Interesting discussion here on HN:
Guys, I am in Syria (specifically in Damascus). Seems war is rolling out. Most of the people are moving to border regions but I cant and I am a programmer worked as a remote dev for an Australian startup. But I am not sure how long I will be able to work living in Syria. I want move to Europe specially in Germany as the startup scene is booming in Berlin.
Commenters are strongly discouraging the poster from going to Germany. Here is an excerpt:
As a war refugee my self, I urge you strongly to leave Syria now, for the love of god no matter the price, buy those tickets and get the hell out of there and far away as possible, Sweden, Canada, Australia. (Not Germany, France, Italy, USA, Turkey they all suck.)
Where would you go if you had to leave? It’s a question I’ve never considered but having (lightly) tangled with immigration authorities in a few different countries I can say the problem is a scary one.
One’s immediate instinct is to go for the biggest western country available. That’s where the economic upside is, after all, and one can nearly be guaranteed a community of distant friends/relatives that speak your native language.
Of course, these communities drive native denizens nuts and strain various norms and institutions in the target country. The political backlash can be unpleasant to watch for liberally-minded folks.
And how about that he works for an Australian startup? The economic magnet of a USA pulls somewhat less strongly in a world where a Syrian can boast of such a job. So pick a rich country with good telecoms infrastructure, lots of English and a political mood favoring a marginal increase in immigration. And hope that none of those things change.
Not Unreasonable 