A record number of Americans applied for UK citizenship as Trump began his second term [View all]
Source: CNN Business
Published 10:03 AM EDT, Fri May 23, 2025
London CNN A record number of Americans applied for British citizenship between January and March, according to the first set of data covering the start of Donald Trumps second presidential term.
Some 1,931 Americans put in an application, the most since records began in 2004 and a jump of 12% on the previous quarter, figures from the UK Home Office showed Thursday. Applications had already soared during the October-December period, which coincided with Trumps re-election.
Successful applications by US citizens to settle permanently in the United Kingdom, rather than just move there initially, also hit a record high last year, the latest period for which official data is available. Settlement comes with the right to live, work and study in Britain indefinitely and can be used to apply for citizenship. More than 5,500 Americans were granted settled status in 2024, a fifth more than in 2023.
The last time American applications for British citizenship spiked was in 2020, during Trumps first presidential term and at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/23/business/record-americans-uk-citizenship-trump-intl