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Methodology & Data Sources

Last updated: May 2026.

How matching works

The matcher applies two layers of filtering to our visa dataset:

  1. Hard filters — eligibility rules that must be met (nationality, age, education minimums, language access, advanced thresholds). A visa that fails any hard filter is hidden from the main results.
  2. Soft scoring — every remaining visa gets a score based on continent preference, climate fit, situation, occupation match, finances, family, and pets. Higher scores rank higher.

Visa data

Visa pathways are compiled by hand from official government sources (consulates, immigration departments, ministry websites). We refresh the dataset periodically. Because rules change frequently, treat any specific figure (income threshold, processing time, fee) as approximate and verify with the official source.

Country indices

The advanced filters use 0–100 country scores aggregated from established third-party sources:

  • Healthcare — blend of WHO health system rankings, Numbeo Health Care Index, and Legatum Prosperity Health.
  • Safety — Global Peace Index (Institute for Economics & Peace) combined with Numbeo Safety Index.
  • LGBTQ acceptance — ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map (legal protections) and Equaldex LGBTQ+ Equality Index.
  • Gender equality — World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report (overall score).
  • Equal pay — OECD Gender Wage Gap data.
  • Climate resilience (projected) — built from CMIP6 downscaled climate projections via Open-Meteo. For each representative city we compare a 2005–2024 model baseline with a 2036–2050 window and combine projected annual and summer warming, days above 32°C, rainfall shift, and coastal flood exposure (city elevation) into a 0–100 score, then average across the country's cities. Higher means less projected disruption. Projections are modelled scenarios, not forecasts.

Caveats

  • National averages mask large within-country variation. City-level differences can be huge.
  • Crowdsourced data (e.g. Numbeo) reflects who participated, not the entire population.
  • Country indices update annually at best. Recent policy changes may not be reflected.
  • Countries we lack data for default to a neutral 50 — we don't penalize unknowns.

What we don't do

We don't decide who qualifies for a visa — only the issuing government does. We don't submit applications, prepare paperwork, or represent you in any immigration proceeding. See our disclaimer for the full picture.