“People Are Afraid They Will Lose Their Freedom”: Americans Want to Leave the Country after the Elections

The results of the elections in the United States, if they did not sow panic among Americans, certainly made many of them more anxious. U.S. citizens are increasingly searching online for how to move to another country, and especially wealthy individuals are willing to invest in other nations to obtain a new passport. Why did the elections scare Americans, and how are they trying to protect themselves? The answers are in our article.

Wealthy Americans Are Fleeing the Country

The U.S. presidential elections sharply increased anxiety levels among Americans. In the lead-up to the vote, it became clear that more wealthy citizens of the country are planning to leave. Attorneys and consultants for affluent families have noted a record demand for second passports or long-term residency abroad among their clients.

“We have never seen such demand as we do now,” says a representative of one of the firms that assists clients with immigration issues.

According to him, for the first time, the largest segment of the firm’s client base consists of wealthy Americans — they make up 20%, more than any other nationality. He claims that the number of Americans planning to move abroad has increased by at least 30% compared to last year.

The managing partner of another international tax and immigration firm states that the number of Americans hiring him for possible relocation abroad has roughly tripled compared to last year.

For many, the desire to move abroad is linked to concerns about potential political and social unrest, regardless of who takes the presidential office as a result of the elections.

In a survey conducted by another company that advises the wealthy on immigration programs, 53% of American millionaires stated that they are very likely to leave the U.S. after the elections, regardless of who wins. Young people express the strongest desire to leave: 64% of millionaires aged 18 to 29 are “very interested” in obtaining so-called golden visas through investment residency programs abroad (you can find more information if you follow the link).

The Wealthy Are Taking Action

While discussions about moving abroad during election periods are common, this time, as attorneys and consultants for wealthy families assert, many are already taking concrete steps.

Often, wealthy Americans choose Portugal, Malta, Greece, and Italy for obtaining additional passports. For example, in Portugal, residency and citizenship (with visa-free entry to Europe) can be obtained in exchange for investments of €500,000 (approximately $541,000) in a fund or private equity. Malta, in turn, offers a “golden visa” for €750,000. This country is becoming particularly popular among Americans.

Among the famous businessmen who did not limit themselves to just an American passport is former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. In 2020, it was reported that he, along with his wife and daughter, applied for citizenship in Cyprus. This allowed him to gain visa-free access to EU countries and the ability to travel through Europe during the pandemic. Information about this emerged in the media just a few days after Cyprus suspended the very “golden visa” scheme that allowed wealthy foreigners to buy citizenship in exchange for investments of €2.2 million ($2.6 million).

Additionally, in 2017, it was reported that PayPal founder Peter Thiel obtained New Zealand citizenship in March 2011. According to him, he found no other country that better matched his vision for the future. Moreover, in 2016, one of Silicon Valley’s most influential entrepreneurs, Sam Altman, told the New Yorker that he had an agreement with Thiel: in the event of any systemic collapse — for example, a virus outbreak, AI rampage, or war between nuclear powers — they would both board a private jet and fly to New Zealand, where Thiel owns property.

However, not all billionaires intend to hide from various upheavals abroad. Last year, Wired reported that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is building an extensive complex in Hawaii and plans to prepare a vast underground space. According to the publication, this place is expected to become a sort of post-apocalyptic bunker in case of a civilization collapse.

Not Just the Wealthy

The desire to move is not only characteristic of wealthy Americans — citizens of all income levels are considering it. These sentiments have been brewing even before the elections, but after the results were announced, the number of search queries related to moving abroad sharply increased. According to Google Trends analytics, on November 6, searches for “how to move to Canada” peaked. The highest interest in this was shown by traditionally Democratic states such as Vermont, Maine, Oregon, and Washington.

The number of searches for “moving to Canada” in Google increased by 1270% within 24 hours after it became known that the new American president would be Republican Donald Trump. Similar inquiries about relocating to New Zealand surged by nearly 2000%, while those about moving to Australia rose by 820%.

A representative from Google stated that late on November 6, the number of queries about moving reached record highs. On November 7, about 25,000 new users from the United States registered on the New Zealand immigration service website.

The most popular countries for potential relocation after the election results were published are Canada, chosen by one in five Americans, the United Kingdom, and Japan, CNBC notes. In addition, Australia, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Spain, France, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and Mexico are also popular for relocation.

All this is happening against a backdrop of disappointment among Americans with the country’s policies. According to exit polls from the recent 2024 elections, about 70% of respondents believe that the country is on the wrong track. Moreover, only 13% of those surveyed reported that they or their families have “succeeded” in the current economy, while 63% rated the current economic conditions as “not very good” or “bad.”

Not Just the Elections

Overall, the trend toward increased requests for second passports or residency permits among wealthy Americans emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, wealthy U.S. citizens have numerous non-political reasons for wanting to go abroad — from the desire to spend retirement in a warmer and cheaper country to the aspiration to be closer to relatives living overseas.

Very often, wealthy American families apply for second or even third or fourth citizenships and residency permits to safeguard their wealth. They create these “passport portfolios” in case they need to flee their home country.

However, these are not the only reasons why Americans want to leave their homeland or obtain a new passport. As analysts note, they may prefer to obtain an alternative document, as it facilitates travel for Americans heading to parts of the world that are less friendly to the U.S. Moreover, business trips in many countries may be safer and less noticeable if a person has a non-American passport. Using a secondary ID may also help in cross-border financial transfers or transactions within another country.

“We all live in unstable times not only in the U.S. but in all countries around the world. Who knows what will happen next? In fact, it’s about having not just a Plan B, but Plans C and D as well,” immigration experts note.

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