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They say politics and religion should not be discussed in polite conversation. But for some people, that might be a tough rule to follow\u2014after all, they\u2019re leaving the country because of the U.S. presidential election<\/a>.<\/p>\n Business is booming for firms that specialize in relocating U.S. citizens to countries like Canada and Europe. <\/p>\n While an influx of relocation inquiries is expected at any point in a politic<\/span>al cycle, <\/span>such companies have been inundated with requests since the Trump vs. Biden debate in particular<\/span>.<\/p>\n A barometer for when Americans become eager to leave their country<\/a> is easy to come by, courtesy of Google<\/a> Trends. <\/p>\n Searches from U.S. users for \u2018move to Canada\u2019, \u2018move to Italy\u2019 and \u2018move to Portugal\u2019 all spiked (you guessed it) overnight from June 27 to 28\u2014the evening of the presidential debate. <\/p>\n Similar peaks in traffic for these search terms occurred in November 2020\u2014when President Biden was elected\u2014with the biggest spike occurring when President Trump was elected in 2016.<\/p>\n But while the reaction of this election cycle<\/a> was expected by companies that specialize in relocation, they\u2019re warning individuals that the process isn\u2019t as straightforward as it once was.<\/p>\n For many Americans, the closest thing to home is just across the border in Canada. <\/p>\n The only problem for ex-pats hoping to relocate to their neighbor in the north is that it seems like everyone has had the same idea.<\/p>\n Montreal-based immigration experts Moving2Canada saw inquiries spike in 2016 and 2020\u2014and 2024 is no different, with a tripling in volume since the\u00a0Trump vs.<\/a><\/span> Biden debate.<\/a><\/p>\n Many inquiries are from skilled workers\u2014those who need a post-secondary degree of education to qualify for their work\u2014looking to leave the U.S. before they are forced to by a potential change in immigration policy.<\/p>\n But Moving2Canada operations manager Rebecca Major told Fortune<\/em> that other policies are also cited by both families and individuals as reasons to move<\/span>.<\/p>\n Gun legislation and Roe vs. Wade are among the reasons Major often hears, and she explained: \u201cIn general, people become disheartened that they don\u2019t see themselves reflected in who\u2019s running their country, and they look to something that has been seen as very similar to their own country.\u201d<\/p>\n While Major and her colleagues were prepared for the floodgates to open, she warned potential ex-pats that they also needed to have their affairs in order.<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s immigration system has changed \u201csubstantially\u201d since 2016, Major said, adding: \u201cPeople just assume that if you work in the U.S., Canada is automatically an option for you and that\u2019s definitely not the case anymore. It\u2019s highly competitive. <\/p>\n \u201cMy advice to anyone looking to make the move would be to research early because what you\u2019ll find if, say,\u00a0Trump comes into power<\/a>, there\u2019s going to be a huge amount of interest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And she advises potential emigrants to speak to their employers. \u201cSee if they have a branch in Canada. That could be the best route.\u201d<\/p>\n In Florence, Italy, Alex Ingrim of Chase Buchanan USA says enquiries for his private wealth management services have leapt by around a third since the debate, and the majority of his clients follow through with their plans.<\/p>\n\nGun legislation and Roe vs. Wade among the issues<\/h2>\n
\u201cIf you could live anywhere, why would you choose the US now?\u201d<\/h2>\n