The recent US election has triggered a wave of interest in emigration among Americans, particularly towards Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. As exit polls started indicating a potential second presidency for Republican candidate Donald Trump, Google searches for ‘move to Canada’ surged a staggering 1,270% in the 24 hours following the closing of US East Coast polls on Tuesday. This spike wasn’t isolated. Searches for ‘move to New Zealand’ climbed nearly 2,000%, while those for Australia jumped 820% during the same period.
Google officials confirmed that searches about emigrating reached all-time highs for these three countries on Wednesday evening on the US East Coast. Although Google didn’t provide absolute figures, data from the Immigration New Zealand website revealed a significant increase in new US user registrations on November 7th, with 25,000 new accounts compared to only 1,500 for the same date in 2023. The surge in interest isn’t merely reflected in online searches; immigration lawyers are also witnessing an influx of inquiries. Evan Green, Managing Partner at Canada’s oldest immigration law firm, Green and Spiegel, reported a constant stream of new email inquiries, stating, “Every half hour there is a new email enquiry.”
This surge in emigration interest echoes the sentiment observed after Donald Trump’s victory in 2016. According to Edison Research exit polls, Trump’s potential re-election followed a highly divisive campaign, with nearly three-quarters of US voters expressing concerns about the state of American democracy. Beyond this, many Americans are worried that a Trump presidency could exacerbate existing societal divisions, particularly on issues of race, gender, and reproductive rights.
Green attributes this desire to leave to a combination of factors, stating, “Trump is obviously the impetus, but it’s also societal. The majority of Americans voted for him and some people don’t necessarily feel comfortable living in that kind of society anymore. People are afraid they are going to lose freedoms.”
The sentiment is echoed online. Hundreds of people have taken to a Reddit group dedicated to those leaving the US, ‘r/AmerExit,’ to share their suggestions for ideal destinations, visa acquisition tips, and job-hunting strategies. While some embrace the prospect of a new life abroad, others express concerns about their country’s future, their safety, or both.
Even before the recent election, fear and anxiety were already prompting many Americans to seek refuge in Canada, as confirmed by Heather Bell, an immigration consultant at Vancouver law firm Bell Alliance. However, Bell emphasizes that emigrating to Canada isn’t a simple process, particularly in light of the government’s recent reduction in temporary and permanent migrant quotas. “Immigrating to Canada is not easy, especially now with the government reducing the numbers of temporary and permanent migrants coming to Canada.” she noted.
The surge in emigration interest highlights the profound impact of political events on individual lives, with anxieties about social divisions and the future of democracy driving a growing number of Americans to seek refuge abroad.
