More Americans are applying to leave the United States and settle in Britain. According to figures issued by the UK’s Home Office, over 6,000 US residents applied to either become British citizens or to live and work in the country forever during the 12 months before March, report The New York Times. This is the biggest number since comparable records started in 2004.
More than 1,900 of the 6,618 American applications for British citizenship were received between January and March, the majority of which occurred at the start of Donald Trump’s second term as US president.
That was the greatest number for any quarter in history because of the spike in applications at the beginning of 2025.
Following President Trump’s reelection in November, immigration attorneys reported that they had seen a surge in the number of American citizens asking them about moving to Britain.
The growth in British citizenship applications from Americans occurred against a backdrop of comparable rises around the world, but the global rate — 9.5 percent year on year — was greatly exceeded by the 30 percent increase in the United States.
Separate figures released by the Home Office this week revealed that a record number of Americans were granted the right to settle in Britain in 2024, allowing them to reside and work permanently as a crucial prerequisite to citizenship.
Of the 5,521 settlement applications granted for US citizens last year, the majority were for eligible people because of their spouses, parents, or other family members, while a significant portion were for people who originally arrived in Britain on temporary visas for “skilled workers” and want to stay.
The rate of settlement applications is likely to accelerate further in the coming months. The recently introduced immigration White Paper suggests that the UK government plans to end automatic settlement and citizenship for anyone living in Britain for five years.
Instead, migrants must spend a decade in the UK before applying to stay unless they can show a real and lasting contribution to the economy and society.
The rise in US applications to the UK, however, might not be a reflection of the political climate in either nation. The majority of the 5,521 settlement applications submitted by US residents last year came from those who qualified due to spouse or familial ties.
However, the non-dom tax regime is forcing high net worth individuals to leave UK. Earlier the tax rules permitted those who have their permanent home or ‘domicile’ overseas to avoid paying UK tax on their foreign income and earnings for up to 15 years if they do not transfer income or capital gains back into the UK. It means residents with links to another country who plan to eventually leave Britain can avoid tax on any income and gains from assets held outside the UK.
The UK’s abolition of the non-dom tax status from April 2025 may further fuel an exodus of high-net-worth individuals from the UK as they look to overseas destinations.
Shravin Bharti Mittal, 37, the heir to one of India’s wealthiest families and a 24.5% stakeholder in BT Group Plc, has departed the United Kingdom (UK) and obtained residency in the United Arab Emirates. The decision comes amid rising dissatisfaction among the ultra-wealthy with Britain’s stricter tax structure.