Canada’s federal immigration agency saw a spike in web traffic from American IP addresses in March, right after the start of caucus and primary season (Close to 12.3% of the 13.6 million-plus queries were from the U.S.) and again in June before the Republican National Convention (More than 10.2% of the 12.4 million originated in America.).
According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman Lindsay Wemp, who added that the department has not seen “a noticeable increase in discussions on its social media channels,” though, “all applicants who apply to Canada’s immigration programs are treated equally no matter where they are from. Americans can emigrate to Canada, provided they meet the qualifications. There are a number of avenues that applicants for permanent residence can consider in order to immigrate to Canada,” she said in an email.
That’s where people like Joel Sandaluk step in. The Toronto immigration lawyer reports that the volume of inquiries to his office has “noticeably increased.”
“We got more around the time of the Republican convention. It’s slowed down a little bit. There’s always an interest in leaving the country if it seems your country is on a path that doesn’t please you,” he said.
