11 Easiest Countries to Live and Work Illegally

Which are the easiest countries to live and work illegally? Let’s be honest. This question usually pops up to anyone who is ready to make a big change in life – live and work somewhere else, but then realize how much documentation and formalities is needed before taking this step, which makes the former enthusiasm fades like a ghost. Even though through this article we are not suggesting this illegal action, we will try to provide valuable information about those countries and at the same time highlight the possible consequences if you choose to hit the road anyway.

By researching on this topic, I realized how many people are far from their homeland because of many different reasons such as job, spouses or seeking for better life qualities, to name a few. Some would say it became a trend not to live in the country that you were born. For example, in 2015, 3.3% of the world population lived outside their native countries (if you are still among them, we recommend you to read our list of 10 easiest countries to buy a house in the world)! The whole world looks like a melting pot, and there is almost not one capital which doesn’t have foreign employees. It seems as short traveling of a couple of days is something that became old fashioned. If you want to feel one country, their culture, and social mentality, isn’t it better to just start living and working there for certain period of time?

Even though for some, that sounds like a perfect option, not every citizen of every country is able to do that (EU citizens in EU countries are an exception). One of the main obstacles is, of course, visa. In order to be accepted in one country, you have to name legitimate reasons for going there, as well as evidence such as work contracts, guarantee letters or, just for traveling, booking of accommodation. Depending on the durance of the visa you got, there are limits of time you can spend in that precise country. However, we are all aware that we don’t live in a perfect world and that not every law is respected. Therefore, there are many illegal migrant workers all over the world.

According to some researches, illegal employment of foreign workers is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Firstly, there is a risk of generating big losses to national revenues (as illegal workers don’t pay taxes or social security contributions). Secondly, domestic workers are then in fear of being replaced by low-cost labor. Last, but not the least is that it raises a lot of other economic, social and humanitarian problems such as living condition, legal protection, and integration of foreign workers, among others. However, many governments and international organizations are tackling with this issue on a daily basis, especially nowadays with refugee crisis and anti-migration policies.

Not to go any deeper into this topic, as there is of course many additional things to say about it, we decided to keep it simple and logical. Therefore, we created our list of easiest countries to live and work illegally by firstly checking out countries with the biggest number of immigrants. The biggest number of immigrants (both legal and illegal) per country, led us to conclusion that each of those countries is offering better life quality and wider opportunities for foreign workers. Thus, the bigger number of immigrants indicates there is wider possibility to stay in that country, which also leave plenty of space for illegal workers. For that purpose, we consulted the research made by the Pew Global. In it, they have included the number of unauthorized immigrants living in various countries, which is an information of great importance to our list. On contrary, tourists, foreign-aid workers, temporary workers employed abroad for a period less than a year and overseas military personnel were not part of this research. For reference’s sake, definition of international migrant according to UN Population Division is “a person who has been living for one year or longer in a country other than the one in which he or she was born.” Let’s see the list of easiest countries to live and work illegally.

11. Italy

Number of immigrants: 5,790,000

As one of the ex-fascist countries, Italy has progress in welcoming migrants from all over the world. However, with bad economic situation there is less job opportunities and therefore even Italians try to succeed somewhere else. Being a part of the EU, regulations considering migrants are same and based on the regional level. According to the EU policies, illegal immigrant who gets caught would have to leave the country, whereas the employer will be penalized.

10. Spain

Number of immigrants: 5,850,000

Traditionally, Spain, next in line on the list of easiest countries to live and work illegally, has been widely known as a country of mainly emigrants. Because of the bad economic situation, most of the Spaniards decided to find a better life somewhere else. However, that changed drastically in the last decade, and Spain now represents one of the best destinations for immigrants to work. Sectors in which there is a higher percentage of foreign workers are construction and agriculture, personal services, hotels, and restaurants, among others.

9. Australia

Number of immigrants: 6,760,000

As they had and still have many problems with irregular foreign employment, Australia government decided to abolish a temporary work visa for foreigners and replace it with a new program which requires a better knowledge of English language and job-related skills. With being one of the most remote countries, for many times it has been known as ‘escape country’ where you can fulfill your dreams. Moreover, it is considered easier to find a job there, as people are more interested in other destinations, as you will see further in our list.

8. France

Number of immigrants: 7,780,000

With current issue of terrorist attacks, intolerance towards migrants have increased. France, that ranks 8th on the list of easiest countries to live and work illegally, is just one of the country in which the far right is getting a lot of supporters. However, still, there are many immigrant workers who usually work on low-quality jobs, such as restaurants, cafes, street artists, etc. French people are widely known as nationalists, and for them, their security comes first.

7. Canada

Number of immigrants: 7,840,000

Known as a peaceful and friendly country, Canada is on the seventh place in our list of the easiest countries to live and work illegally with more than 7 million immigrants. However, from 2017 Canadian government introduced the only legal options through which you can migrate to their country and those are Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Provincial Nominee Program, Canadian Business Immigration, Canadian Experience Class, Family Class Sponsorship.

6. The United Arab Emirates

Number of immigrants: 8,100,000

From 2012, illegal residents who have stayed longer in the United Arab Emirates than their visas or residency permits allow, are given a two-month amnesty to leave without being fined. As illegal immigrants are not seen as criminals, this kind of penalty is more than appropriate. So, maybe it is worth of risk! Now, let’s see what’s next on our list of easiest countries to live and work illegally.

5. United Kingdom

Number of immigrants: 8,540,000

As a result of recent events on the international scene, UK decided to leave the European Union. With closing that door, in the same time the country partially closed its borders to refugees as well, putting on the first place its citizens’ safety. However, as Brexit is a process which will end very slowly, there are still many unregulated issues, out of which illegal workers are just one of them. There is a very big amount of immigrants, even though there are strict penalties for illegally employing one. You can be sentenced to jail for five years and pay unlimited fine if you’re found guilty of employing someone illegally.

4. Saudi Arabia

Number of immigrants: 10,190,000

With this big number of immigrants, Saudi Arabia is near the top of our list of easiest countries to live and work illegally. Moreover, as announced in March 2017, illegal workers “will be exempt from the consequences associated with the ‘deportee fingerprint system’ and will be able to return to the Kingdom.”

3. Russia

Number of immigrants: 11,640,000

Illegal immigration in Russia, that’s next on our list of easiest countries to live and work illegally, is a long ongoing process since the Great Depression in 1930s. Most of the illegal workers are from former Soviet countries such as Moldavia, Georgia, Ukraine and many more. In one moment, it became serious problem, and Russia decided to make some legal changes. From 2012, illegal immigrants who are caught will be banned from reentering the country for ten years.

2. Germany

Number of immigrants: 12,010,000

By some of the reports, around 9,000 of illegal immigrants entered Germany in the first two months of 2017. Besides refugee crisis, Germany has always been considered as the best place to easily find work. As one of the strongest countries in the European Union, opportunities for diverse jobs are wide. Also, there is a need in foreign workers flow for cheap labor in order to boost the economy.

1. USA

Number of immigrants: 46,630,000

You don’t have to guess twice which country is first on our list of easiest countries to live and work illegally! It is America, of course! With more than 46 million immigrants this country represents truly a melting pot. However, it fights endless battle with illegal work. Even though it is considered to be a tough task to get a visa for entering the USA, once you are there, your options are countless.