Americans Prudence Donovan and Mason Gaston recently travelled to Ottawa from their home in the state of Maine.
But it wasn’t for tourism.
They were looking to move to Canada, and potentially claiming asylum because they’re both transgender.
“For our physical safety, we really feel that, especially raising a family, Canada would be a safer placescronym for that,” Donovan said.
The family says the political climate in their home country has raised concerns, specifically the direction the Donald Trump administration has taken on LGBTQ2 rights and policies.
In his first months back in office after his re-election, Trump signed an executive order aimed at slashing federal supports for gender transitions for people under the age of 19, and an order requiring the federal government to define sex as only male or female.
The administration also moved to bar transgender people from military service.
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“I think we understand that it might be a choice between uprooting ourselves or ending up in a political prison,” Donovan said.
Their story isn’t unique.
New Brunswick-based immigration lawyer Nushka Blais says she’s hearing from more Americans who are considering a move to Canada.
She says a lot of their concerns are around federal policies.
“The main concerns I’m hearing about are making sure elderly family members are safe and taken care of, protecting the rights and the health care access of family members or children,” she said.
She says questions from American citizens about seeking asylum are common. But she doesn’t recommend it as a first pathway for Americans, due to Canada’s safe third-party agreement with the United States.
“It’s part of the conversation for every intake call I receive from the U.S. right now,” she said.
“The U.S. is considered a safe country. And so you cannot claim asylum from a safe country.”
Instead, Blais recommends looking into professions that provinces are seeking — such as health care in New Brunswick — and then applying through those channels.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt echoed that sentiment, saying there aren’t any additional programs for U.S. asylum seekers, but the province is attempting to attract Americans.
“We’re going to specifically attract the kind of specific health-care professionals that we need that may find themselves uncomfortable in the U.S. right now,” Holt said.
As for Donovan and Gaston, they’re staying in Maine for now.
The family believes asylum isn’t the best pathway for them, and would like to stay close to family as they’re expecting a baby.
However, Canada is still on the table if U.S. policies on transgender people intensify.
“Moving with a baby is going to be really difficult if it comes down to it, but at the same time, it’s really scary. It’s scary to be trans and it’s scary to think about what it will be like to be a trans couple with a child,” Donovan said.
— with a file from Global News’ Rebecca Lau
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
‘For our physical safety’: Why some Americans are looking for asylum in Canada
