Trump agenda driving record exodus of U.S. citizens to Europe

Since Donald Trump's election as U.S. President, a growing number of U.S. citizens are leaving the country, according to government visa and citizenship data. 

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs indicated U.S. applications for Irish passports were up around 60 percent on last year for the month of January and February, hitting nearly 4,300 - the highest level in a decade for the first two months of this year.

It's a similar story in France, government data showing an uptick in long-stay visa requests from Americans with more than 2,300 applications in the first three months of 2025, compared to just 1,980 on last year. 

For the UK, during the last three months of 2024 - the latest period of data available, just over 1,700 passports from U.S. citizens were submitted, securing a record quarter in two decades.

British law organisation, Immigration Advice Service says it's seen a more than 25 percent increase in enquiries from the U.S. 

Relocation companies helping people emigrate agree, citing a surge for their services since the U.S. election. Some reasons raised behind their clients making a move across oceans came down to political policy, social issues and gun violence concerns. 

And it's a trend that could continue extending to Nordic regions. Some Northern European countries are taking advantage of the cuts to American research funding as an opportunity to promote their own approach to academic freedom in the hopes of attracting U.S. based researchers. 

"To researchers in the United States: welcome," Sweden's Education Minister Johan Pehrson announced, reaching out to academics affected by a wave of measures under the U.S. President.
 

"We can offer trust and long-term investments. We've got academic freedom. If you are looking for a place to do your work and contribute to solving global challenges, we value your knowledge," the minister said in a written statement.

It's sparking a flurry of countries across the EU to do the same, considering policy changes and incentives to lure U.S. researchers open to a change. 

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are due to take part in a conference in Paris next week aimed at recruiting foreign researchers, especially Americans, to "Choose Europe", the French presidency announced last Wednesday.

It's a measure that Nordic countries have already begun making.

The Research Council of Norway announcing last week a 100-million-kroner (about $10-million) scheme to attract top international researchers.

The actions have sparked a backlash from some institutions, though. In April, the American Association of Colleges and Universities published a statement condemning an "unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education."

An analysis of application data by science journal Nature in April found the number of U.S. scientists applying for jobs abroad between January and March increased by 32 percent, compared to the same period a year earlier.

Regardless of political rhetoric, many obstacles remain for potential expats, including securing jobs, restrictions on remote work, lower salaries in Europe, and the U.S. tax system - which taxes its citizens on worldwide income.