Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toasts the room at a CHOGM meeting in November in Malta. Trudeau recently vowed to accept Americans fleeing a possible dictatorship-like presidency should Donald Trump win election in 2016. Photo by Pool/Getty Images
OTTAWA – Border jumping Americans may soon find a smooth and expedient path to Canadian Citizenship.
“In the event of a mass exodus of American citizens, Canada will always be a hospitable country for people persecuted or fleeing difficult living conditions. ~ Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau, Canada
A Twitter message from Simon Rogers, Data Journalist and Editor at Google sent social media streams into a frenzy on Super Tuesday as primary and caucus returns in 12 states were tallied.
America’s Super Tuesday returns and news that Republican candidate Donald Trump won seven of twelve states fueled a frenzy of Google searches and a new Twitter hashtag on how to move to Canada.
American panic and Google searching aside, Canada’s Liberal Government recently proposed comprehensive amendments to the Canadian Citizenship Act, making the reality of permanent citizenship quicker and easier for those seeking a long-term border jump.
“In the event of a mass exodus of American citizens, Canada will always be a hospitable country for people persecuted or fleeing difficult living conditions,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a press conference on Friday. “We reach out to refugees of all countries living under dictatorships and persecution.
Internet activity on Super Tuesday crashed the Canadian Immigration site, where searchers reported receiving an apologetic message from the Canadian government who were working to get the site back up and running.
The bonus? Approval of the proposed amendments would mean that Americans who make a quick exodus after the November elections may qualify for Canadian citizenship before the freshly elected American President completes his (or her) first term.
The newly worked legislation, introduced by Immigration Minister John McCallum on February 25, would replace the controversial and more rigid Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act that became effective in 2014.
The proposed amendments include a reduction in the amount of time permanent residents have to live in Canada before applying from four out of six years to three out five years.
Changes, if approved would also include a repeal of the “intent to reside” provision currently in effect, eliminating the requirement as a prerequisite for granting citizenship and allowing for a more friendly dual-citizenship status.
Requests for information on Canadian citizenship status continued to overwhelm the CIC even after Super Tuesday according to a World Daily News report on Friday.
Amanda Singh, a spokesperson for CIC in an interview said that the agency had to enroll extra workers to process applications that continue to increase in tandem with Donald Trump’s primary success.
Although Trump is currently the Republican front-runner in the 2016 Presidential race, the New York real estate mogul’s favorability numbers in polling among likely American voters are poor and well above 50 percent unfavorable, climbing as high as 62 percent unfavorable in recent months.
The potential controversial outcome of the 2016 election in its closest ally and neighbor to the south promises to keep Canadian immigration authorities eyes focused on U.S. politics.
“The Government is keeping its commitment to repeal certain provisions of the Citizenship Act, including those that led to different treatment for dual citizens,” said McCallum in release. “Canadian citizens are equal under the law. Whether they were born in Canada or were naturalized in Canada or hold a dual citizenship.”
According to McCallum the legislative changes could take place within the coming weeks.
Canada is currently in the process of settling over 25,000 Syrian refugees.
This article originally appeared on Examiner.com on March 5, 2016.
