Americans flee to Canada seeking refugee status as numbers spike dramatically

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.

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.

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

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."

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

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