Among Schengen countries, which has the "easiest" requirements for getting permanent residence? [closed]

Question

I am an international student from South Asia, studying for a Master's (Computer Science) in a Schengen country.

I want to get "permanent residence" in any of the Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

For me, which country will be the "easiest" to getting Permanent Residence and what will be the procedure?

Answer 1

• Time: Almost every country in the Schengen area requires at least 5 years of residence to become a permanent resident, so I'd say time-wise you can choose any country you want.

• Language: easiest to learn is arguably Dutch, assuming you already speak English. Spanish is also not that hard and widely useful around the world.

• Ease of getting a job: the richer the country, the easier it is to find a job. Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands and Belgium are perfectly good choices. Check out EU's unemployment rates and go for the countries with the lowest unemployment.

However be aware that being a permanent resident of the EU is not too useful once you leave the country in question, as other countries won't automatically grant you residency based on your residency in a different EU country. Only being a citizen grants you the true privilege of relocating anywhere within the EU at will. You are therefore looking at spending 10+ years in the country in question, so I recommend choosing wisely from the beginning.