USA – MASSACHUSETTS Trends and Developments Contributed by: Mary H. Schmidt, Rachel A. Deering, Hannah R. Zukoff and Mariah G. Tappan, Verrill Dana, LLP
Verrill Dana, LLP One Federal Street, 20th Floor Boston MA 02110 USA Tel: +1 617 309 2600 Email: verrill@verrill-law.com Web: www.verrill-law.com
Growth of International Families, LGBTQ+ Families in the US, and Shared Parenting Family law has always reflected what is happening in society. Any discussion of family law, and child relocation in particular, must be viewed through the legal, political, and socioeconomic landscape of Massachusetts and the United States as a whole. As families and courts grapple with whether a child should relocate outside Massachusetts or, more sig - nificantly, outside the United States, those decisions cannot be made in isolation. They must account for evolving laws, changing demographic and migration patterns, global mobility, and emerging issues that continue to reshape the practice of family law. This article explores several current trends and develop - ments in Massachusetts and across the United States that are directly influencing relocation disputes, and the decisions families and courts are called upon to make. Growing international families Over the last two years, one trend has become impos - sible to ignore: more Americans are leaving the Unit - ed States to build lives abroad. What used to be the occasional relocation case involving an overseas job opportunity or retirement has become much more common. With that increase has come a correspond - ing rise in disputes over international relocation, dual citizenship, passports for minor children, and, in some cases, international child abduction. The statistics are striking. A Wall Street Journal analy - sis of migration data from 15 countries found that at least 180,000 Americans relocated abroad in 2025, the
highest annual total since the Great Depression. Other studies suggest the number is even higher. Global Cit - izen Solutions estimated that approximately 2.2 mil - lion people left the United States in 2025, while the Brookings Institution reported that the United States experienced negative net migration for the first time since the 1930’s. Formal citizenship renunciations have increased as well. Before 2009, fewer than 400 Americans renounced their citizenship each year. By 2024, that number had climbed to 4,820. Gallup also found that one in five Americans would like to leave the United States, with nearly 40% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 expressing the same interest. More important than the raw numbers is the ques - tion: Who is leaving? This is no longer a trend driven primarily by retirees or young professionals. Families with children are increasingly looking overseas. A 2025 LendingTree survey found that nearly half of parents with children under 18 were considering an interna - tional move. For family lawyers, those decisions often become custody disputes. A parent starts research - ing schools in London. Another applies for citizenship through an Irish grandparent. Someone asks the other parent to sign a passport application. A job oppor - tunity arises in Dubai or Singapore. What begins as a discussion about opportunity can quickly become litigation over whether a child should be allowed to leave the country at all. Dual citizenship and foreign passports As more families establish ties with other countries, disputes over dual citizenship and foreign passports are becoming increasingly common. In many fami -
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