While former U.S. President Donald Trump won re-election by defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, searches for “immigration” and “migration” in the U.S. surged around the time when Trump’s chances of winning the election increased.
Citing Google data, the U.S. political media The Hill reported on the 6th (local time) that online searches for keywords such as “Migration to Canada” and “Migration to Canada” soared by more than 5,000% in 24 hours on the day of the election.
According to the media, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, and New Mexico were the states with high search volume, including “Canadian immigration.” Most of them were Democratic candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris. Search volume rose around the end of regional voter voting and peaked around the morning of the 6th local time when Eastern U.S. residents heard the election news.
There have been previous cases of a surge in Canadian immigration searches after the U.S. presidential election. Newsweek said that even after Trump won the 2016 presidential election, Canadian immigration websites were down due to unprecedented traffic.
However, if Americans actually intend to move to Canada rather than for tourism, they will have to go through strict procedures or give up various benefits, The Hill said. He also advised that the easiest and cheapest way to deal with election stress is to consult a mental health professional.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
