Canadian Snowbirds Act of 2025

The Canadian Snowbirds Act of 2025 would create a new category under U.S. immigration law that allows Canadian retirees to visit the United States for pleasure for extended periods. Specifically, it authorizes admission of Canadian citizens aged 50 or older as long-term visitors under the existing visitor-for-pleasure provision (the same category as typical tourist visitors). To qualify, applicants must demonstrate they maintain a residence in Canada, own or rent a home in the United States for their stay, and meet several inadmissibility and employment restrictions. Time spent in the United States under this status would be limited to up to 240 days in any 365-day period, with time abroad during that period not counting toward the limit. The bill also changes tax treatment by classifying these Canadians as nonresident aliens for certain tax purposes. In addition to the main eligibility rules, the act allows the Canadian retiree’s spouse to enter under the same terms (with a slight exception regarding the US home requirement), preserves a presumption against an intention to abandon Canada, and grants the Secretary of Homeland Security broad, unreviewable discretion to admit or deny admission. The bill also explicitly excludes these visitors from certain welfare and tax credits and clarifies their tax status to align with their temporary, nonimmigrant status.