The number of American citizens seeking residency in the United Kingdom has reached unprecedented levels, according to recent reports from immigration experts. Areas partner at Laura Devine Immigration, Zeena Luchowa has experienced an increase of three times in requests from US nationals. At the same time, Muhunthan Paramesvaran, an immigration lawyer at Wilsons Solicitors in London, looks ahead to more US applications for UK residency in the coming months.
In the 12 months to March, over 6,000 Americans applied to become British subjects. They too have successfully been granted permission to live and work in the UK permanently. This is the largest number of applicants on record since similar data started in 2004. Of these applications, 6,618 Americans obtained British citizenship, with over 1,900 applications submitted just between January and March.
This historic surge in applications happened to coincide with the start of Donald Trump’s second term in office. Luchowa cited the “political landscape”—notably under Trump’s administration—as a key factor. The polarized political climate in the US and Trump’s aggressive immigration-related policies seem to have prompted many Americans to consider relocating abroad.
“There’s definitely been an uptick in inquiries from US nationals.” – Muhunthan Paramesvaran
Paramesvaran explained some of the reasons driving this trend in more detail. He proposed that hundreds of thousands of people already residing in the UK are looking into applying for dual citizenship. Their concerns about the future in the US are behind this decision. He stated, “People who were already here may have been thinking: ‘I want the option of dual citizenship in the event that I don’t want to go back to the US.’”
Luchowa reinforced this point. She observed that her company is getting a lot more inquiries about moving to other countries, not just UK citizenship. “The queries we’re seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship – it’s more about seeking to relocate,” she remarked.
The UK government has made things even harder of late by increasing the qualification period for settlement. Now, potential applicants have to wait ten years rather than five. Meanwhile, on the very same day, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper introduced new, tougher language requirements for immigration. Despite these revisions, experts like Roy expect the US nationals’ appetite for residency to continue surging.
“There will be provisions to qualify more swiftly that take account of the contribution people have made.” – Yvette Cooper
The UK government is simultaneously attempting to cut immigration across the board. Those newly-released statistics showed net migration falling by almost a half this year (2024), to just 431,000, down from the 2023 peak. Clearly Americans are still quite motivated to make a go of it in the UK. The recent boom in US residency applications is a clear indication of this persistent fascination.
As the political landscape continues to change, experts like Paramesvaran are ever vigilant. They anticipate interest and application from U.S. citizens to remain strong. He noted that the political climate significantly influences the decisions of potential applicants: “In the immediate aftermath of the election and the various pronouncements that were made,” he observed, many Americans have reassessed their options.