Canadian immigration website crashes as Donald Trump leads the polls

  • 09/11/2016
Canadian immigration website crashes as Donald Trump leads the polls

The Canadian immigration site has crashed as Donald Trump pulls ahead in the US election, leading many Americans to contemplate leaving the country.

The official website for 'Citizenship and Immigration Canada' stopped working around the same time the New York Times predicted a 94% chance of Trump taking the presidency.

For those unable to get online, it appears New Zealand is also an appealing option, as American interest in NZ property has catapulted over the last two days.

CEO of realestate.co.nz Brendon Skipper said it appeared Americans were weighing up their options as the election came to a head, "and there are clear indications they are increasingly looking at New Zealand as a viable option."

Real time statistics from New Zealand's biggest real estate listing website show that traffic for the 7th and 8th November from US citizens to the site was up 141 per cent compared to the same two days a year ago.

Search terms suggests that they are looking at their options across the country, but perhaps with a skew towards Auckland.

"It's also a younger demographic which is looking to New Zealand, with almost half (44.2 per cent) in the 25-44 age bracket," says Mr Skipper.