Citizenship for Sale

Today, I came across an article in The Atlantic titled “Americans Are Buying an Escape Plan,” written by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian. It dives into the growing trend of purchasing citizenship, not only in the United States but around the globe. Recently, the leader of the current U.S. administration floated the idea of offering a ‘gold card’ for foreign nationals, a citizenship package priced at a staggering five million dollars. Abrahamian points out that selling citizenship isn’t exactly a novel idea, noting that “About half of the world’s nations already offer visas, permanent residence, or even full citizenship for sums ranging from the low five to low seven figures.” She adds that the U.S. itself offers up to 10,000 residency permits annually through its EB-5 investor visa program, which Congress has extended until 2027—at a cost of roughly $1 million per applicant.

However, the bigger revelation Abrahamian highlights isn’t about foreigners buying into the U.S.; it’s the increasing exodus of Americans seeking alternative citizenships. While few foreigners are rushing for U.S. citizenship these days, Americans have been scrambling to secure foreign passports since November. For many, it’s not about relocating—they’re acquiring these citizenships as an emergency backup plan.

And yet, tourism to the U.S. is in freefall. Joyce Vance writes about how several foreign nations have issued travel warnings to their citizens regarding trips to the U.S. It’s a stark contrast to our time in Egypt between July 2002 and 2003, when I’d regularly check travel advisories for neighboring countries. Back then, if you’d told me the U.S. was on any warning list, I’d have thought you were out of your mind.