Almost 2,000 Americans applied for British citizenship in the first three months of 2025 in an apparent bid to escape life under Donald Trump's second presidential term. The data, released this week by the Home Office, showed a year-on-year rise of 12% for US-based British citizenship applications - spiking at over 1,930, the highest number for a quarter on record. More than 6,000 Americans applied to live or work in Britain in the 12 months to March 2025, the figures showed, also marking the highest annual number since records began in 2004.

The link between the highest quarter for US immigration to the UK and Donald Trump's return to the White House doesn't appear to be a coincidence - with American lawyers suggesting the country's divisive political landscape could be triggering the recent surge. Zeena Luchowa, a partner at Laura Devine Immigration, specialising in US immigration to Britain, said she thought the trend of Americans moving across the pond would continue in the coming months.

"We've seen increases in inquiries and applications not just for US nationals, but for US residents of other nationalities who are currently in the US but looking at plans to settle in the UK," she told the New York Times.

"The queries we're seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship - it's more about seeking to relocate."

Immigration and business law firm Harvey Law Corporation said search activity related to emigration from the US had risen by 1,514% following Trump's victory in November, suggesting it could be linked to "concerns about stricter immigration laws, heightened political tension and potential rollbacks of progressive policies".

Other Home Office data showed that a record number of American citizens were granted the right to settle in the UK last year - although of the 5,521 approved applications, the majority were for those eligible because of their family links.

Senior London-based immigration lawyer Muhunthan Paramesvaran said the number of applications could continue to rise following Prime Minister Keir Starmer's pledge to clamp down on immigration into Britain, including by raising thresholds including the length of time people have to live in the UK before they can apply for permanent settlement.

He told the Times: "People are worried about what may be on the horizon in terms of potential changes to qualification periods. It's a case of people wanting to take advantage of the rules and guidance as they exist today."

It also emerged on Thursday that net migration to the UK almost halved in 2024 following restrictions brought in by the previous Conservative government. Mary Gregory, director of population statistics at the Office for National Statistics, said the drop was "driven by falling numbers of people coming to work and study, particularly student dependents".

"This follows policy changes brought in restricting visa applications," she added. "There has also been an increase in emigration over the 12 months to December 2024, especially people leaving who originally came on study visas once pandemic travel restrictions to the UK were eased."