So you’re an American who now wants to move to Canada? Here’s what you need to know, American interest in moving abroad is about to ‘go into overdrive.’ These are the easiest countries to immigrate to

Repeat of 2016, although more words than action as there was a relatively small increase 2016 to 2019 as a percentage of all immigrants:

Immigration was one of the top issues in the 2024 United States presidential election, sparking rancorous debates between the candidates and among everyday citizens.

But now many Americans are the ones considering leaving the country, particularly for Canada, as they face another four years of Donald Trump as president.

Minnesota resident Krystal Majerus Enquist is one of those people.

She stayed up late on election night watching the results roll in, and said it was “nauseating” to learn that Donald Trump was elected president of the United States.

“Being in a country overall that has chosen someone who is hateful, spreading fear … It feels like we just keep going backwards.”

Searches for terms such as “How to move to Canada” spiked by more than 5,000 per cent over the last 24 hours, according to Google Trends, with the highest interest in the neighbouring states of Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire….

Source: So you’re an American who now wants to move to Canada? Here’s what you need to know

And for wealthy Americans, hedging their bets:

In a repeat of 2016, the re-election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has many Americans taking stock of their options to leave the country. 

Wealthy Americans have already been making the preparations, their attorneys have told Fortune—and many were doing so as a “Plan B” regardless of who won the presidency. Other surveys have found that an increasing number of Americans at all income levels want to leave the country, with political and social unrest being a top concern, followed by the high cost of living. Over the past few years, more and more Americans have been renouncing their citizenship altogether. Anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ sentiment are major drivers, as is the erosion of women’s reproductive rights, say immigration attorneys and firms.

“We saw a spike in 2017 after Trump won, and then again in 2020 due to concerns about a Democrat winning and the potential for higher taxes on income, capital gains and a wealth tax, the contested election, and the January 6 riots,” says Reaz Jafri, an attorney at international immigration law firm Withers and CEO of advisory firm Dasein.

U.S. nationals now make up the largest portion of client applications at Henley & Partners, a global citizenship firm. “We expect this now to go into overdrive and increase even further following the results of [Tuesday]’s U.S. election,” says Sarah Nicklin, Henley & Partners’s head of public relations.

Most Americans moving abroad look north to Canada or across the Atlantic to Europe, where popular destinations include Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain, according to Henley & Partners. But moving to a new country isn’t as a simple as it is domestically. Most countries have stringent requirements, and Americans can only move under certain circumstances….

Source: American interest in moving abroad is about to ‘go into overdrive.’ These are the easiest countries to immigrate to