Moving and living abroad has always been popular with us Brits. In the EU alone there are an estimated 1.3m UK-born people living there. And the EU is only one area of popularity. America, Canada and Australia typically rank favorably with us too.
We have our reasons, some timeless in nature, like a need for a new life, or a better job. Because of that there will always be a certain percentage of people that want to get away from it all and start anew.
But an increase of 40% in enquiries from UK people about moving abroad implies something new, something different, has entered the public consciousness which makes them want to get away from the UK.
What could that be? Let’s look at the 5 main factors driving that decision.
1. Post-Brexit Uncertainty
Brexit is, no matter your political perspective, complicated and somewhat mysterious. It has the potential to throw the UK back a few years as already, just a month into it, there have been food and product shortages and complications with transportation and delivery.
If 2024 is any indication the rate of enquiries in regards to moving abroad will be a lot higher than 2024. That study was taken when Brexit really was an unknown quantity in terms of its effect in reality. Now we are seeing it in action and its flaws are becoming apparent.
In 2024 big name companies like Sony, Panasonic and Dyson moved their headquarters from the UK to the Netherlands, Amsterdam and Singapore respectively. Barcley’s moved £166bn worth of its assets to Ireland, the HSBC began shifting certain subsidiaries from London to France.
If the big business people were jumping ship from the UK it makes sense that this might prick the ears of us ordinary folks who just want to go about our day.
This, combined with the limiting pandemic, has caused many to reassess their future and whether that would be in the UK or not.
2. New Perspective
As stated above. Brexit and the coronavirus have caused a lot of people to reassess their lives. There is no denying that living through the pandemic has, at times, been very challenging and sometimes seemingly never-ending.
Be that going from one lockdown to another or facing varying levels of restrictions. Or not being able to freely socialize or go to the gym. Whatever the reasons, and there can be plenty, it has caused a lot of us to re-evaluate what or who is important to us.
A sense of the importance and fragility of life combined with the uncertain future of Brexit and a perception that things look to be a lot safer, healthier, and more secure, outside the UK as opposed to inside it naturally leads to an increase of the moving abroad mentality.
3. Life-Style Improvement
Moving for a better life is probably one of the most basic reasons you can get. No one moves to be worse off. It is always a decision taken to improve your life. Before you move you’ll have weighed all the pros and cons and the pros will have come out winners.
Maybe you’re tired of the bad weather and fancy the sunny, Spanish climate of Costa Blanca like many others. “We see more and more British people come here every year,” said local businessman matt Wyatt of Valuvillas.com , a long established estate agency in Javea on the Costa Blanca. . “Can you blame them? We have all the things they like and miss. “Sunshine, good food and drink, and plenty of their own countrymen.”
Maybe you like the way a certain country is handling the global pandemic and could see yourself suited to their way of living. Some people tend to think Sweden and Japan handled it well.
Or maybe you’d prefer the remote areas of Canada or Alaska to get away from people altogether. The life-style improvement you want may be one of simplicity and solitariness.
Whatever your reasons, life-style improvement, is going to be the key over-riding factor.
4. Earn More Money
The lure of making more money is always going to be a driving factor for a lot of people. Money, whether you like it or not, makes the world go round. We need it to live and the more we have the better a lifestyle we can enjoy.
You might find that your Pound gets good value when changed into a different currency thus adding a bit extra to your pocket. You may also find the cost of living in your new country is much less than the UK.
The opportunities to earn more than you can in the UK are out there and with that extra money comes a better standard of life.
5. Better Career Opportunities
Better opportunities, either in life-style or career, are always a popular reason for wanting to move abroad. Sometimes, here in the UK, we are limited in our scope of careers and have no choice but to seek work elsewhere. In some cases it makes perfect sense. Would you rather be a marine biologist off the cost of Scotland on in the Caribbean for example?
The exodus of companies due to Brexit, and the closure of business due to the pandemic, are only going to further limit the employment ability of the UK.
People are looking abroad for their answers. If the opportunities for employment or career progression are being limited in the UK it makes sense to do so.
There are a lot of reasons driving our increased interest in moving abroad and it seems Brexit and the pandemic, including fear of the virus and the Governments handling of it, are chief among them.
These complicated and combining factors have led to a great deal of self-assessment and evaluation. People have looked hard at their lives and it seems their lives have come up wanting. Their lives in the UK anyway. Maybe what the increased 40% have realized is that their lives may be much better elsewhere.
