Bill aims to let snowbirds stay in U.S. longer
PROPOSED POLICY CHANGE WOULD ALLOW CANADIAN SNOWBIRDS TO STAY AN EXTRA TWO MONTHS A YEAR SOUTH OF THE BORDER
President Donald Trump has been single-minded when it comes to immigration, pledging to strengthen the United States’ borders and keep certain people out, especially if they happen to be from Mexico or some Muslim nations.
But a bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives last month would actually open the door wider to one group: older Canadians who winter south of the border.
The Promoting Tourism to Enhance our Economy Act aims to let northern neighbours 55 and up who own or rent property in the States stay there an extra two months a year, on top of the 180 days allowed now.
Another bill in the works would give similar benefits to Canadians 50 and older.
The idea is to bring more travel dollars into the U.S., say the Democrat and Republican congressmen co-sponsoring the first proposed law. If passed, it could also result in some Canadians spending more time in America than they do in their native land.
But that’s OK, says Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida, because they’re one group of foreigners that blends right in.
“We want people with good standing to come here and stay as long as they care,” Republican Yoho, co-sponsor of the bill, said in an interview. “We come from similar backgrounds, we believe in the same thing. There’s no assimilation (necessary). The morals and mores we have are pretty much the same as they have, so it’s pretty much an easy transition.”
And Canadians who flee to warmer U.S. climes are something of an economic powerhouse.
Residents of this country own more than 500,000 properties in Florida alone, while 700,000 of them spend at least 31 days at a time in that state every year, says Evan Rachovsky, research director at the Canadian Snowbird Association. Including the rest of the U.S. south, there are well over a million snowbirds, he said.
“There’s obviously a lot of questions surrounding immigration recently, but this is really a jobs bill; this is about stimulating the economy in the U.S.,” said Rachovsky. “I think it would definitely have a significant impact.”
While some might take advantage of such legislation to stay eight months in a row at their winter homes, the main benefit would be to allow shorter trips across the border, he said.
As the law stands now, once someone returns from a six-month stay, he or she is barred from re-entering the States for another six months, precluding trips south to visit friends, shop or tend to that American real estate, said Rachovsky.
All of which may explain why the lead sponsor of the current bill is Democrat Albio Sires of New Jersey, not exactly a traditional snowbird destination.
The other piece of legislation — the Canadian Snowbird Visa bill — will be introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, another Republican, and feature the lower minimum age, said Rachovsky.
The snowbird association has been “actively lobbying” for such laws, he said.
Sires and Yoho introduced their bill in the last congress, too, though it never got to a vote. Similar legislation was passed by the Senate a few years ago, but didn’t make it through the House.
All the bills have made clear that those Canadians can stay longer — and spend more of their money — but can’t work in the States or access social services.
Yoho said he thinks the legislation has strong bipartisan support and has high hopes that, this time, it will finally pass.