Americans Flock to Canada's Immigration Web Site

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada's main immigration Web site has shot up six-fold as Americans flirt with the idea of abandoning their homeland after President Bush's election win this week.

"When we looked at the first day after the election, Nov. 3, our Web site hit a new high, almost double the previous record high," immigration ministry spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi said on Friday.

On an average day some 20,000 people in the United States log onto the Web site, http://www.cic.gc.ca -- a figure which rocketed to 115,016 on Wednesday. The number of U.S. visits settled down to 65,803 on Thursday, still well above the norm.

Bush's victory sparked speculation that disconsolate Democrats and others might decide to start a new life in Canada, a land that tilts more to the left than the United States.

Would-be immigrants to Canada can apply to become permanent resident, a process that often takes a year. The other main way to move north on a long-term basis is to find a job, which requires a work permit.

But please spare the sob stories.

Asked whether an applicant would be looked upon more sympathetically if they claimed to be a sad Democrat seeking to escape four more years of Bush, Iadinardi replied: "There would be no weight given to statements of feelings."

Canada is one of the few major nations with an large-scale immigration policy. Ottawa is seeking to attract between 220,000 and 240,000 newcomers next year.

"Let's face it, we have a population of a little over 32 million and we definitely need permanent residents to come to Canada," said Iadinardi. "If we could meet (the 2005) target and go above it, the more the merrier."

But right now it is too early to say whether the increased interest will result in more applications.

"There is no unusual activity occurring at our visa missions (in the United States). Having someone who intends to come to Canada is not the same as someone actually putting in an application," said Iadinardi.

"We'll only find out whether there has been an increase in applications in six months."

The waiting time to become a citizen is shorter for people married to Canadians, which prompted the birth of a satirical Web site called http://www.marryanamerican.ca.

The idea of increased immigration by unhappy Americans is triggering some amusement in Canada. Commentator Thane Burnett of the Ottawa Sun newspaper wrote a tongue-in-cheek guide to would-be new citizens on Friday.

"As Canadians, you'll have to learn to embrace and use all the products and culture of Americans, while bad-mouthing their way of life," he said.

© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.

11/05/2004 14:22
RTR

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/sto ... TR&coview=

Good bye!
We dont need you here.
I hope you enjoy cold weather and shoveling snow

And the fact that gay people have equal rights there, pot is decriminalized, they have national health care, they don't like war and guns. Doesn't sound like a bad place to me...

who cares about pot. have you seen the commercials?
liking guns is a choice, some people dont like PJ.
Im not interested in guns. Im not interested in pot, you are.
So if you feel like moving cause pot isnt legal well then go ahead.
Smoking pot when its legal wouldnt be as fun.

it might be just me, but i think it would be more fun that way! then you can do it when you want and not have to worry.

Not in every province.....i don't believe Alberta will ever legalise same sex marriage.



They're one of the few black spots remaining



I might be wrong...but i don't believe it is decriminalized just YET.



which is in bad shape, at the moment....



We might not like wars, but we sure as hell have guns....well....rifles at least... Ask people here what are their thoughts about the gun registry.



Sure ain't a bad place to live, my friend. Well....i can't tell for the rest of the country for sure....but i personally reeeeeeally enjoy living in Montreal.

That website from the article, http://www.marryanamerican.ca, is hilarious. I might have to sign up.

What are Timbits?

I live in Wisconsin, what do you think?

As a transplanted New Yorker, I can attest that a climate where it's about 5-10 degrees cooler in the summer more than makes up for the 5-10 degrees colder in the winter. What's another 5 degrees mean anyway, a warmer hat?

--PunkDavid

That was a joke, correct?

Gun ownership is high in Canada, perhaps as high as in America.(http://www.afga.org/images/noncom.pdf)
http://www.usatoday.com/snapshot/news/nsnap165.htm

You get them at Tim Horton's donut shops. They are made of the same batter as the donuts but are golf ball sized spheres.

My bad, you're right. Now find me a murder rate

Oh. Munchkins.

why the fuck would you leave the US to be Canadian? eh?

I hope people have fun with that! Meanwhile I will be hanging in So Cal looking at hot blonde girls and driving my urban assault vehicle to the tune of 2 miles per gallon!
yeeeeeehaaaaa!

You'd be making a wonderful social commentary, if only you weren't serious.

*obvious sarcasm intended*

but seriously why would you move to Canada because the election doesn't go your way? We lived through a lot tougher situations than this...

I always thought it was one of those things people said but never intended on doing, so I can't justify it.

and God prey, what tougher situations have YOU lived through

I am saying that the United States has been through tougher situations...Forget what I have lived through.