American Expats Giving Up Citizenship in Record Numbers

The number of Americans choosing not merely to retire but often to live and work in other countries — expatriates or "expats" — has been increasing steadily for a number of years now. According to one source, the number of American expats has risen to four million, and the steady trickle of Americans out of this country shows no signs of abating.
Americans’ reasons for leaving differ from case to case. Some are convinced that the global empire emanating from Washington, D.C. is in its declining days, as was Rome at one point, and are seeking safe havens for themselves and their families just in case economic shocks in the United States continue. Others have either been sent or have chosen to pursue desirable careers overseas. Some, finally, just desire the experience of living in a different culture.
A new report now indicates that American expats are not just relocating overseas but taking the much bigger leap of relinquishing their U.S. citizenship. According to the Federal Register, during the final quarter of 2009 502 expatriated Americans gave up their citizenship or permanent residency status to fully embrace that of a foreign land. This was the largest quarterly figure in years — and more than twice the figure for all of 2008, which saw 235 renunciations. The total figure of renunciations for 2009 was 743.

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