One Shanghai resident was close to securing a coveted Shanghai residency permit. But the citywide lockdown, which has lasted more than six weeks, has shaken her and left her looking for a way out. She is now planning to emigrate to the U.S., where her employer is based.

Another Shanghai resident, Chester Yu, first began forming plans to leave China in early 2020 when the initial outbreak swept across China. At the time, local authorities locked down his parents’ residential compound in the central Chinese province of Anhui while he was visiting, leaving Mr. Yu’s family confined to their compound for three months…

In recent weeks, The Wall Street Journal has spoken to more than a dozen Chinese citizens contemplating or accelerating exit plans as Shanghai’s lockdown drags on and leaders in Beijing redouble their commitment to their zero-Covid strategy.

Immigration lawyers and agents say they have seen a surge in inquiries over the past month. Emigration-focused chat groups have sprung up on China’s ubiquitous WeChat messaging app as well as on encrypted platforms like Telegram.