Trump's policies spur record rise in Americans seeking UK citizenship
A record number of Americans applied for British citizenship between January and March, a period which marked the beginning of the second term of US President Donald Trump, according to CNN, citing data from the UK's Home Office in London.
In the first three months of the year, a total of 1,931 Americans submitted applications, which is a 12% increase from the previous quarter and the highest since such statistics began being collected in 2004, CNN reported. It was noted that there was also an increase in the last quarter of the previous year, during the period when Trump won the election.
The last time interest among Americans in British citizenship rose sharply was in 2020, during Trump’s first term, when the Covid-19 pandemic was ongoing worldwide.
According to immigration lawyers, Donald Trump's candidacy and his election victory led to increased interest in British citizenship. An additional incentive for wealthier Americans has been the tax changes that took effect in the UK on 6th April. This refers to the abolition of the non-dom tax status.
As explained by BBC, "'Non-dom' describes a UK resident whose permanent home - or domicile - for tax purposes is outside the UK. It refers to a person's tax status, and has nothing to do with their nationality, citizenship or resident status - although it can be affected by these factors. A non-dom only pays UK tax on the money they earn in the UK. They do not have to pay tax to the UK government on money made elsewhere in the world (unless they pay that money into a UK bank account)."
To apply for British citizenship, one must live in the UK for five years or have parents with British citizenship. One can also apply if their spouse has a British passport and has lived in the UK for three years.
Americans are looking for opportunities to reside in Europe, but it is becoming increasingly difficult. Last year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK government would toughen the requirements for legal migrants. The waiting time to be granted citizenship is expected to increase.
Similarly, the Italian government adopted regulations in April restricting the ability to obtain citizenship. In addition to tightening visa regulations for non-EU citizens, Italy removed the ability for people whose great-grandparents came from that country to apply for citizenship.
