There is no single answer: it depends on your passport, income and family. But one thing does not depend on them: how the state treats newcomers once they have arrived. We scored that for 97 states from laws and agency decisions, not surveys.
League A of the ranking, «They keep their word»: The rules are written, they are followed and they do not change retroactively. A mistake costs you nerves here, not your life: if something goes wrong you will have a deadline, a legal provision and a procedure you can follow. This is not a list of the best places to live: life there can be expensive or dull. These are states where a newcomer can count on a deadline, a rule of law and a clear procedure.
Next comes league B, 31 states: each has exactly one weak link, and it differs from state to state. Among them Japan, Ecuador, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Paraguay, Romania, Chile, South Korea.
From Google Search Console: the countries whose pages get the most search impressions here. Place and diagnosis from the ranking.
All 97 states are calculated for one applicant: 35 years old, income of $2,500 and $3,856 a month before tax, passport not counted, the most accessible route that is actually in use.
Your passport, your income and your family do not change the table. They change which of its lines apply to you. A different income makes entry read differently, a family makes the family category read differently, and your passport makes everything read differently.
Albania: 85 out of 100, league A. Hardly ever pushes anyone out: 100 out of 100 for pressure on newcomers. But the state does not publish how many people it refused to let in.
League A, «They keep their word»: The rules are written, they are followed and they do not change retroactively. A mistake costs you nerves here, not your life: if something goes wrong you will have a deadline, a legal provision and a procedure you can follow. League B, «Their word, with a catch»: The structure works, but one thing sags, and you need to know exactly which. Most often it is agency processing: the law is good, the agency cannot cope. League C, «Depends on your route»: The most crowded league and the most deceptive. The outcome depends on which door you come through, in which year, and who handles your case. Most of the favourites of where-to-move lists live here. League D, «You are a guest here»: The state is not building you a future and, to its credit, usually does not hide it. You can come and work; you cannot count on permanent status, full family rights or protection when you lose your job.
Portugal: place 47 of 97, league C. The wait for citizenship was doubled from five years to ten, including for people already living in the country, and the years spent waiting for the card were not counted towards it at all. Germany: place 50 of 97, league C. Access to entry scores 90, agency processing 27. In Berlin, since 2025, you cannot book an appointment yourself: you file through a form and wait between two weeks and three months for the first reply.
All 97 states are calculated for one applicant: 35 years old, income of $2,500 and $3,856 a month before tax, passport not counted, the most accessible route that is actually in use. Your passport, your income and your family do not change the table. They change which of its lines apply to you. A different income makes entry read differently, a family makes the family category read differently, and your passport makes everything read differently.
Monthly. The data is current as of 12.08.2026. Every correction is published: what it was, what it became, the source and the cause.