I am interested in working, owning a house, and raising a family in/around either Amsterdam, Zurich, or Prague.

Which of these cities/countries have you been to and what did you like/hate about them?

I work in finance for a major American institution, we have offices in both Amsterdam and Zurich.

What does the visa acquisition process look like? Is this something I do through one of the state-side embassies?

At this point, I mainly need to figure out what I’m going to do about work. I don’t have a position lined up in Europe, but I can apply to positions in those two cities. If the company won’t take me internationally, can I still acquire a visa while I job search there? It seems I am unable to move there, get an apartment, and find a job without a proper visa.

If I am unable to transfer with my company, it would be easier to get an apartment in the city then begin the job search, but this seems difficult regarding visa acquisition. Are noncitizens even able to lease apartments in these countries? Maybe find a recruiter in the country before the move?

What is your advice on navigating the process, from visa to apartment?

It seems Switzerland has the most stringent immigration standards, which is good, this only affects the length of visa time I need to acquire before I can apply for citizenship.