The variety of People making use of for British citizenship reached a document excessive in 2024, coinciding with the re-election of US President Donald Trump. Greater than 6,100 US residents submitted functions, the very best determine since data started in 2004, in line with information from the UK Residence Workplace.
The rise marked a 26 per cent rise from 2023, when fewer than 5,000 functions have been recorded. The surge was most pronounced within the final quarter of 2024, with over 1,700 functions, the very best for any quarter in twenty years.
The pattern is much like 2020, when greater than 5,800 People renounced their citizenship within the first half of the yr, practically 3 times the full from 2019. Analysts on the time linked the rise to tax coverage modifications and dissatisfaction with the political local weather in america. Lots of these renouncing their citizenship had already been residing within the UK for a while.
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Immigration legal professionals famous that Trump’s re-election performed a job within the newest surge in functions. Elena Hinchin, accomplice at Farrer & Co, described the US political panorama as “a really severe driver” of curiosity in UK residency.
The UK’s latest tax coverage modifications additionally contributed to the rise in functions. The abolition of the non-dom tax standing led some rich People residing in Britain to hunt citizenship earlier than leaving the nation. “Many high-net-worth people are contemplating leaving the UK given the tax modifications,” Hinchin mentioned. “They need to apply for citizenship now in order that they don’t lose the proper to take action. It simply retains the door open and means extra flexibility for his or her youngsters.”
The eligibility standards for UK citizenship embody residency length, parental citizenship, and marriage to a British citizen. Residence Workplace information reveals that functions by People have been rising because the finish of 2022.
Some Britons have additionally been searching for various citizenship choices. Following the UK’s determination to go away the European Union in 2016, the variety of British residents making use of for Irish passports practically doubled. An Irish passport permits visa-free journey and residency in EU member states.
Trump himself might apply for British citizenship via his late mom, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born in Scotland and moved to america as a teen in 1930.
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In response to rising curiosity from People searching for to relocate, some European communities have began outreach efforts. A village in Italy launched an internet site selling its reasonably priced houses to potential American patrons. “Are you worned out by international politics? Seeking to embrace a extra balanced life-style whereas securing new alternatives?” the web site asks. “It’s time to start out constructing your European escape within the beautiful paradise of Sardinia.”
Immigration specialists have famous continued curiosity in British citizenship because the begin of Trump’s second time period. Ono Okeregha, director at Immigration Recommendation Service, highlighted a “big spike” in British citizenship searches the day after the US election, with sustained inquiries into citizenship and visa choices.
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford College, mentioned People had proven elevated curiosity in citizenship final yr however famous that non-public circumstances usually influenced migration selections. “For folks transferring from protected nations, politics tends to be a 3rd or fourth order issue, not a key motive for transferring by itself,” she mentioned.
Information additionally signifies a rise in People searching for Irish citizenship, with functions from North People with Irish ancestry rising by 46 per cent final yr. The pattern means that political occasions and tax coverage modifications are driving some People to discover citizenship choices past america.
Chisom Michael
Chisom Michael is an information analyst (viewers engagement) and author at BusinessDay, with various expertise within the media business. He holds a BSc in Industrial Physics from Imo State College and an MEng in Laptop Science and Know-how from Liaoning Univerisity of Know-how China. He specialises in listicle writing, profiles and leveraging his expertise in viewers engagement evaluation and data-driven insights to create compelling content material that resonates with readers.
