“The Only Constant is Change”

Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “The only constant is change.” After three years writing for International Living—and consulting directly with readers like you—I can confirm he was absolutely right.

As 2026 approaches, I find myself reflecting on what I’ve learned from helping hundreds of subscribers pursue global diversification. Most of us live day to day in systems we assume are stable. But in reality, those systems are always shifting—sometimes gradually, sometimes all at once.

Yes, we often have time to adapt. For instance, European countries that once offered cheap and easy residency are now tightening the screws. Fast-track visas have given way to more selective options like Portugal’s D7 or Greece’s Financially Independent Person’s permit. Most people have come to terms with that. But that’s the surface-level shift.

I’m more interested in the deeper currents. The signals beneath the noise. Because those are what help us prepare for what’s really coming.

Here’s what three years of intensive research and writing on global diversification tells me…

1. Money matters more than ever.

We live in an era of increased inequality and decreased concern for opportunities for those of limited wealth. Just as Disneyland is offering special perks for the few who can afford it, countries are beginning to prioritize wealth in their immigration policies.

Although some countries are bucking the trend, overall access to residency and investment opportunities increasingly depends on having significant wealth. This is just a trend, not a fully developed outcome, but over the next few years, we can expect that opportunities to gain residency or citizenship abroad will become more expensive. Ordinary folks need to start planning now to ensure they have the resources they need if and when the time comes to head abroad.

• The centre of gravity of global migration is changing.

North America and Europe are making it increasingly difficult for foreign refugees and working people to settle. But middle class and wealthy people are also being pushed in new directions. As one commentator put it, the migration market is moving from “wealthy people in middle income countries to middle income people in wealthy countries.”

That’s at odds with the move towards a preference for the wealthy in established migration markets. Over the last year, the number of middle-class people expressing a desire to emigrate from the United States has skyrocketed. This is giving rise to a mismatch between the demand and supply for migration opportunities for ordinary people.

The result is that as European residency becomes more difficult, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and even Africa are rapidly establishing new visas and citizenship programmes. Today many of us dream of a life in the Mediterranean; A few years from now we could be aiming for the tropical beaches of Indian Ocean islands or the savannas of southern and eastern Africa.

• America’s free ride is ending.

Most adults have never known a world where the US wasn’t the most powerful, wealthy, and important country on the planet. American leaders understood that part of their job was to ensure that the world didn’t repeat the mistakes of the inter war period. They understood that it was worth it to bear short term costs in order to keep the global system stable and peaceful.

America no longer plays that role. As a result, Americans are in the process of losing many privileges of which they were probably unaware. The strong dollar, which allowed the US to run massive budget deficits and keep low interest rates, is one of them. But others are on the chopping block. For example, I predict US passport holders will lose visa-free access to many countries soon. In the longer term, America’s “soft power,” i.e., its cultural and economic hegemony, will erode and eventually be replaced. This will make much of the world less familiar to Americans.

• Support for global diversification is changing.

When America was poised at the top of the global hill, economically, politically, and morally, the world tended to emulate it. That made Americans welcome; support meant providing people with ideas about where to go and what to expect once they got there.

There’s still a need for that, and International Living will continue to meet it as we have done for decades. But as the underlying dynamics of global diversification shift, it’ll be critical to have more detailed intelligence about one’s options and expert assistance in putting together a diversification and migration plan.  IL has embraced that challenge with gusto and can provide you with far more detailed assistance than we could just a few years ago. We will continue building on that as the years go on.

Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus observed that “the only constant is change.”

As that change gains pace and leads in new directions, International Living will be here to help you make sense of it… and make sure you can get to where you want to be, no matter where it might be in the world.