Members of the Florida congressional delegation are backing U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik’s, R-NY, and Greg Stanton’s, D-Ariz., “Canadian Snowbird Visa Act.”
Stefanik introduced the bill to “extend the amount of time Canadians who own or lease a home in the United States can visit by two months” last week and she showcased it on Thursday.
“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 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 Stanton who is leading almost a dozen co-sponsors behind the bill. “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.”
“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,” Stefanik’s office noted. “Canadian visitors provide a substantial economic boost to communities throughout our country, spending over $20 billion in the United States in 2019.”
Other co-sponsors include U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Brian Mast, R-Fla., John Rutherford, R-Fla., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Judiciary and the Ways and Means Committees.
While there is no companion measure in the U.S. Senate, in recent years Florida’s senators have been championing the legislation.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., first brought out the “Canadian Snowbirds Act” back in September 2019 with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., R-Fla., cosponsoring it. The bill would add two extra months to the 182 days that retired Canadians who are 50 and older can stay in the United States each year.
Back in 2021, Rubio reintroduced the proposal with Scott continuing to back it.
“Tourism is critical to Florida’s economy and supports more than one million jobs all across the Sunshine State,” Rubio said. “This bill will be a huge boost to our state’s economy by allowing the millions of Canadian snowbirds who visit Florida each year to stay here for two more months.”
“Throughout my time as governor, we worked hard to grow Florida’s tourism industry, and we saw a record-breaking number of visitors every year,” Scott said. “Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely hurt Florida’s travel and tourism industries. Now as we continue to recover, we should do everything we can to welcome visitors to our state, like our neighbors to the north, which helps communities thrive, businesses grow, and creates job opportunities for Florida families. I’m proud to join Senator Rubio in sponsoring this bill to allow Canadian snowbirds to enjoy two more months of Florida’s incredible weather and continue to support our tourism industry.”
The 2019 bill had the support of the Canadian Snowbird Association and Visit Florida which noted that around 3.5 million Canadians visited the Sunshine State in 2018 and added $6.5 billion to the state’s economy.
Other members of the Florida delegation have also been working on the issue om recent years. Then U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., has championed a proposal to extend the amount of time Canadians who own or lease a home in the U.S. can stay there during the year. Deutch and Stefanik first brought out the “Canadian Snowbird Visa Act” back in 2017.
“We’re proud to welcome our northern neighbors to our sunny corner of the country,” Deutch said in support of the bill. “In fact, their visits to South Florida contribute significantly to our regional economy, helping local businesses and creating jobs. I’m proud to work with my New York colleague to introduce this bill to allow our Canadian guests to extend their stay in the United States.”
Back in early 2017, then U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, D-NJ, to bring out the “Promoting Tourism to Enhance our Economy Act.” The proposal would let seniors from Canada who own a secondary residence in the U.S. visit for 240 days a year instead of the current 180 days. They would still be classified as nonresident aliens and would not be eligible for public assistance.
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