How To Move To Canada? Rate Of Americans Turned Away At The Border Surges

Despite a wave of concern over whether the United States would adopt an anti-immigration agenda under President Donald Trump, recent data revealed a crackdown on border crossing may have been impacting Americans more than their neighbors.

The rate at which Americans were denied entrance into Canada across the U.S.-Canadian border surged over 31 percent last year, with 30,233 U.S. citizens being turned away throughout 2016, Canada Border Services Agency figures stated. That’s up from 23,052 stops the year before – and just 7,509 in 2014.

Read: Stopping Border Immigration: As Trump Builds His Wall, A Battle Wages Over Human Rights Conflicts

The trend, first reported Wednesday by Canadian newspaper La Presse, doesn’t indicate instability or a lack of cooperation across the neighboring nations; in fact, it may actually show the opposite.

The U.S. and Canada stepped up its sharing of national security information, criminal records and other data under former President Barack Obama’s administration. The new efforts to increase bilateral security measures likely equipped the Canadian border services agency with new tools to prevent a range of Americans from entering the nation.

That could mean Canada is now able to turn away dangerous convicted felons, Americans charged with crimes avoiding court dates and other citizens attempting to cross the border illegally more than ever before.

The rate at which Canadians have been denied entry at U.S. checkpoints along the border has remained consistent with typical statistics in recent years. More than 28,000 people were refused entry from the U.S. last year, while 27,311 were turned away in 2015.

The Canada Border Services Agency said in a statement that it "will not speculate as to reasons for the increase."

Meanwhile, the rate of migrants crossing into the U.S. over the southern border dropped by nearly 40 percent in February, though it wasn’t clear whether the decline was due to Trump’s election in January.

"This is encouraging news," John Kelly, secretary of Homeland Security, said in a statement earlier this month. "The early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact."

American interest in moving north typically increases after each presidential election, regardless of which candidate secured the Oval Office, according to online search trends. Starting a new life in Canada isn’t as simple as some may assume, however: despite new immigration rules announced just after Trump's election making it easier for Americans to work in Canada, becoming a Canadian citizen is typically a months-long and potentially costly process.