Trump’s presidency sparks drop in UK–U.S. moves

2025 has seen a sharp decline in the number of Brits moving to the United States of America, correlating with the U.S. Presidential Elections in late 2024 and the second election of President Donald Trump on January 20^th 2025.  

This is according to a Compare My Move report on international moves and enquiries, which states that there has been a 43% decline in Brits moving to the United States at the start of 2025 compared to the start of 2024, as well as a 67% decline in Brits enquiring about a move to the United States at the start of 2025 compared to the start of 2024.   

Below is a graph that plots the key events in the 2024 United States Presidential Election aligned with the decline in international removal enquiries to the United States through Compare My Move. 

U.S. International Removal Enquiries. 

Dave Sayce, co-founder and managing director of Compare My Move commented on the findings. 

“Political uncertainty often puts people off moving to a country, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing with the United States. Searches for moves to the U.S. dropped by 58% between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025. Donald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration and the rising political tension are likely major reasons for the decline.” 

The United States has been a popular destination for British movers of the past few years, coming in second to Spain in 2023 and 2024 by number of movers. However, in 2025, the U.S. dropped out of second place and is now standing in 3^rd, slightly ahead of France. 

Australia has surpassed the United States in number of moves in 2025. The two countries have a lot of similarities for British movers, both English-speaking with a culture that’s easy to integrate into for British citizens. However, Australia hasn’t had the same political tension that the U.S. has had over the past 12 months. Dave Sayce comments. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the United States falls even lower in the second half of 2025. Since Trump’s inauguration at the start of the year, interest in moving to the U.S. from Britain has been steadily declining, and that drop is likely to continue. The sharp rise in ICE arrests, deportations, and the threat of deportation camps is making the U.S. feel like a far riskier option for anyone considering a move.”