Google searches for moving abroad increased by more than 1,000% for certain countries after the US election result became clear, data shows.
US searches for “move to Canada” increased by 1,270% in the 24 hours after the polls closed on the East Coast on Tuesday, according to Google data.
Similar queries about emigrating to Australia surged by 820%, the figures suggest.
Data from the Immigration New Zealand website shows 25,000 new US users accessed the website on 7 November – compared to 1,500 on the same day in previous years.
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It comes after president-elect Donald Trump promised to carry out “mass deportations” of all illegal immigrants in the US during his election campaign.
In a TV debate on 29 June, he claimed there were 18 million undocumented migrants currently in the US.
The most recent government estimate was just under 11 million as of 1 January 2022. This is an increase of 500,000 in two years.
Speaking to Sky’s partner network NBC News on Thursday, Mr Trump said he will have “no choice” but to go through with deportations once he arrives back in the Oval Office.
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Canadian law firm Green and Spiegel accredited the surge in queries about Americans moving to the country to Mr Trump’s campaign promises.
“Trump is obviously the impetus, but it’s also societal. The majority of Americans voted for him and some people don’t necessarily feel comfortable living in that kind of society anymore. People are afraid they are going to lose freedoms,” one of its immigration lawyers Evan Green told Reuters.
He added that his firm has been receiving a new email enquiry along those lines “every half hour”.
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NBC exit polls show that immigration was the second-most important issue for Trump voters – beaten only by the economy.
Those who voted for Kamala Harris were most focused on democracy and abortion, according to the data.
