Just before the most recent U.S. election, Ellie Coverdale changed her location on the Hinge dating app from Arizona, where she lives, to Toronto. She鈥檚 spoken to many different Canadian matches since. 鈥淪ome are just casual back-and-forth. But a couple have felt like they could lead to something more interesting,鈥 said the 39-year-old educator.
Coverdale is attracted to the idea of finding love in Canada because she sees it as a more relaxed, less dramatic society. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a breath of fresh air compared to the chaos we鈥檝e got going on in the U.S. now,鈥 she said. 鈥淎 few friends have moved to Canada recently and they鈥檝e all raved about how great the culture and political scene is. So I thought, 鈥榃hy not check it out for myself?鈥欌
In fact, plenty of Americans have become interested in dating Canadians since Donald Trump was elected for a second term. There鈥檚 actually a dating app, MapleMatch, that was created specifically for that purpose after the 2016 election. Since November 2024, 5,500 new users have signed up 鈥 about 1,000 of those did so on election day.
It鈥檚 not always about moving to Canada, said MapleMatch founder Joe Goldman. Some people just want to meet someone they believe is likely to be more liberal-minded and kind than the typical American. 鈥淚 get tons of emails from people in the U.S. who are really frustrated and want me to help them find someone who meets their values,鈥 Goldman said. 鈥淭hey live in a small town in the U.S., they don鈥檛 have anybody around, and they鈥檙e hoping that maybe somebody in Canada might share their political perspective or view on how lives should be lived.鈥 Some of these are from people, who feel particularly threatened by Trump鈥檚 policies.
Romantic migration isn鈥檛 new, says relationship coach Channa Bromley, but it鈥檚 rarely been so politically motivated between Bromley, who is from Nova Scotia but operates her international business from Costa Rica, has seen an uptick in clients adjusting their dating app locations to Vancouver, 海角社区官网and Montreal, in particular. 鈥淟ooking for love and an exit strategy,鈥 reads one of her clients鈥 dating app bio. 鈥淲ill marry for health care and emotional stability,鈥 reads another.
鈥淲hen a country feels unstable, so does the dating pool,鈥 Bromley said. 鈥淐hoosing a partner who offers access to a different environment isn鈥檛 just emotional 鈥 It鈥檚 evolutionary.鈥
The trend bears out among those at different stages of life. Many clients of Chapter 2 Dating Ltd, a dating service for widows and widowers, have requested to either switch to its Canadian platform or maintain profiles on both the U.S. and Canadian sites. 鈥淪ince Trump鈥檚 inauguration, these requests have doubled,鈥 said founder Nicky Wake. 鈥淥ver the past two months, we鈥檝e received over 30 inquiries from American widows and widowers expressing a strong interest in connecting with our Canadian members.鈥
Recently, 36-year-old Kristin Herman changed her location on Hinge from Seattle, where she lives, to Vancouver. She had been dating in Seattle for two years and never planned on trying to move north of the border, until Trump was re-elected. 鈥淭hings are getting more divided and I鈥檓 not loving the direction [the U.S.] is headed in,鈥 she said.
Herman is upfront about her motives to her new matches. 鈥淢ost Canadian swipers have been cool about it. Some even find it hilarious,鈥 Herman said. 鈥淲hy not see what dating in Canada is like? So far, it鈥檚 been pretty fun!鈥
But what鈥檚 it like on the Canadian end of this message thread? 鈥淚 started talking to someone on an app only to learn he was in Florida,鈥 said Jess Katzman, a 26-year-old content creator in Toronto. 鈥淲e still talk but less seriously now. People say they鈥檒l move but are they actually going to follow through, or is it just a nice idea?”
From lack of local banter skills to a phenomenon known as “the Miami effect,” daters told
Similarly skeptical is Sierra Bisgould, a 27-year-old 海角社区官网film set decorator. 鈥淚鈥檝e been in three long-distance , and they all eventually ended because neither of us planned to move,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f I matched with someone who was already relocating because of Trump, I鈥檇 be curious to see if there鈥檚 a connection. But if I were the motivation for them to move, that comes with a lot of pressure. The love would have to be so genuine to accept that offer.鈥
For less genuine connections, both parties should keep in mind that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 鈥渕arriages of convenience.鈥 It advises Canadians to look out for partners from other countries who are eager to marry quickly or who have been married multiple times before, and warns that marriage fraud 鈥 entering into a false marriage to help someone immigrate 鈥 is a crime that can lead to criminal charges.
But for those looking to move to a new place, scoping out dating options online ahead of time can be valuable, said Jess Carbino, a former sociologist for Tinder and Bumble who helped develop Tinder Passport, which allows users to swipe in other parts of the world. 鈥淭he person you end up with has a really strong impact on your decision about where you live,鈥 Carbino said. 鈥淚f you are thinking about moving to another country because you鈥檙e upset about a political situation, having the capacity to explore individuals in a given area and decide whether or not you believe your romantic prospects there are viable might really tip the scales.鈥
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