Americans Seek Canadian Residency Following Trump Election

Since the beginning of the controversial 2016 US presidential election, Americans from all states have begun rallying, protesting, and have even been considering leaving the country. Now that fear has become reality, anxious Americans have begun the process of evacuating the "Land of Opportunity".

Following the announcement of Trump's victory on Tuesday evening, Canada's official citizenship and immigration website experienced a server crash due to the number of people applying for immigrant status. Reports have shown that the website has experienced continuous crashes since the second quarter of 2016.

According to a report by The Star, about 1.06 million website hits were made from U.S. servers in the past month. The same source stated that the Canadian immigration website's servers have experienced technical difficulty due to the number of applicants seeking permanent resident status in the past year.

While Canada may offer several different ways for immigrants to obtain permanent residency in the country, immigration lawyers and officers have emphasized that none of them are easy processes. Canadian immigration process will follow the same protocol as always.

In his interview with Billboard, immigration lawyer, Alex Stojicevic, stated that the Canadian government has expressed their intention to accept 300, 000 new immigrants next year; 40, 000 of which will be refugees whom are proven to be subjected to unsafe or violent situations in their home countries.

The writers at Billboard have stated that the seeking of political asylum due to the election of Trump as the new president is not enough to garner permanent residency in Canada. Stojicevic continues to explain that immigration through the acquisition of business or marriages to Canadian citizens remain to be easier ways to acquire residency.

However, a report by USA Today speculates that Canada may begin creating another draft for Canada's immigration policies due to the newly elected Trump administration. Earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, opened the nation to almost 50, 000 refugees.

Trudeau, one of several world leaders against Trump's ideals, is known for prioritizing refugees such as women, children, and minority groups including members of the LGBTQ+ community. Canadian officials have also emphasized the prioritization of skilled-worker immigrants whom seek permanent residency for better employment.