Mass. — It’s a startling trend that’s getting more popular.
More Americans say they’d like to leave the United States permanently.
For the first time in years, the United States is experiencing “Negative Net Migration”.
The Brookings Institute estimates the number of people who moved out of the country exceeded the number moving in, by anywhere between 10,000 and 295,000, last year.
More Americans became interested in moving abroad right after COVID, according to Doris Speer, the president of the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, a non-partisan non-profit based in Paris.
“After COVID, because people were working from home, people were starting to become what we call digital nomads. And people realized they had more flexibility in life. They began to say, is it possible?”
She says people started to think about what they could do with their futures.
The first wave headed overseas was often in search of a better quality of life.
Healthcare is less expensive, crime rates are lower, and some people were just thirsty for a new adventure after being quarantined.
This latest surge of interest is being tied, in part, to the current political climate, and in particular, to President Trump.
A Gallup poll last November found 20% of Americans say they would like to leave the country permanently.
Only 11% said that was their wish back in 2008/
“When people feel hopeful and optimistic about the U.S, then business goes down a bit. And when he invades other countries or when people are shot in the street, then demand goes way up,” said Jana Sanchez.
Sanchez and Bethany Quinn run GTFO Tours from the Netherlands, where they both now live.
They consult with Americans who want to move abroad, providing a road map on how to do it now.
“I will say unless people are literally in the top 1%, no one in the United States feels like they have enough money, and usually after a conversation with us, they’ve figured out how to make the money work and how to make the move work,” said Quinn.
Jeanmarie Jacoby was born in Hyannis, grew up in Reading, and graduated from North Andover High School, but is now living in Portugal.
She said she and her husband always knew they wanted to retire young, but paying for health care was prohibitive in the United States.
“In Portugal, we have to have private healthcare to meet the requirements for our visa. And it is $2,200 a year.”
Jacoby, who moved in 2024, loves her new life but admits it was a huge transition.
“I mean, you have to pack up your whole life. We sold everything. Everything.”
And getting used to a new country as a resident, and not as a tourist, is another big change.
First, it’s about getting the right visa.
“Then it’s your next hurdle. You’ve got to get a Portuguese driver’s license. And that is a lot too, just because everything is in person, everything is paper, nothing is really digitalized.”
As for Anti-American sentiment, Jacoby says some Europeans do express their unhappiness with US foreign policy.
“First thing they ask us is if we voted for Trump. And because there’s a real anti-Trump sentiment, especially, you know, among certain groups, especially the UK, and now the EU.”
For Americans dreaming of getting away from political divisiveness, Doris Speer emphasized that a decision like this needs to be carefully thought out.
“People don’t just move overseas for one reason. So, when people say, oh, I’m just fed up, I want to move, I want to do what you’re doing, I say, oh gosh, let me give you a three-page list of all the things to think about, and then you tell me if you’re really going to do it.”
The Gallup poll found a gender gap in their poll.
40% of women between the ages of 15-44 said they’d like to live in the United States permanently, compared to 17% who previously answered that way.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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