Why These 7 Countries Quietly Want More Americans to Move There

And What It Reveals About Global Demographics, Remote Work, and Soft Power

Americans have long fantasized about moving abroad usually with a cocktail of burnout, wanderlust, and dreams of simpler living. But what many don’t realize is that some countries aren’t just welcoming this idea. They’re counting on it.

Behind the scenic backdrops and seductive visa programs lies a deeper motivation: economic revival, demographic survival, and even soft power recalibration. These countries see American migration not just as a trend but as a tool.

They don’t always say it out loud. But if you look at their policies, investment shifts, and quietly expanding residency programs, the signal is clear:

They want you there.

Here are seven countries that are quietly hoping more Americans will move in—and why.

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Quick Easy Tips

Research visa requirements thoroughly, as some residency programmes require minimum income or investment.

Learn basic phrases in the local language to integrate better and show respect to your new community.

Understand tax implications, including dual taxation or financial reporting for Americans abroad.

Join expat forums and local Facebook groups before moving for real-time advice and hidden insights.

Try an extended stay first to test the climate, healthcare, and cost of living before committing long-term.

Check healthcare access and private insurance options, as residency alone doesn’t always guarantee coverage.

Budget for legal, translation, and document fees to avoid surprises during visa applications.

One controversial reality is that while countries benefit economically from American expats, locals sometimes face rising property prices and gentrification. In regions with golden visa programmes, wealthier foreigners can outbid residents for homes, driving locals out of traditional neighbourhoods and reshaping community dynamics.

Another debate is cultural impact. While governments promote American immigration to stimulate economies, critics argue it risks creating cultural enclaves where newcomers socialise only among themselves. This can prevent meaningful integration and fuel resentment if locals feel their culture is treated as an exotic backdrop rather than a way of life to respect and adopt.

Finally, there’s the geopolitical question. Some argue that encouraging large numbers of Americans to settle abroad could subtly shift local political or social landscapes, especially in smaller countries where expats make up a significant population percentage. This can cause tension if newcomers impose expectations rather than adapting to local norms.

1. Portugal

Because It Needs Demographic Stability—and Global Attention

Portugal didn’t just become popular by accident. Its D7 visa, launched for retirees and passive income earners, was one of the first in Europe designed for digital-era migration.

Behind the friendliness, however, lies a national imperative.

Portugal has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe, a rapidly aging population, and a shrinking workforce. It cannot sustain its welfare state or real estate markets without foreign income and tax contributions.

Americans, with their relatively strong currency and remote work incomes, are ideal.

But Portugal also sees something more subtle: prestige. American creatives, entrepreneurs, and media figures moving to Lisbon or Porto give the country a visibility it has rarely enjoyed in global discourse. Hollywood stars buying homes in the Algarve? That’s not just real estate—it’s branding.

Americans bring dollars, yes—but they also bring attention. And Portugal is happy to trade a low-cost visa for long-term relevance.

What’s changed

In Portugal, residents are taxed on their worldwide income, and in 2025 the personal income tax brackets for residents now range from about 12.5% up to 48% (depending on income) plus solidarity surcharges.

The previous flagship regime, the NHR (Non-Habitual Resident) status, allowed many new Portuguese tax residents to enjoy favourable tax treatment on foreign-source income (dividends, interest, capital gains, pensions) under certain conditions.

That regime has been phased out for most new applicants and replaced by the IFICI programme. Under IFICI (often described as “NHR 2.0”), only individuals who qualify (principally via “highly qualified professions”, innovation or research roles, or certain strategic activities) may benefit from special tax treatment.

Among the changes is the fact that foreign-sourced income such as pensions, dividends, and capital gains are now more tightly controlled and often taxed at the regular resident rates unless covered by a double tax treaty or other specific exemption.

2. Greece

Because It Wants to Reverse the Brain Drain—Any Way It Can

After the 2008 financial crisis, half a million Greeks left the country—many of them young, educated professionals. The economy tanked. Birth rates dropped. Innovation stalled. And although tourism recovered, the population never really did.

Now, Greece is offering an olive branch not just to returning Greeks, but to outsiders.

Its digital nomad visa, introduced in 2021, comes with competitive tax breaks, residency perks, and fast-track access to the Mediterranean lifestyle. In some regions, expats even get housing subsidies.

The government sees this as strategic replenishment.

Americans with tech jobs, consulting income, or remote careers are bringing back the demographic energy that left. They’re also helping keep small villages, coastal towns, and island communities alive—spending money where locals increasingly can’t.

For Greece, welcoming Americans isn’t just about tourism anymore. It’s about long-term population recovery.

3. Spain

Because It Needs a Lifeline for Its Emptying Interior

Spain’s cities are full. But its interior is emptying at a dangerous rate.

Thousands of rural towns are now classified as “empty villages“—places where entire schools have shut down due to lack of children, and houses sit abandoned for decades.

This isn’t just an aesthetic problem. It’s an economic and infrastructural one. Roads, public transport, and utilities are hard to maintain without a tax base.

Spain has responded with a multi-pronged strategy:

• A new digital nomad visa launched in 2023
• Revived non-lucrative visa routes with easier renewal conditions
• Property incentive programs in depopulated areas

Who are these for?
Americans with remote income streams, euro-pegged pensions, or simply enough savings to restore a crumbling farmhouse.

Spain’s hope is that these newcomers will not only consume, but reinvest—in housing, communities, and schools. The government doesn’t just want more people in Spain. It wants people in the right places.

4. Croatia

Because It’s Racing to Modernize—and Needs Global Allies

Once a best-kept secret, Croatia is now on the front lines of Europe’s migration policy experiment. After joining the EU in 2013 and the Schengen Zone in 2023, it quickly launched a digital nomad visa that turned heads.

Why? Because it was explicitly designed with Americans in mind.

Croatia’s population is under four million—and shrinking. Like many post-socialist countries, it faces the dual challenge of losing youth to emigration while aging rapidly at home.

At the same time, it’s eager to brand itself as the “next big hub” for startups, creatives, and remote teams. But to do that, it needs cultural and economic bridges to the Anglosphere.

Enter: Americans.

U.S. citizens bring spending power, but also fluency in global networks—startups, media, design, software, investment. Croatia isn’t just inviting tourists. It’s recruiting remote influence.

And it’s doing so with open arms and remarkably relaxed visa rules.

5. Uruguay

Because It Wants To Be Latin America’s Quiet Power Player

Uruguay rarely makes headlines. That’s exactly how it likes it.

Nestled between Brazil and Argentina, this small South American country has long marketed itself as the most stable, least chaotic option in the region. No coups, no hyperinflation, no mass unrest.

But stability comes with a cost: a stagnant economy and a low birth rate.

To grow without inviting geopolitical volatility, Uruguay has turned to a subtler strategy: courting high-value migrants quietly.

Its residency process is among the easiest in the world for Americans. Buy a property, show sufficient income, and you can get permanent residency within a year.

The government isn’t shouting this from rooftops—but it doesn’t have to. The right people are already listening: retirees, off-grid builders, remote workers, and families looking for a stable home in a different hemisphere.

For Uruguay, Americans offer long-term economic inputs without short-term political noise. That’s the trade they want.

6. Italy

Because It Has More Empty Homes Than It Knows What To Do With

Italy has more than 6,000 villages at risk of extinction, and nearly a million abandoned homes.

Local governments have tried “1-euro home” schemes, property tax discounts, and simplified residency permits. But most of these programs fizzle—because they don’t attract people who actually move.

The new target?
Americans with remote jobs and renovation budgets.

In 2024, Italy expanded its elective residency visa and is developing regional pilot programs to match empty towns with potential settlers.

Some towns have even formed “welcome committees” to help Americans integrate—teaching them Italian, navigating utilities, helping with business permits.

Why the push?

Because the towns don’t need tourists anymore. They need neighbors. They need tax revenue, children for the school, groceries bought from the local store.

Italy is hoping Americans will trade Tuscany fantasies for small-town permanence. And they’re quietly structuring policy to make it easier than ever.

7. Japan

Because It Needs Cultural Rebalancing—And Carefully Chosen Outsiders

Japan might seem like an unlikely entry here. It’s not known for immigration, and its bureaucracy can be opaque. But dig deeper, and a pattern emerges.

Japan has the world’s oldest population and one of the lowest fertility rates. Entire rural regions are vanishing. And unlike Europe, Japan has no history of large-scale immigration.

But that’s changing—cautiously.

New residency categories for skilled remote workers and business owners were introduced in 2023. In some prefectures, Americans are now being quietly invited to revive communities through subsidized housing and self-employment.

Japan isn’t looking to flood the country with migration. It’s trying to reshape a future with surgical precision—inviting those who will integrate, contribute, and stabilize.

For Americans drawn to Japan’s order, safety, and aesthetics, this is a rare window.

And for Japan, it’s a soft strategy with long-term consequences.

A Quiet Migration Era Is Already Happening

When Americans think of moving abroad, they often imagine themselves as the initiators—the seekers, the adventurers, the ones breaking away.

But increasingly, it’s the countries themselves doing the hoping.

They’re offering residency, simplicity, and even financial perks—not out of generosity, but out of necessity.

These are not random perks. They are strategic invitations.

• To rejuvenate shrinking populations
• To diversify fragile economies
• To build bridges with the Anglosphere
• To inject modern income into historic places
• To trade square footage for stability

As birth rates fall and automation accelerates, more countries are realizing they don’t just need workers. They need people. Families. Freelancers. Freeloaders, even—so long as they stay, pay, and participate.

This isn’t mass migration. It’s a slow, quiet wave of Americans resettling across the world—not because they must, but because they can.

In doing so, they’re not only reshaping their own lives.
They’re shaping the future of the countries that quietly welcomed them.