POLITICS Inquiries up from anti-Bush Americans seeking to leave U.S. - Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, November 4, 2004 (©2004 Associated Press )

Sore losers were doing more than grumbling about the election results Wednesday -- some of them were actually thinking of pulling up stakes and bailing out.

It happens every four years, say the people who answer the phone at foreign embassies and consulates. Most callers are frustrated, but some are actually U.S. citizens serious about leaving the country.

"There's been quite a good deal of interest,'' said Rob Taylor, the consul general in San Francisco for New Zealand. "People have been coming in for six months or so.''

New Zealand has had a slew of American admirers ever since the "Lord of the Rings'' movies came out, featuring the country's scenery. But the presidential election ratcheted things up, Taylor said.

"Whenever New Zealand is the flavor of the month, we get inquiries,'' he said. There are plenty of high-tech jobs waiting for qualified immigrants, Taylor said. New Zealand is picky, though, and the welcome mat is out primarily for younger, educated applicants with specific skills.

"We want genuine people who want to move, not just people hopping on a plane after the election, saying, 'I'm leaving, goodbye,' " Taylor said. "We want people to come have a look first, and then think about it.'' Consulate executive officer Tim Blackmore said prospective immigrants, even angry ones, should be more keen on coming to New Zealand than on leaving the United States.

"We want people interested in New Zealand as more than just an exit point, '' he said. "But the prospect of another four years of the current administration is certainly weighing on people's minds.''

The Australian Consulate said the phone was ringing there, too. "Americans are funny,'' said consular officer Linda Heller. "They don't get their own way, so they want to move.''

At the Canadian Embassy in Washington, which handles most immigration issues, inquiries were up as well.

"Yes, we've heard from Americans distraught with the election results,'' said press officer Pam Lambo. "We do hear regularly from people distressed by the direction of the country. I don't get the calls myself, luckily.'' Immigration spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi said it was "a little early to tell'' whether there would be a surge of applicants based on the U.S. election. She said disgust with the U.S. president would neither help nor hurt an applicant's chances of being accepted by Canada.

Some U.S. citizens already living in Canada did not seem encouraged by the results of Tuesday's election to return.

"If I had any inclination to move back, what happened yesterday sealed the deal,'' said a U.S. expatriate and Vancouver resident who goes by the name of Stan K.

Stan K., who moved from Los Angeles to Canada in 1986, teaches jazz saxophone in his central Vancouver studio. Canada suits him, he said.

"I like living in a country that isn't a superpower,'' he said. "It fits my style. After I watched the U.S. election results, I asked myself if I could move back, knowing that the bozos are still in charge. I don't think so.''

Steve Rubenstein