North Country Leader

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ) introduced the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act, bipartisan legislation to extend the amount of time Canadians who own or lease a home in the United States can visit by two months.

“Our neighbors to the north provide more visits to the United States than any other country, and they are critically important to North Country tourism and industry,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “Providing Canadians who own homes and property in the United States with extra time to visit and boost our economy will help revive Canadian tourism to the United States after an unprecedented closure of the Northern Border.”

“Snowbirds - seasonal visitors attracted by Arizona’s warm weather - spend more than a billion dollars in our state every year,” said Congressman Stanton. “Allowing Canadian visitors to enjoy all that Arizona has to offer for even longer is good for local businesses, and means their dollars are reinvested here in our communities.”

"Now that the border is back to normal, our Canadian friends are back spending time in the U.S.," said Garry Douglas, President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. "Many spend extended time here. We love having them and the longer they visit, the greater the economic benefit to the U.S. So, we remain strongly supportive of this legislation, and we thank Congresswoman Stefanik for continuing to be its champion in the House."

Current law limits the amount of time a Canadian visitor may spend in the United States to 182 days per year. The Canadian Snowbird Visa Act will allow Canadian citizens over the age of 50 who either own or rent a residence in the United States to remain in the country for up to 240 days each year. The bill prohibits these individuals from working for United States employers or seeking public assistance while in the United States, and clarifies that they will retain their nonresident tax status.

Canadian visitors provide a substantial economic boost to communities throughout our country, spending over $20 billion in the United States in 2019. In New York, nearly 4 million Canadians visit the Empire State Building a year, spending $1.5 billion.

This legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Bergman (R-MI), Castor (D-FL), Lesko (R-AZ), Foster (D-IL), Carter (R-GA), Quigley (D-IL), Rutherford (R-FL), Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Mast (R-FL), and Schweikert (R-AZ).

Read more about the bill here.

Original source can be found here.