about the specific route: the work visa, the residence pathway, or the citizenship criteria that apply to you. Understanding the exact requirements of that route, and how you meet them, is what tells you how hard it genuinely is for you.

So drill down to the route rather than the country as a whole. A country may be hard in general but have a route that fits you well, or be moderate in general but hard for your particular situation.

Factors that make it easier

Across countries, certain factors tend to make moving easier: in-demand skills or qualifications, a job offer, close family ties, significant means where investment routes exist, and a genuine, long-term commitment. Strengthening these can open doors that would otherwise be closed.

So even for a country regarded as difficult, your own profile can change the picture. Building the factors that a country values is often more useful than worrying about its overall difficulty ranking.

Beware oversimplified rankings

Lists ranking the hardest countries to move to circulate widely, but they oversimplify complex, differing systems and can be outdated or misleading. Relying on such a ranking to guide a major decision is risky.

So treat any hardest-country ranking as entertainment rather than guidance. For a real decision, rely on the specific, current rules of the country you care about, from its own authorities.

What makes it hard, at a glance

So difficulty is a combination of your goal, your circumstances, and a country’s specific rules, not a fixed national ranking.

For someone considering Singapore

If Singapore is the country you have in mind, the practical takeaway is that it is selective but achievable. Moving here to work depends on your profile and a suitable pass; permanent residence and citizenship are granted selectively but are genuinely attainable for the well-settled and committed.

So do not be deterred by a general impression that Singapore is hard. Focus on the specific route that fits you, build a genuine, strong profile, and confirm the requirements with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and, for work passes, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Confirm with official sources

For any country, rely on its own official authorities for the current rules, since these are the only reliable source and they change over time. For Singapore, that means ICA for residence and citizenship and MOM for work passes.

So match your question to the right official source for the country you care about. That gives you accurate, current information, which is far more useful than a general ranking of difficulty.

Selective is not the same as closed

An important encouragement is that even countries regarded as hard to move to are rarely closed. Selectivity means the criteria are demanding and the process competitive, not that no one succeeds. People move to, settle in, and naturalise in selective countries all the time.

So do not confuse difficulty with impossibility. A country being described as one of the hardest does not mean it is out of reach; it means you need to meet its criteria and present a strong case, which many people do successfully.

Getting good, current advice

Because rules differ and change, and because your circumstances shape your options, it can help to get good, current advice for the country and route you are considering. Reliable information, and where appropriate professional guidance, is worth far more than a general difficulty ranking.

So invest in understanding your actual options rather than the abstract question of which country is hardest. Accurate, up-to-date information about your specific situation is what genuinely helps you plan a move.

Common misconceptions

Clearing these up shifts the focus from an unreliable ranking to the specific country and route that matter to you.

The bottom line

To sum up: there is no single country that is objectively the hardest to move to. Difficulty depends on your goal, your circumstances, and the specific country’s rules, and it can change over time. Some countries are widely regarded as selective, but any definitive ranking is unreliable.

So rather than chasing a league table, focus on the specific country and route you care about, build the factors that make you a strong candidate, and rely on that country’s official authorities for the current rules. For Singapore, which is selective but achievable, that means ICA and MOM.

For more detail, see our guide to Singapore Citizenship eligibility.

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