Shark Tank host Kevin O’Leary has a broad portfolio of strong opinions and is rarely shy to share them. In a recent Fox Business interview, the Montreal-born entrepreneur confidently asserted that a growing number of Americans are fleeing to Canada in recent months because of the nation’s relatively open immigration policies.
“The immigration policy there is currently more liberal than it is in the U.S.,” he told host Stuart Varney. “In the US, immigration has fallen to zero here, and many people would like to see it addressed in a more organized and legal way. But while it remains so tight, many people are taking advantage of policies that were implemented during the Trudeau era that have not yet been modified.”
“So, they’re not leaving because they don’t like the U.S.” Varney responds.
O’Leary seems to have misunderstood the question — here’s the catch: U.S. citizens don’t need immigration leniency to move abroad. And the data shows Americans are leaving the country for very different reasons. Here’s a closer look at recent statistics and what they actually mean.
More Americans sought refugee status in Canada in the first half of 2025 than during all of 2024, according to Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board. The agency doesn’t reveal the reasons specified by applicants, but there are concerns of the Trump administration’s crackdown on LGBTQ rights and general political unrest.
Trans Americans, in particular, are increasingly seeking asylum in Canada, lawyers told Reuters. Gay couples who spoke to CTV News in April pointed to growing threats to marriage equality and gun safety concerns as reasons for moving north.
Even academics are making the move. In an opinion video for the New York Times, three Yale professors said they were relocating to the University of Toronto because of rising concerns about authoritarianism in the U.S.
Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching stocks — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead
Many Americans are also moving, not just to Canada but other parts of the world, due to economic concerns. Roughly 1,285 U.S. citizens expatriated in the first quarter of 2025, up 102% from the last quarter of 2024, according to federal government data analyzed by CS Global Partners. The report suggests the rate of expatriation could break a previous record set in 2020.
