Trump win sparks Google searches on ‘Move to Portugal’
As Donald Trump moved ahead in the race for the White House, winning a number of key battleground states as votes were counted on 6 November, there was an immediate and pronounced spike in Google searches on information about moving to Portugal. They peaked shortly after Trump’s speech confirming his electoral triumph.
Even more telling was the location of the searchers on the Google Trends platform. Although Google searches on Portugal were recorded in 29 regions, it was the states of Colorado, Oregon and Washington that topped the list. These were all Democrat strongholds that Vice President Kamala Harris managed to hold.
In a repeat of 2016, the re-election of Trump as US president has driven many Americans to take stock of their options to leave the country and, in some case, renounce their citizenship altogether.
Many wealthy Americans had already been making preparations to leave the US as a ‘Plan B’, regardless of which candidate won the presidency. But surveys have showed that an increasing number of Americans at all income levels also want to leave the country, with political and social unrest being a top concern, followed by the high cost of living.
Most Americans moving abroad look north to Canada or across the Atlantic to Europe, where popular destinations include Portugal, Spain, Malta, Greece and Italy. But all such destinations have stringent requirements.
Generally, immigration depends upon working in an in-demand trade or profession, making a substantial investment, buying real estate, having a spouse or partner who is a citizen, having sufficient passive or retirement income or having the ability to work remotely. Typically, the initial residence visa will be of limited duration, but will offer the potential to lead to permanent residence and / or naturalisation.
Portugal is an increasingly popular destination for Americans and offers a number of different routes for those who want to move there, including the well-known Portuguese ‘golden visa’ programme and the D7 visa scheme for retirees with passive income.
It is already one of the top holiday destinations for Americans when booking a vacation. Between January and June, Portugal received more than one million tourists from the US, an increase of 15% compared to the same period in 2023.
This increase in overnight stays was recorded across all regions, with the biggest increases recorded in Alentejo (18%) and the Azores (17.6%). The lowest were in Algarve (5.2%), Madeira (5.6%) and Greater Lisbon (5.7%).
According to data from Eurostat’s 2023 Migration and Asylum Report, more than 14,000 Americans are now living in Portugal, an increase of more than 40% over 2022. In that year, less than ten thousand North Americans still resided in Portugal (9,794).
In the Algarve region, 30% of houses were purchased by foreigners in 2023, according to relative data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) in March.
There are many considerations that Americans should take into account make before moving abroad. The obvious ones are safety, accessibility, community, health care and opportunity, but they should consider how it might impact on their financial and tax position and how difficult it might be to adjust to a new culture and language.
Immigration laws and the rules for various residency programmes are also always changing. Politicians in many European countries have started pushing back against the golden visa programmes, particularly due to the unintended consequences for local economies, house prices and infrastructure. Anyone interested in moving abroad should always seek up to date advice on the best options available to match their particular circumstances.
