Trump’s election victory shocked left-liberal Americans. Some are seriously considering emigrating to Canada. Inquiries to immigration offices have increased significantly. “Road to Canada” – how realistic is that?
When it became clear on election night that Donald Trump would be the next US president, searches on Google for the topic “Moving to Canada” shot up by 400 percent. Joel Guberman has also been busy since the election. Guberman has a law firm in Toronto that helps with immigration to Canada.
“It started at 3 a.m. on election night,” says Guberman in an interview with ARD. “And then it continued like this – until now. There’s definitely increased interest.”
For Guberman, it’s a déjà vu experience. Even after Trump’s election victory in 2016, the phone rang in his law office for days. But based on his experiences eight years ago, the Canadian immigration expert has no illusions. The number of US citizens who are actually emigrating to Canada because of Trump is only a fraction of the many interested parties who are now inquiring.
“Definitely not a walk in the park”
Many Americans underestimate the fact that it’s not that easy to emigrate to Canada, says Guberman: “If you don’t have special qualifications or special letters of recommendation, it’s definitely not a walk in the park.”
In principle, there are several options for Americans to emigrate to Canada. The route via Canada’s points system is the most difficult and often takes two years. In order to achieve enough points, immigrants not only have to have a sought-after professional qualification. They must not be too old and should have enough money so that they are not dependent on the state. And they should have at least one year of professional experience in Canada.
In fact, mostly family reasons
A faster way to immigrate to Canada: invest at least $100,000 in Canada. “In an actively functioning company. It’s not enough to invest the money in Canadian stocks or real estate. It has to be a real company, not a passive investment,” explains Guberman.
So anyone who sets up a company in Canada and creates jobs is very welcome. But among the US citizens who now want to flee Trump to Canada, there are only a few who can afford it.
So “I’m moving to Canada because of Trump” is easier said than done. Of the approximately 10,000 Americans who emigrate to Canada every year, at most ten percent come for political reasons, the immigration lawyer from Toronto estimates. Most come for family reasons.
More likely an expression of desperation
Conversely, interest is significantly greater, says Guberman. Each year, more than 100,000 Canadians immigrate to the United States, primarily for economic reasons. Because taxes are lower in the US and the larger market offers better earning opportunities. “There are also more Canadians who emigrate to the USA for political reasons than Americans to Canada. They think that Canada has become too left-wing and too socialist.”
“Moving to Canada” – this trend in Google searches is more likely an expression of desperation among left-liberal Americans than a genuine interest in emigrating to Canada.
