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As US election exit polls began to point to a second presidency for Donald Trump, many Americans were already looking for another kind of exit: moving abroad.
Google searches for “move to Canada” surged 1,270% in the 24 hours after US east coast polls closed Tuesday, company data shows. Similar searches about moving to New Zealand climbed nearly 2,000% while those for Australia jumped 820%.
Late Wednesday on the US east coast, Google searches about emigrating were hitting all-time highs for all three countries, according to a Google official. The search giant does not give absolute figures but data from the Immigration New Zealand website showed the site logged some 25,000 new US users on Nov. 7, compared to 1,500 for the same day last year. Some immigration lawyers are also being inundated with queries.
The sudden enthusiasm for emigration echoes the interest in moving abroad seen after Trump’s 2016 victory. This time, however, the Republican’s re-election has followed a particularly divisive campaign in which nearly three-quarters of US voters said they felt American democracy was under threat, according to Edison Research exit polls. Many Americans are also worried that his presidency could drive a bigger wedge between Democrats and Republicans on issues such as race, gender, what and how kids are taught, and reproductive rights.
In a Reddit group dedicated to those leaving the US, called “r/AmerExit”, hundreds shared suggestions about ideal destinations. Some users said they feared for the US, their safety, or both after Trump’s win. Reuters
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