A record number of Americans are seeking to become British citizens in the wake of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, new figures from the Home Office reveal.
Over 1,930 US nationals applied for British citizenship during the first quarter of 2025 – marking a 12 per cent rise from the previous three months and the highest quarterly figure ever recorded.
Legal experts say the surge is being driven largely by LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalised communities, following a string of controversial executive orders signed by Trump shortly after returning to the White House.
Ono Okeregha, director at the Immigration Advice Service (IAS), told the Financial Times: “People are leaving the US out of fear, frustration, and a desire for greater financial and personal security. There’s a growing anxiety about personal safety under the current administration.”
Among the high-profile applicants is rock musician Courtney Love, who announced at an event hosted by the Royal Geographical Society that she is just six months away from securing her British citizenship. “There’s emperor-core going on at Mar-a-Lago,” she told the crowd, according to the Daily Mail. “It’s frightening now.”
Tax burdens are also a major factor. Alistair Bambridge of Bambridge Accountants noted that many US expats are motivated by frustrations with America’s complex global tax obligations.
Following Trump’s inauguration, the IAS recorded an 800 per cent spike in online searches for Irish citizenship, with similar increases for Canada, Spain, and the UK – where traffic surged by 600 per cent.
Immigration lawyer Dina Modi said the trend reflects growing fear and disillusionment among Americans. “Many clients have told us they feel increasingly disconnected from the values of the current US government and are worried about the future for themselves and their families,” she said. “There’s particular concern from same-sex couples over threats to marriage rights and state-level crackdowns.”
Several LGBTQ+ celebrities have already made the leap, with designer Tom Ford and comedian Ellen DeGeneres reportedly relocating from the US to the UK – settling in Chelsea and the Cotswolds respectively.
