Americans flee to Canada seeking refugee status as numbers spike dramatically

As America’s elite increasingly seek “golden” visas across the globe, others are seeking “refugee status” closer to home.

Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board released data highlighting a spike in Americans moving to the Land of the Maple Leaf.

The data, shared Thursday, found that more Americans applied for refugee status in Canada in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024, Reuters reported.

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There have been 245 refugee claims so far this year, with 204 claims filed last year.

The 245 Americans who applied surpassed the numbers of each previous full year since 2019, according to Reuters.

While the data does not specify the reasons Americans are seeking refugee status, many reports suggest political disagreements with the Trump administration.

Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley, for example, told The Financial Times (FT) he accepted a position at the University of Toronto and cited academic freedom concerns.

“I believe in the values of academic freedom and defending democratic institutions … Not the idea that the proper response to authoritarians is to hide and hope you’re not next,” Stanley said.

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Historians Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore also accepted positions at the University of Toronto, according to FT.

Leading up to the 2024 presidential election, various celebrities publicized their plans to move if President Trump was re-elected. 

Sharon Stone, Cher and Barbra Streisand all threatened to relocate, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Streisand once said she wouldn’t be able to “live in this country if he becomes president,” while Stone said she was “certainly considering a house in Italy.”

David Lesperance, a lawyer who represents ultra-high net-worth families, told Axios he is seeing people move to the U.K.

“A lot of the movement that we’re now seeing of Americans moving … would be people who don’t want to live in Trump’s America,” said Lesperance.

Canada-based Mohamed Bennis, an associate vice president at Arton Capital, previously spoke with Fox News Digital about the increase in so-called “golden visas.”

Political divisions, said Bennis, have influenced wealthy Americans to weigh their options.

They’re not necessarily changing their primary residences, but they might be acquiring the freedom to have another option. 

He said that Malta, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Portugal are becoming increasingly popular for Americans seeking residency or citizenship through investment.