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Immigration lawyers in the UK say they have seen a rise in liberal Americans seeking to leave the US since Donald Trump’s election victory.
Many making inquiries said they were worried about socially conservative policies that Trump could introduce once in office, the lawyers added.
“We’ve onboarded more US clients in the past few weeks than the previous few months,” said John Kiely, head of immigration at UK law firm Howard Kennedy. “One day I spoke with three same-sex couples who were visibly distressed by the prospect of a Trump administration.”
He said all three referred to “Project 2025”, a conservative policy blueprint written by former Trump administration officials that recommends collecting data on abortions, banning pornography and limiting contraception.
Trump has distanced himself from the project, though many of his appointees have voiced support for it.
Kathryn Bradbury, head of the citizenship and immigration department at UK law firm Payne Hicks Beach, said she had seen “a noticeable increase” in inquiries about UK immigration options for US citizens. All were “Democrats and concerned about Trump 2.0”, she added, saying the level of interest was higher than in 2016, when he was first elected.
Those considering emigration to the UK tended to be mobile, wealthy individuals in tech, law and the arts, the lawyers said.
Even more corporate-focused law firms have also been receiving inquiries from individuals who want the option of leaving in the future. Claire Nilson, a London-based immigration lawyer at Faegre Drinker, said: “Post-election I’ve already onboarded three families who are getting passports for different places . . . They want to have it in their back pocket just in case.”
Those making inquiries were more focused on politics than potential tax implications, said the lawyers.
US citizens’ worldwide income is subject to US income tax, meaning that moving to the UK does not necessarily bring any financial benefits and can often be more expensive as some estate planning measures in the US are not recognised in the UK.
The UK also has a much lower exemption for inheritance tax: £325,000 ($415,000) for an individual versus $13.6mn in the US.
Those seeking to move need to find a suitable avenue to pursue legal migration.
The UK no longer has an investor visa, where applicants have to spend a certain sum on UK property, stocks or bonds to secure their residency. This means rich individuals who want to move have to apply through other routes, such as the competitive global talent visa, which is for “a leader or potential leader” in the arts, digital technology and academia.
People with family connections, such as a UK-born husband or wife, can apply for a spousal visa.
An ophthalmologist from the north-east US said he was looking for a job in the UK because he was worried that his personal life — he is gay, married to a man and has two children by surrogacy — “has become politicised and it’s a weapon for the right . . . We are very concerned about the world we would bring our kids up in”.
Most UK immigration lawyers who spoke to the Financial Times reported more inquiries from US clients, but US-based immigration lawyers painted a more mixed picture.
Avram Morell, a partner at Pryor Cashman in New York, said he had received “a number of inquiries from people seeking to leave the United States at least temporarily following the November election”.
David Grunblatt of Fragomen said there was “a lot of grumbling” but that clients had not yet asked about moving.
Stephanie Heilborn, a partner at Proskauer Rose, said she had received many more calls from clients about moving in 2020 after Joe Biden won the election.
