Pre-pandemic, Canada’s snowbirds flocked by the millions to warmer climes in the United States, especially Florida, Arizona and California. Then stormed in Donald Trump 2.0 with his 51st state rhetoric and trade war. 

According to Statistics Canada, in May 2025, the number of Canadians driving to and from the United States totalled 1.3 million, a steep 38.1 per cent decline from the same month in 2024 and the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Air travel was down 3.7 per cent over the same period, while travel to other countries was up 9.8 per cent.

But even before Trump’s tariffs, he took a shot at Canada’s snowbirds.

On Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second presidency, Trump signed Executive Order 14159: “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” Amongst the order’s restrictions on travellers visiting the United States, it proclaimed that after April 11, some Canadians staying in the United States for more than 30 days — snowbirds, in other words — may have to register and provide fingerprints if they don’t have the I-94 form, the proof of legal visitor status. It’s given automatically when visitors land in American airports, but may have to be specifically requested when crossing land borders or purchased online prior.

The Canadian Snowbird Association (CSA) soon began lobbying the Department of Homeland Security on Trump’s decision, arguing this decree placed an unnecessary burden on Canadian visitors to the United States, folks who spend an estimated $20 billion in travel in that country. The CSA estimates more than one million Canadians travel to the United States during the winter. 

On March 12, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security published an updated interim final rule stating that while Canadians will still need to apply for registration, they will not have to undergo fingerprinting. 

But Henry Chang, immigration lawyer and partner at the global law firm Dentons, warns his Canadian clients to be careful when travelling to the United States. Among others, he points to the case of Canadian citizen Jasmin Mooney, who was recently sent to a detention centre for nearly two weeks when she applied for a work permit at the U.S.-Mexico border. Chang advises that if you’re concerned about being detained at the border, you should fly instead of driving to the United States. He notes that certain groups, especially those with heritage from recently travel-banned countries such as Iran, may receive extra scrutiny. But only land border crossings can send you straight to a detention centre.

Arriving by air “will keep them from having the ability to detain you for an extended period and from the ability to send you off to a detention centre,” Chang says. “If that's a concern for that person.”

Chang says while some of his colleagues are recommending leaving your cell phone at home and bringing only a pay-as-you-go burner, he thinks that only makes you look suspicious. 

“If you ever watched Breaking Bad, the only people that tend to have burner phones are criminals hiding from law enforcement,” he says, adding that “sanitizing” your phone — removing your social media apps, for example, if you’ve publicly criticized the Trump Administration — before travel might still be wise. 

If you’ve shared countless anti-Trump thoughts or have personal photos you don’t want border guards seeing, it might be worth considering a burner. U.S. border guards have the right to search your electronics — but not your cloud data — and if you refuse to give them your passwords, they can refuse you admission to their country. And if they’re concerned about you as a national security threat, they can do a forensic scan on your phone that brings back anything you’ve deleted. They can also search any social media sites for your public musings.

Chang thinks most snowbirds will not have a problem if they’re spending most of their time at one U.S. home base. But the U.S. alien registration requirements mean you need to inform U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of a change of address within 10 days of moving. If you’re planning an RV trip across America, plan on telling them where you camp or risk significant penalties such as fines or deportation.

Long-time snowbird and former American citizen Peter Ratcliffe, 71, has decided to forgo Florida in the winter of 2026 in favour of a month in Portugal. He and his partner used to drive from Kingston, Ont., to the same Florida resort every year and stay for three months. They made friends, but since MAGA, he’s discovered to his dismay that many of those “nice people” are Trump supporters and now only want to talk politics. Ratcliffe has also been a frequent critic of Trump on X, formerly Twitter, and is concerned that could be a problem for him.

While Portugal won’t be as warm as Florida, he and his wife have always wanted to travel in Europe, so they will. He estimates it will be 40 per cent cheaper than staying in Florida.

Perhaps in a moment of optimism, he’s rebooked the first six weeks of 2026 in Florida, with the caveat that he can cancel any time without penalty. The couple is waiting to see what Trump does next to decide.

“Trust, once broken, is a very hard thing to rebuild,” he writes.

 

A Definitive Guide

Henry Chang’s definitive guide for Canadians travelling to the United States.