Never mind the sometimes indifferent UK weather, domestic political angst and worries about rising taxes on the wealthy – it appears that more Americans want to apply for British citizenship.

Fresh evidence has come through that more US citizens than ever want to apply for British citizenship, possibly shrugging off worries about rising UK taxes as they seek an alternative jurisdiction. 

Figures issued from the Home Office show that in the second quarter of 2025, 2,194 applications for citizenship were made, rising 12.75 per cent from the previous quarter, and up from 1,499 in the third quarter of 2024. 

“We've certainly seen an uptick in clients wishing to leave the US for the UK, with those clients expressing disquiet at the political discourse and the increasing social tensions in the US,” Nick Warr, UK senior partner and private client partner at law firm Taylor Wessing, said in a statement.

In total, 7,347 applications have been made, of which 4,125 have been made since the start of the year following the election of Donald Trump as President. 

However, while Americans seeking an expat life might hope to leave some domestic political strife behind, this may not be so easy. The UK has a large fiscal deficit and further tax hikes on affluent people are considered to be on the way. Further, the US taxes citizens on a worldwide basis, so they stay under the thumb of the Internal Revenue Service unless they renounce their citizenship, which can be costly. The UK has also ended the resident non-domicile system of tax on foreigners, encouraging thousands of HNW individuals to quit the UK, potentially narrowing the country’s tax base. 

(See a related article about how changing rules affect American expats here.)

“Sadly, for Americans this regime means little due to their worldwide taxation. The extent of the exodus following the changes to the non-dom regime was far greater than most anticipated, although statistically it will not become apparent for over 18 months,” Warr said. “While it is heartening to see an inflow, we are still seeing a significant imbalance between the immigration versus emigration with another wave of people now leaving after the rumors of a wealth tax or exit tax. The real impact will be felt in the coming years."