A new study reveals that while Canadians strongly reject the idea of becoming the 51st U.S. state, many are still drawn to move south of the border for reasons that go beyond better jobs or lower taxes. The research, titled “Beyond the Borders: Unraveling Reasons for Canadians’ Relocation to the United States,” was conducted by Neil Seeman, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, and Jack Mintz, a president’s fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.
Key Findings: Jobs and Healthcare Drive Migration
The study, which surveyed 2,003 U.S.-based adult web users in August 2024 who observed Canadians relocating to their state within the past three years, found that better job opportunities were the most common reason, cited by 27.7% of respondents. However, the researchers were surprised to find that healthcare quality and access ranked second at 25.6%, nearly tying with jobs. Tax considerations and business taxes accounted for only 10.1% and 4.3%, respectively.
“We had this surprise finding that health-care access and quality was a very close tie (to jobs),” said Seeman. He emphasized the importance of understanding this trend: “It’s entirely appropriate to be obsessed with the brain drain … to the United States. But at the same time, we should be equally obsessed with understanding why Canadians are … moving for health-care reasons.”
Mixed Migration Data
The data paint a complex picture. According to Statistics Canada, nearly 20,000 Canadians emigrated permanently to the U.S. in 2022, a 65% increase from the previous year. Yet, the average number of native-born Canadians granted permanent U.S. residence has declined from 15,600 in the late 2000s to about 11,000 in the late 2010s.
Valerie Lacarte, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., expressed surprise at the healthcare finding but noted that access versus quality of care must be distinguished. Lacarte, who moved from Montreal to Washington after university for work, said, “It’s not really an apples-to-apples comparison. Access is much broader in Canada, but if you have the right insurance in the U.S., care can be much faster.”
Profile of Canadian Migrants
Lacarte explained that Canadian migrants to the U.S. are typically highly skilled and job-driven, with higher education and income levels than many other migrant groups. Many come through employer-sponsored pathways, making them more likely to have private health insurance. About 78% of Canadian immigrants in the U.S. have private health coverage, compared with 69% of U.S.-born citizens.
“For higher-skilled Canadians with employer-sponsored insurance, I can see why that would be a pull factor,” Lacarte said.
