CBS News reports:
Canadian snowbirds who spend their winters in South Florida are voicing frustration over new immigration rules being drafted by the Trump administration. The new rules would require Canadians staying in the U.S. for more than 30 days to register and submit fingerprints with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
For Annie Dupont, a condo owner in Hollywood, Florida, the new requirements feel like a personal slight.
“We got a problem with (President Trump) personally, not with America,” said Dupont, who is from Montreal. “(It’s) like he’s thinking he’s in a reality show.” She and her husband had planned to retire in their beachside condo but are now considering moving their winter home to the Caribbean.
The CBC reports:
Montreal-based immigration lawyer Patrice Brunet said the changes would mark “a very drastic policy shift,” where Canadians will be considered, for the foreseeable future, “regular citizens coming from any other country” rather than friends of the U.S.
Rudy Buttignol, president of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) — an advocacy organization that represents about 250,000 members across Canada — said snowbirds who routinely visit the U.S. for six months out of the year are “really shocked to be treated like aliens,” after establishing themselves in communities south of the border.
“I’m hearing that people are not only annoyed, but they’re also insulted,” Buttignol said. “Together, with the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state, this seems like a deliberate attempt to irritate Canadians.”
Toronto City News reports:
The Canadian Snowbird Association (CSA), a national not-for-profit advocacy organization for Canadian travellers, says its representatives are currently working with Congressional representatives to “amend this registration requirement and exempt Canadian travellers from having to register with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).”
“At this time, the (online) registration portal is not active,” the CSA says. “Once the registration process is implemented, travellers can submit their registration through a USCIS online account. The CSA will be providing members with further information and instructions once the registration process is available.”
Berardi Immigration Law notes on its website that the penalties for failure to comply with registration requirements include fines up to $5,000 or imprisonment for up to six months — or both.
Watch the videos.