Following Donald Trump's re-election in 2024, there was a significant surge in Americans expressing interest in relocating abroad. Google searches for terms like "move to Canada" spiked by 1,270% within 24 hours after the election results were announced. Similarly, searches about moving to New Zealand increased nearly 2,000%, and those for Australia rose by 820%.
Immigration websites experienced unprecedented traffic. For instance, New Zealand's official immigration site logged approximately 25,000 new U.S. users on November 7, 2024, compared to 1,500 on the same day the previous year.
This trend mirrors the reaction observed after Trump's initial election in 2016, where many Americans considered emigration due to political and social concerns. The heightened interest in 2024 reflects ongoing apprehensions about the nation's political direction and societal issues.
Despite the surge in interest, actual emigration rates remain relatively low. Factors such as immigration policies, personal ties, and the complexities of relocating contribute to the disparity between expressed interest and actual moves.
In summary, while there's a notable increase in Americans exploring the possibility of moving abroad following Trump's re-election, the number who ultimately emigrate is limited by various practical considerations.
I was abroad in December looking for real estate and was shocked to see how many Americans were doing the same thing intent on leaving the US.
Millions of Americans have already left US and millions more are doing so now.
I suspect other countries may be restricting this further. I did see that Russia will welcome US citizens but that's just like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire....