As we approach retirement in Canada , we may want to travel more specially during the winter months to sunny destinations. In order to do this we may need to reassess our living situation in Canada. For example if we own a large home and we expect to spend long periods of time away from Toronto, perhaps we will start looking at downsizing, or simplifying our real estate so that our new place will be more supportive of our new lifestyle.
If we chose to become snowbirds, we need to be aware of the many rules, legislation, insurance and tax implications that come into play when we look into that change of lifestyle.
For example, when buying a property in the US, what rules apply for Canadians, how long can you stay in the US as a snowbird? How long can you stay away from Canada for? The answer to all those questions are a very important, as the answers should become part of the strategy on how to implement your plan and or whether you can implement it.
One of my friends is a senior who on his last trip miscalculated his stay by 2 weeks when booking his tickets, if he sticks to his schedule he will be overstaying his visa by 14 days, his choice was to change his flight which would cost about $ 250 with the airline, or he could apply for an extension on his visa for the additional 2 weeks, which would also carry a cost, in this case a higher cost, as it would cost $ 370 for the forms and he was concerned as well that there may also be bio metric fees.
Obviously changing the flight would be the best option, he wondered if there would be any leniency in a case such as his, but he found in a law office web site the following:
(https://www.alllaw.com):
"However, if you overstayed your visa for less than 180 days, leaving the U.S. will not trigger any bars to your reentry. But keep in mind that the next time you try to enter the U.S., the border officer will be able to see that you overstayed your visa on your previous stay. Border officers always have the discretion to not allow you U.S. entry. If you overstayed by only a few days or a couple of weeks, the officer will probably let you in."
The point is, that being informed as to the rules is very important, so that there are no mistakes made that could restrict the enjoyment of your home away from home. There would be no point buying a home in the sun and then running into problems to access it.
