As US election exit polls began to point to a second term for Donald Trump, many Americans were already looking for another type of exit: moving abroad.
google search “Move to Canada“US East Coast polls rose 1,270% in the 24 hours after they closed on Tuesday, company data shows. Similar searches about moving to New Zealand are up nearly 2,000%, while those for Australia are up 820%.
Late Wednesday on the US East Coast, Google searches about immigrants reached an all-time high for all three countries, according to a Google official. The search giant did not provide full figures but data from the Immigration New Zealand website showed the site took on about 25,000 new US users on November 7, up from 1,500 for the same day last year. Even some immigration lawyers are full of questions.
The sudden enthusiasm for immigration echoes the interest in moving abroad seen after Trump’s 2016 victory. This time, however, the Republican’s re-election followed a particularly divisive campaign in which nearly three-quarters of American voters said they felt American democracy was under threat, according to an exit poll by Edison Research. Many Americans also worry that his presidency could drive a big wedge between Democrats and Republicans on issues such as race, gender, what and how they are taught, and reproductive rights.
In a Reddit group dedicated to those leaving America called “r/AmerExit,” hundreds shared suggestions about ideal destinations. Some users said they feared for America, their safety, or both after Trump’s victory. Reuters
(TagsToTranslate)US Voters’ Concerns