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’s spoken to many different Canadian matches since. “Some are just casual back-and-forth. But a couple have felt like they could lead to something more interesting,” 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. “It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the chaos we’ve got going on in the U.S. now,” she said. “A few friends have moved to Canada recently and they’ve all raved about how great the culture and political scene is. So I thought, ‘Why not check it out for myself?’”
In fact, plenty of Americans have become interested in dating Canadians since Donald Trump was elected for a second term. There’s 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 — about 1,000 of those did so on election day.
It’s 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. “I 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,” Goldman said. “They live in a small town in the U.S., they don’t have anybody around, and they’re hoping that maybe somebody in Canada might share their political perspective or view on how lives should be lived.” Some of these are from LGTBQ+ people, who feel particularly threatened by Trump’s policies.
Romantic migration isn’t new, says relationship coach Channa Bromley, but it’s rarely been so politically motivated between Canada and the U.S. 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, Toronto and Montreal, in particular. “Looking for love and an exit strategy,” reads one of her clients’ dating app bio. “Will marry for health care and emotional stability,” reads another.
“When a country feels unstable, so does the dating pool,” Bromley said. “Choosing a partner who offers access to a different environment isn’t just emotional — It’s evolutionary.”
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. “Since Trump’s inauguration, these requests have doubled,” said founder Nicky Wake. “Over the past two months, we’ve received over 30 inquiries from American widows and widowers expressing a strong interest in connecting with our Canadian members.”
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. “Things are getting more divided and I’m not loving the direction [the U.S.] is headed in,” she said.
Herman is upfront about her motives to her new matches. “Most Canadian swipers have been cool about it. Some even find it hilarious,” Herman said. “Why not see what dating in Canada is like? So far, it’s been pretty fun!”
But what’s it like on the Canadian end of this message thread? “I started talking to someone on an app only to learn he was in Florida,” said Jess Katzman, a 26-year-old content creator in Toronto. “We still talk but less seriously now. People say they’ll move but are they actually going to follow through, or is it just a nice idea?”
Similarly skeptical is Sierra Bisgould, a 27-year-old Toronto film set decorator. “I’ve been in three long-distance relationships, and they all eventually ended because neither of us planned to move,” she said. “If I matched with someone who was already relocating because of Trump, I’d be curious to see if there’s 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.”
For less genuine connections, both parties should keep in mind that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada cautions against “marriages of convenience.” 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 — entering into a false marriage to help someone immigrate — 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. “The person you end up with has a really strong impact on your decision about where you live,” Carbino said. “If you are thinking about moving to another country because you’re 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.”
