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The number of Americans who reported for the UK citizenship increased at the highest records last year, and Donald Trump has a return to power and tax changes in the UK have contributed to the increase in reports from US nationals in Britain.
Over 6,100 American citizens have applied last year, mostly when the records began two decades ago, and 26 percent more than in 2023. Total applications for the UK citizenship increased by 6 percent to 251,000, another record.
The reports of US nationals increased in the last quarter of 2024, increasing by 40 percent to about 1,700, according to the data published by the home office.
Immigration lawyers said Trump’s presidential offer and victory and victory in early November helped increase, along with tax changes in the UK, encouraging Americans to provide British passports before leaving.
Elena Hinchin, a partner at Farrer & Co’s law firm, said the US political landscape “is a very serious initiator” of increased interest in residing in the UK.
“We have definitely seen more interest in citizenship from the US from leadership to election campaign,” she said. “There is much more interest than under the previous Trump administration.”
Hinchin added that the British abolition of tax status without a home also encouraged some rich Americans living in Britain to seek citizenship before they go.
“Many of the individual Neta individuals are considering leaving the UK with regard to tax changes,” she said. “They now want to apply for citizenship so that they do not lose the right to do so.. It just holds an open door and means greater flexibility for their children.”
In order to apply for the UK citizenship, someone has to live in the UK for five years or have parents with British citizenship. They can also apply if they are married to British and live in the UK for three years.
Data on the home office show that Americans’ applications have grown constantly from the end of 2022.
Madelea’s subture, director of Oxford Migration Observatory, said data suggested that Americans became “particularly eager” to acquire citizenship last year, but warned that people usually have a number of personal reasons for nationality seeking in other countries.
“For people moving from safe countries, politics is usually the third or fourth row factor, not a key reason for independent movement,” she said
But Okeregh, director of the Immigration Company Immigration Service, said there is a “huge jump” in British citizenship the day after the US election in November, with a continuous interest in citizenship and visa from the beginning of Trump’s efforts of another term.
He added that US applications began to grow a few years ago, reflecting what he called “the consequences of the first Donald Dash,” because people who emigrated to Britain during Trump’s first term as president from 2016 to 2020 began to fulfill the conditions for the UK citizenship.
There was also an increase in Americans seeking citizenship in Ireland, with Data revealing an increase of 46 percent In reports last year from people in North America with Irish born.
