Snowbirds must soon submit fingerprints for U.S. travel under new Homeland Security rules

Holly Cabrera · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 8:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Canadians and different overseas nationals who program to enactment successful the U.S. for 30 days oregon longer volition soon beryllium required to use for registration and fingerprinting with the Department of Homeland Security.

The draught rule, which stems from a Jan. 20 enforcement order, is expected to beryllium enactment successful unit April 11, according to media reports. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) did not respond to a petition from CBC News by work time.

Although Canadians person agelong benefited from exceptions to immoderate U.S. question laws owed to the countries' adjacent ties — citizenship unsocial won't exempt travellers, including snowbirds, from these caller regulations.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada says it is "closely monitoring this development."

The changes travel arsenic President Donald Trump's tariff threats proceed to jeopardize some the U.S. and Canada's economies.

Montreal-based migration lawyer Patrice Brunet said the changes would people "a precise drastic argumentation shift," wherever Canadians volition beryllium considered, for the foreseeable future, "regular citizens coming from immoderate different country" alternatively than friends of the U.S.

Any overseas nationalist supra the property of 14 who needs to registry oregon taxable an exertion connected behalf of their children indispensable make a USCIS online account. More accusation connected however to make an relationship is disposable connected the USCIS website.

The request applies to children nether the property of 14, but parents oregon guardians are liable for signing them up.

Snowbirds 'treated similar aliens,' advocator says

Rudy Buttignol, president of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) — an advocacy enactment that represents astir 250,000 members crossed Canada — said snowbirds who routinely sojourn the U.S. for six months retired of the twelvemonth are "really shocked to beryllium treated similar aliens," aft establishing themselves successful communities southbound of the border.

"I'm proceeding that radical are not lone annoyed, but they're besides insulted," Buttignol said. "Together, with the thought of Canada becoming the 51st state, this seems similar a deliberate effort to irritate Canadians."

Examples of radical who are already registered see imperishable residents of the U.S. and overseas nationals who received employment authorization documents, borderline crossing cards and migrant oregon nonimmigrant visas. Foreign nationals who received I-94 oregon I-94W forms are besides exempted, adjacent if the play of admittance listed expired.

Carrying impervious of registration astatine each times

Once DHS issues grounds of registration to an big traveller, they will beryllium required to transportation it astatine each times portion successful the U.S.

Brunet noted that the bid emboldens U.S. constabulary to "stop anyone who appears not to beryllium American, which is conscionable anyone."

A connection from the White House published connected Jan. 20 explains that radical who interruption migration laws basal to look civilian and transgression penalties, specified arsenic fines and prosecution.

WATCH | Snowbirds aren't blessed astir the caller question requirements: 

Brunet pointed to the "harsh language" utilized successful the enforcement bid to picture overseas nationals who overstay their visas.

The papers titled "Protecting the American People Against Invasion" claims that galore radical who are successful the United States unlawfully "present important threats to nationalist information and nationalist safety" and "their beingness successful the United States has outgo taxpayers billions of dollars astatine the federal, authorities and section levels."

"It's precise antithetic from, you know, the emblematic snowbird that goes to Florida oregon Arizona for the winter," Brunet said.