Yep.
I am on the third year of a "4-6 month max" immigration process to Canada.
Be prepared for it taking much longer than you think.

co-signed, as someone who did this several years ago. we were on an extremely accelerated track (yay privilege) and it still took quite a while.

Even relatively simple cases (EU citizen with plenty of documents prepared moving to other EU country) seem very complicated, I've been looking at a job in Germany and there's so many things that aren't even immigration being slow, they're just "navigating unfamiliar bureaucracy"

This. I moved from one German-speaking country in the EU to another german-speaking country in the EU and I know there was no feasible way for me to stay unless I found a place to live and a job with insurance within three months of moving here.
If I lose my job and don’t have enough money saved up to pay for my own private insurance, I’m fairly sure they have the right to send me back to Germany which is also terrifying.
I don’t need to hope that my visa gets approved or worry that the state kicks me out at will, at least. This is considered a best case scenario for immigration.

THIS. Having a plan that is realistic takes time. Especially if it's for the long haul. Get organized NOW.
Especially considering the hurricane season coming up. Don't get caught with your pants down. Plan. Organize. Execute.

I hadn't even thought about this. Are my fellow Amercan's really doing this? I mean for political reasons?

it took me three months to move back to Canada, and I am Canadian.