Migration is no longer a marginal phenomenon in the United States. This is evidenced by the success of companies that help Americans settle abroad, as well as the number of events, fairs, conferences, or exploratory trips they organize, as reported by The Boston Globe.
Created four years ago, Expatsi was originally a small family business. The goal was to explain to expatriates candidates how to open a bank account abroad, obtain a residency permit, take out health insurance, or guide them in the local real estate market.
But since 2022, no less than 400,000 people have responded to the online questionnaire designed to help them choose their destination. And in the twelve months following Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, the company’s revenue experienced a “meteoric” growth, as explained by the American newspaper.
“Americans are leaving. And they’re not just marginal individuals, but ordinary families,” notes Jen Barnett, who founded Expatsi with her husband. Every year in April, the agency now organizes an expatriation fair in San Diego, California. In 2025, about twenty relocation experts advised around three hundred motivated participants. This year, Jen Barnett expects to welcome over seven hundred people.
Fleeing the political climate
European companies in the sector confirm Americans’ enthusiasm for expatriation. Between 2018 and 2025, the British consulting firm Henley & Partners, specializing in permanent residence and citizenship acquisition, saw a staggering increase in its American clientele.
In Italy, the agency Finding La Dolce Vita has seen a 500% increase in its American clients since November 2024. “From November to March, we had to quickly recruit staff to manage this influx,” says Kim Englehart, the director.
With similar success in Spain, where Moving to Spain, a small company, has also had to cope with a surge in requests. “Initially, the clientele was mainly composed of Britons looking to move following Brexit. Today, 90% of the agency’s clients are Americans,” explains Alastair Johnson, its founder.
The reasons cited are diverse: retirement, a desire to live in the great outdoors, cost of living, or access to healthcare. But increasingly, the main reason is to escape the extreme political polarization in the United States.
To the point that some professionals now warn their clients. To succeed in expatriation, it is better to “really want to change your way of life,” argues Alastair Johnson. Hoping to preserve oneself by living abroad in a bubble, avoiding reading the news and getting involved in debates in one’s home country, may turn out to be an illusion.
“People deciding to leave should not do so solely for political reasons,” insists the founder of Moving to Spain. “We always tell them: don’t leave to escape reality.”
