GOOGLE has seen a major surge in web searches from the United States asking "how to move to Scotland" and "Scottish citizenship" following Donald Trump winning the US election.
Trump has won the race for the White House after escaping assassination attempts and resurrecting his political career from the chaos of the January 6 riots.
The 78-year-old businessman and former president declared on Wednesday he had won a “magnificent victory for the American people”, defeating Democrat rival Kamala Harris.
Trends on Google show a spike in searches from the United States querying how to move away from the US. Around 76% of the searches are shown to originate in the US.
Related queries also include; how to move to New Zealand, easiest countries to move to from USA, how to move out of the US, how to move to Ireland, and how to move to Canada from the US.
Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Tennessee and Minnesota are the top states searching.
Searches asking how to apply for Scottish citizenship also surged.
Citizens from the US have also been searching "is abortion legal in Scotland" and "Scotland trans rights".
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie (below) said Scotland is "open and welcome to all".
He told The National: "Donald Trump is a convicted felon and political extremist who has shown a complete lack of respect for human rights, democracy or our climate.
"It is no surprise that people would want to get as far away as possible from his destructive rhetoric and the racist politics that he represents.
"We believe in a Scotland that is open and welcome to all, a country that removes barriers rather than building walls."
He added: "I hope that anyone who decides to make Scotland their home can do so in the confidence that we are working to build a fairer, greener and more welcoming society that is the opposite of Trump’s destructive and hateful vision.
Trump's own mother Mary MacLeod, was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis before moving to America. He recently spoke of her on a podcast, and later discussed the future of Scotland within the UK and the film Braveheart.
How to move to Scotland from the United States
For Americans hoping to move to Scotland, they will require a visa from the UK Government.
Americans can apply for a student visa , skilled worker visa, high potential individual visa, and a family visa.
Residents of the US can apply for a family visa if their partner is a British citizen and they plan on living together permanently.
For a skilled worker visa, you must first receive a job offer before applying for your visa and moving to Scotland.
All visa applications incur fees.
