Political Uncertainty Fuels Demand for Additional Residence and Citizenship Rights

LONDON, Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New data shows a rising interest in additional residence and citizenship rights among wealthy families in some of the world's most established countries, as political, regulatory and social volatility sharpens the focus on resilience and future optionality.

Drawing on activity across more than 70 offices worldwide, Henley & Partners has assisted clients from over 100 nationalities across more than 50 residence and citizenship country options so far this year. More than a third of applicants already live outside their country of origin, underscoring how internationalised the client base has now become.

Global enquiries have picked up noticeably in recent months, against a backdrop of protests and political tensions across Europe and a concentrated period of consequential elections in Brazil, Spain, Serbia, Israel and the United States, sharpening the focus on future political, fiscal and economic direction.

Established democracies emerge as major source markets

The changing geography of demand is particularly striking. US nationals remain Henley & Partners' largest source nationality, while the UK ranks 6th and Germany 10th. France has risen from 36th to 14th among source nationalities, and Australia and Canada are also now in the top 15 — highlighting the growing prominence of clients from highly developed economies who already enjoy considerable international mobility.

Applications from French nationals were already close to matching the full-year 2025 figure by the end of Q3, while Italian applications had surpassed last year's level. Enquiries from France rose 24% between Q2 and Q3, while Italian enquiries increased 14%.

The US trend remains the most pronounced: applications from Americans have risen 52% over the past 18 months compared with the preceding 18-month period, yet only 9% of US applicants actually reside outside of the US. Brazil is also showing acceleration from a smaller base, with Q3 applications equalling those recorded across the first two quarters of 2026 combined.

Dr. Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, says these patterns are less about conventional relocation and more of a broader shift towards jurisdictional diversification. “Volatility has a way of concentrating minds. Families have long understood the value of diversifying their investments; increasingly, they are applying the same principle to where they have the right to live, work and build their lives. A sovereign portfolio brings together multiple complementary residence and citizenship rights, investments and personal ties across different countries. No family can predict the next political, social or economic shock. But they can choose not to have every aspect of their future tied to a single jurisdiction.”

Families build a broader international footprint

According to Henley & Partners' latest client data, US nationals have applied for 27 different residence and citizenship country options in 2026 across Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. French and Italian applicants are similarly securing access rights to multiple jurisdictions rather than converging on a single alternative destination. Half of Italian applicants still reside in Italy, while most French applicants already live outside of France.

Italy also illustrates the increasingly two-way nature of these flows. Applications for the Italy Investor Visa Program had already matched the whole of 2025 by the end of Q3, with US nationals accounting for approximately one third of applicants.

Dominic Volek, Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners, says: “This is increasingly less about a binary decision to stay or leave. Families are looking across jurisdictions and asking what rights and options they should have if circumstances change. For many, acquiring additional residence or citizenship is about preserving choice before it is needed, rather than planning an immediate relocation.”

The changing geography of demand and the relationship between political uncertainty, global wealth and residence and citizenship planning will be among the themes explored at Henley & Partners' 20th Global Citizenship Conference, taking place at The Dolder Grand in Zurich from 23–25 November 2026.

Notes to Editors

For further information about the conference program and key speakers, you can visit the 20th Global Citizenship Conference website.

For media accreditation, please contact:

Sarah Nicklin
Group Head of Public Relations & Communications
sarah.nicklin@henleyglobal.com
Mobile +27 72 464 8965