Trump's win sparks surge in Americans seeking UK citizenship
More and more Americans are applying for British citizenship. This trend is linked to Donald Trump's election victory and recent tax changes in the UK, reports the "Financial Times". The number of citizenship applications has increased by 40%.
A British newspaper reports that applications for British citizenship from Americans surged last year to an all-time high, driven in part by Donald Trump's return to power and changes in the UK tax system.
In 2024, over 6,100 US citizens applied for a British passport. This represents a 26% increase compared to 2023. However, the most significant rise occurred in the last quarter of 2024, coinciding with the US presidential elections—applications jumped by 40%, totaling 1,700. According to government data in London, last year set another record. In total, over 251,000 foreigners submitted applications for a British passport.
The Trump Effect
According to immigration lawyers, Donald Trump's candidacy and election victory led to increased interest in British citizenship. Additionally, upcoming tax changes in the UK, effective April 6, are expected to further motivate wealthier Americans to seek a new passport. These changes include the abolition of the non-dom tax status.
As explained by the Polish service polishexpress.eu, "Non-dom is a tax status for a person living in the UK but maintaining a permanent residence for tax purposes outside the UK. Non-dom only pertains to tax status and has no correlation with citizenship or origin."
The "FT" reports that wealthier Americans are eager to obtain British citizenship now to preempt regulatory changes.
We’ve definitely seen more interest in citizenship from the US since the lead-up to the election campaign. There’s much more interest than under the previous Trump administration, said Elena Hinchin of the law firm Farrer & Co.
The "FT" reminds us that to apply for British citizenship, one must live in the UK for five years or have parents with British citizenship. An individual can also apply if their spouse has a British passport and they have been living in the UK for three years.
Data from the Home Office shows that the number of applications submitted by Americans has been steadily increasing since the end of 2022. Ono Okeregha, a director at the law firm Immigration Advice Service, added that the number of applications is growing because Americans who left the country during Trump's first presidency from 2016-2020 are now qualifying for citizenship.
There has also been an increase in the number of Americans applying for Irish citizenship.
