Americans Swarm Golden Visa Programs as Political Tensions Boil
US citizens are looking to move abroad as soaring inflation and societal tensions make second passports more attractive.
People look at the city skyline in Lisbon, Portugal.
Photographer: Jorge Castellanos/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty ImagesUS nationals, weary of polarized politics and the soaring cost of living, are taking up residency overseas — a role reversal for what’s long been considered one of the most powerful passports in the world.
Amy Leavitt, 66, and her husband, Ralph, 73, were dismayed by the bitter divisions laid bare by the pandemic, so they swapped their woodsy Vermont farm for 27 acres on Portugal’s southwest coast. It was difficult to pass up the opportunity for a seaside spread where Ralph — an organic farmer — can grow flowers and vegetables year-round. It didn’t hurt that the property taxes are one-tenth what they pay in Vermont.