Glad my words could help a bit. I know how overwhelming it seems because I've been where you are. But I made it and so can you.
> Would you mind if I ask what region of the world you were from (just roughly)? for context.
I'm originally from the north of Europe.
> If I understand correctly, what you did was lay low, drag it out and ultimately - did you manage to get citizenship in another country?
Pretty much. After years of living under the radar, today I am back on the surface and no longer in any danger of being arrested for︀ anything (no risk of deportation, expulsion or extradition either.)
Life under the radar wasn't as︁ bad as I thought it would be. Some options will be closed because you don't︂ want to pop up on computer screens where you'll be found. But there's also freedom︃ in starting fresh. You don't look back. You look to the future and make the︄ new life you want for yourself, with a plan that brings light at the end︅ of the tunnel.
> I'm pretty confident being able to get residency right now at︆ this point of time
Initially, your race against the clock is your ability to travel.︇ If you're ever wanted by Interpol, air travel is out of the question. You also︈ want to be more careful with other types of travel (crossing land borders or moving︉ by sea.)
> it's just what happens when the passport expires.
I lived for more︊ than a decade with an expired passport. For that to work, it helped that was︋ already settled in a spot where I could live and work. Once my passport expired,︌ I could no longer travel, but also didn't need to (or want to) at the︍ time. Short of crossing borders, I could still do what I needed with other documents︎ and I had prepared for the passport expiration in advance by setting up the logistics️ I needed or a well-functioning life: work, income, real estate, friends, pleasure, etc.
> Right now I'm being extra careful not to overstay
I did the same at first, so I would still be able to travel until finding the country where I'd settle to wait out the clock.
I didn't overstay until after I was safe in a place where my particular situation meant that I could at least not be deported just for overstaying or for lack of valid documents (it still left open the risks of expulsion and extradition, to be dealt with as separate issues.)
Once I had the risk of deportation under control, I felt free to overstay even though it technically made me illegal.︀ By laying low and flying under the radar, I improved my long term chances of︁ beating extradition -- the only other serious risk that I faced at the time.
> Since you have experience in South America, do you have specific suggestions on which country︂ and how I should work towards that given the 4 year timeline?
Specific suggestions are︃ tricky because this is truly a situation where, like I said, the devil is in︄ the details. Your freedom can hinge on a comma in some old law.
Contributors in︅ this thread already mentioned Latin America. I'm in Brazil. If you want a new friend︆ and a helpful hand, you're welcome here. I know of others who made it work︇ in next-door Paraguay and Bolivia. Uruguay is safe and has a predictable judiciary, should it︈ ever come to that. Argentina is known for its short statute of limitations, even for︉ serious charges. The same holds for Venezuela, where (unlike Brazil) it is possible to actually︊ beat an extradition case on its merits, but where the courts can no longer be︋ trusted to follow the law over political expediency.
> And with this plan of action,︌ would it mean being stuck to one country/region forever?
"Forever" is a long time. But︍ if there's no statute of limitations on crimes in your home country, and they won't︎ drop the charges eventually, you theoretically risk becoming a party to extradition proceedings in any️ new country you enter. The more time passes, the easier it will be to beat them in country after country, so eventually most of the world will open back up for you again. The easier option is to stay put where you're happy and secure -- and if you have to travel elsewhere, only go where you know the ground is safe.
