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Apparently stung by President Bush’s re-election, Americans are flocking to the Canadian government’s immigration website in record numbers.
The site’s six-fold increase in traffic suggests many U.S. citizens are toying with the idea of making their home up north, Reuters reports.
“When we looked at the first day after the election, November 3, our website hit a new high, almost double the previous record high,” immigration ministry spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi told the news wire.
The site recorded 115,016 visitors Wednesday, compared to 20,000 on an average day. The number was down to 65,803 Thursday, still more than three times the normal figure.
Many disconsolate Democrats interviewed in the immediate aftermath of President Bush’s re-election said they were embarrassed to be an American, and some suggested it might be best to leave the country.
But Iadinardi said sad citizens will not be given any special treatment over other applicants for permanent residence, a process that often takes a year.
Canada hopes to attract between 220,000 and 240,000 newcomers next year, Reuters said.
“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.”
Iadinardi said it will take a while to determine whether increased activity on the immigration website translates into more Americans coming north.
She does not see any unusual activity at Canada’s visa mission in the United States at the moment.
“Having someone who intends to come to Canada is not the same as someone actually putting in an application,” she told Reuters.
Commentator Thane Burnett of the Ottawa Sun newspaper wrote a tongue-in-cheek guide to would-be new citizens on Friday, the news wire noted.
“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.
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