According to Fortune and CNBC, a growing number of wealthy Americans and high-net-worth individuals are seeking dual citizenship as a form of risk management in the face of potential political turmoil and social unrest, a strategy often referred to as “hedging their bets.”
The Henley & Partners Private Wealth Migration dashboard reveals a significant increase, with 51,000 millionaires relocating across borders in 2013 and a projected 128,000 millionaires this year. The reasons for this surge include investment opportunities, more favorable tax laws, and personal and professional security amidst a constantly shifting political landscape.
But what about the Black community specifically? As we approach the 2024 election, there is a lot of buzz about folks making exit plans. It then begs the question: Will we witness an exodus from the United States if the election swings a certain way in the fall?
Tara Favors, a chief human resources officer from New York City who recently obtained Jamaican citizenship, thinks that’s simplistic thinking. “I recognize that depending on where you are, that may be an option, but I like my life here. My friends are here. My family is here. I like it here. So I’m not trying to leave here. I just want to have a connection back.”
Already having deep, meaningful connections with the island through annual trips and philanthropic and community service activities, Favors tells EBONY that obtaining Jamaican citizenship was about connecting back to her place of origin and bridging a connection between her parents and children. “My whole entire legacy is that island. My mother and father are Jamaican, and it’s important for me that it’s not lost after me.” She goes on, “It’s connectivity as my parents get older and connectivity as my kids get older. It’s trying to make sure that I am the bridge between those two worlds.”
Favors hopes that her kids seeing her obtain Jamaican citizenship will help them understand and think more about the fact that they, too, are Jamaican, hopefully fostering their desire to connect with their roots on the island.
“I think what’s wonderful about all these people who are going back to reclaim is…when people immigrated here…you almost got here, and there was no looking back…You were moving forward, so looking back wasn’t an option. What’s beautiful is that this next generation of kids who have said, ‘No, actually, I do wanna look back because I can’t understand where I am unless I understand where I come from,’” says Favors.
Favors says she gets many jabs and jokes about pursuing dual citizenship to have an escape plan. “But I don’t think that’s really what it is for people. The reality is if Donald Trump wins…I’m not going to pack up myself and move to Jamaica. I can’t quit my job and go to Jamaica. That’s not what it’s about. It’s deeper than that.”
Brianne Garrett, a freelance editor and writer originally from Long Island, New York, but now living in London after obtaining her United Kingdom citizenship in January 2023, shares with EBONY that after traveling to London a few times, she grew curious about her mother’s place of birth.
In 2021, she took a transformative trip with an old friend, during which she grew a love for London as she explored the city more off the beaten path and less as a tourist. “That was the start of curiosity in wanting to not just travel here but get to know it as someone who has roots here.”
What started as a whimsical Google search about what it might be like in an ideal world to obtain UK citizenship ended in Garrett receiving a text five months later alerting her that her citizenship application was approved. As fate would have it, she was in England that day, exploring the city of Bath. Garrett officially moved across the pond this summer.
“I think the best case scenario is to be able to make decisions without force. To know that I can exist and live in the UK indefinitely and have that be my own decision without any other sort of external factors or stipulations is a really nice, ideal, privileged place to be in. I don’t take that for granted, and my hope is to really lean into it in a way that maximizes the experience and the citizenship,” she shares.
Garrett remembers that her mother didn’t discuss England during childhood, nor were family trips taken there. Her mother moved to the States when she was 3 or 4 years old and, therefore, had loose ties to England. However, Garrett’s new citizenship has caused a shift. “I think [my mother]never really felt compelled to come back to her birthplace. But me being here re-energized that desire, and it was a really cute moment when she’s like, ‘You’re keeping the legacy alive. Regardless of how long you stay here, which could very well be indefinite, you could raise a family here and reestablish our connection to the UK.’”
Garrett encourages anyone eligible for citizenship elsewhere to apply and get it done, regardless of whether there is currently a motivating factor. She notes that regulations around country relationships are constantly changing, and there can come a time when the eligibility requirements of descent, marriage, naturalization, etc., may no longer exist, causing someone eligible now to no longer meet the criteria for dual citizenship later.
There may be buzz and rumors about hatching escape plans considering this year’s election. Still, Black people may be interested in dual citizenship for various reasons, including flexibility, economic opportunities and a growing appreciation of their heritage. Favors and Garrett believe that no matter the reason, dual citizenship should be pursued responsibly, ensuring that it’s done with respect for the territory that a person may be coming into and deciding to reside in and recognizing more things about us are the same than not. If you cannot identify any roots outside of the United States, some African countries that offer citizenship to African Americans include Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and South Africa.
“We’re all looking for connections,” says Favors.
