3 Trends That Make Moving Abroad Harder In 2026 (And 2 That Make It Easier)
If you are planning a move, read this first
The global mobility landscape looks different than it did 12 months ago.
Since Covid, dozens of countries launched new long-stay programs. Digital nomad visas, retirement visas, remote work permits.
For a while, it felt like the world was opening up.
Now the pendulum is swinging.
Some of those same countries are tightening rules, raising thresholds, or ending programs entirely.
But not all the changes are bad.
Since I started this publication, I’ve tried to avoid one thing:
The “doomsday prophet” tone that creates artificial urgency and pushes people into rushed decisions.
That’s not what I do, and it’s not changing today.
I’ve been to plenty of governmental shifts myself.
Whatever the change was, there was ALWAYS a way to get what I want.
Some doors are closing. Others are opening. The key is to stay calm and prepare your move.
With that in mind, this is what we will cover today:
Why emigration from Western countries is hitting record highs
Which shifts are making relocation harder (and which are making it easier)
Where the opportunities lie, if you plan to move in the coming years
Let’s get into it.
#1/ More People Are Leaving Their Home Countries Than Ever
At least in the west.
The data is patchy because most Western countries don’t track emigration well (I wonder why), but the direction is consistent.
The UK just revised its numbers and found British citizens are leaving at the highest rate since comparable records began.
Germany loses a net 80,000 citizens per year to emigration.
The US doesn’t track, but the signals point the same way. Citizenship renunciations doubled in early 2025, and polling shows more than a third of Americans would now consider moving abroad, up from 10% a generation ago.
What’s driving it? A few things:
Cost of living
Housing prices in major US and UK cities have pushed homeownership out of reach for a growing number of people.
Meanwhile, places like Portugal, Mexico, and Thailand offer a significantly lower cost of living without sacrificing quality of life.
Remote work
The pandemic proved that millions of jobs can be done from anywhere. That realization didn’t go away when offices reopened. People are acting on it.
Political and social climate
This one’s harder to quantify, but real. Some people are exhausted. They want a change of pace, a different environment, or simply more distance from the news cycle.
Healthcare
Americans in particular are discovering that quality healthcare exists outside the US, often at a fraction of the cost. For pre-retirees and early retirees, this is a major factor.
None of these reasons are new.
But the combination of all four, happening at once, is creating demand we haven’t seen before.
This surge in demand has consequences.
Visa queues are longer, housing competition is fiercer, and the “hidden gem” you researched in 2022 might already be overcrowded by the time you arrive.
And it’s not just destination countries. Home countries are getting better at keeping you where you are. Things like exit taxes or bureaucratic pushback are increasing, not decreasing.
Takeaway: If you’re thinking about moving abroad, you are not alone. More people are seriously considering it than at any point in recent history. But this also means, more competition and more bureaucratic scrutiny.
If you’re an American 50–75 with a meaningful retirement nest egg and you’re seriously thinking about retiring abroad in the next 0–5 years, hit reply and write “RETIRE”.
I’m putting together a small Retire Abroad Priority List. You’ll get my best tactics for retiring abroad, plus first access to my upcoming Retire Abroad Blueprint 1:1 program when I open a few spots.
#2/ “Easy” Countries Are Tightening Up
For years, a handful of destinations made it simple.
Georgia let citizens from 95 countries show up and stay for a year with no visa, no paperwork, no questions.
Portugal’s Golden Visa offered a path to EU residency and citizenship in just five years with minimal time in the country.
Thailand was relaxed about tourist visa enforcement. If you wanted to test life abroad without committing to a complicated process, it was a go-to option.
That’s changing.
Georgia is introducing a mandatory work permit for foreigners starting March 2026. If you want to stay and work remotely, you’ll need to apply for one.
Spain shut down its Golden Visa program entirely in April 2025.
Portugal still has a Golden Visa, but it removed real estate as a qualifying investment in 2023.
And in October 2025, Parliament voted to extend the citizenship timeline from five years to ten (that bill is awaiting the President’s signature).
Greece raised its investment thresholds and restricted property purchases in Athens.
Thailand has recently started enforcing tourist visa rules it used to ignore.
PS: You can check and decide between 40+ destinations in the Expat Country Decision Kit, which is discounted to $31 (-34%) for a short while.
Why is this happening?
Housing pressure
In Lisbon, Barcelona, and Athens, foreign buyers pushed prices beyond what locals could afford. Governments faced backlash.
Saturation
These programs worked a little too well. Portugal’s Golden Visa brought in over €7 billion. That kind of success raises the level of scrutiny.
EU pressure
Brussels has been pushing member states to tighten residency-by-investment schemes, citing money laundering concerns and lack of oversight.
Political shifts
What was once seen as “economic stimulus” is now framed as “selling citizenship”. The political pressure is getting bigger.
Takeaway: If you were counting on one of these countries, it is worth looking at alternatives. And there are more of them than there were two years ago.