Canada’s Best Immigration Lawyers Say, Probably Not
It seems that every election cycle brings around new threats from displeased Americans who want to move to Canada. The current state of American politics is not much different, except that perhaps both political sides of the aisle plan to run for the northern border if either Trump or Clinton win. But Canada’s best immigration lawyers know that these moving to Canada “threats” are more an expression of frustration than actual plans to move.
Realistically, there is no reliable method to gauge exactly how many Americans may pack up and move North if elections do not go their way. Canadian immigration does not track reasons for immigrating, making it difficult to assess how many, if any, Americans may consider trading in their citizenship for political reasons. Any decision to move may also be motivated by other factors such as employment and family, among many other personal reasons to move from one country to another.
Although there have been some notable spikes of American immigration to Canada over the years, including after the early 2000’s elections, these probably were less about politics and more about economics. The strength of the American economy seems to have a closer link to those staying or going. Even when Americans are leaving the States, immigration lawyers say that the perceived mass exodus is actually rather miniscule. For context, there are around 8,000 or 9,000 new Canadian permanent residents from the U.S., out of the roughly 260,000 total people obtaining their permanent residency in Canada each year.
Some immigration lawyers are even surprised to get phone calls from people they would not expect would want to leave the U.S. for Canada, such as Republican supporters. One poll suggests that 19% of Americans claim they would leave if Trump won the next election, but a strong 15% also state that they would leave if Clinton wins. Although more Democrats generally lean toward the moving to Canada threat, it is interesting to see a growing number of Republicans consider the same option. This may suggest that the threat to move to Canada is simply an opportunity to voice concern, displeasure, or possibly even find humour in an unfavorable political situation.
For those who look north for reasons other than escaping the American political climate, Canada’s best immigration lawyers are ready with advice. The reality of immigration is that it is a complex and lengthy undertaking, best suited for those looking for a country that provides family, employment, and fulfills an individual’s personal needs for relocation.
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Arghavan Gerami
Arghavan Gerami is the Founder and Senior Counsel at Gerami Law Professional Corporation ('PC'), a full-service immigration law firm in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 2011, Ms. Gerami has focused her practice on immigration and refugee litigation. Prior to that, Ms. Gerami worked at the Ministry of Attorney General and the Department of Justice and had the privilege of serving the Honourable Mr. Justice M. Evans at the Federal Court of Appeal on immigration and administrative law appeals. Ms. Gerami contributes to the Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ms. Gerami has also published numerous journal articles and presented at various immigration and refugee law conferences and events across Canada.