SE Valley Times

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Reps. Greg Stanton and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) today 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.

“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.”

“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.”

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. According to the Canada Arizona Business Council, snowbirds are estimated to add about $1.4 billion to the Arizona economy every year.

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).

Full text of the bill is available HERE. 

Original source can be found here.