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Posted date : Dec 15, 2017

I enjoy reading the various questions and answers re: Dear Bird Talk. One answer caught my attention in the summer 2017 issue 103. It was mentioned that, sometimes, a border guard will only allow you a shorter period (for instance – only 90 days). In that case, you will have to comply with the shorter […]

Posted date : Nov 13, 2017

Dear Bird Talk, We have just entered the U.S. at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo. We have a mobile home in Florida where we will be living for five months. We had all of our documentation at the ready and prepared for the crossing, something we have done for 15 years. The border guard asked […]

Posted date : May 15, 2021

Inside the cover of our passport you’ll find this…and the Canadian government has NOT voted on any changes. ….

Posted date : May 15, 2021

I am a Canadian snowbird. In 2016, I married an American citizen who owns her own home in Florida. Typically, we spend five months at her home in Florida and the remainder of the year at my home in Ontario…

Posted date : May 14, 2019

I don’t know this for sure, but I heard of a Canadian going over the U.S. border and being asked by the agent what he thought of the U.S. president. Again, I don’t know what the response was, but the Canadian citizen has been barred from the U.S. for five years. I am going over […]

Posted date : May 14, 2019

A friend of mine just sent me an e-mail stating that U.S. border guards now have the authority to request your cellphone and its password. If you refuse, the border guards can confiscate the phone for up to five days. Is there any truth to this? Ian Walker Ottawa, ON Response : Ed.: Yes! Actually, […]

Posted date : May 13, 2019

I took particular note of your editor’s comment in the fall issue which stated, “I have found no rationale for the many and varied decisions given by border guards.” You are so right! Here is a classic example. My wife and I spend just less than six months each winter in California from late October […]

Posted date : Dec 15, 2017

I have orange, grapefruit and lemon trees at my home in Arizona. Am I allowed to bring fruit from these trees when I return to my Alberta home? Weldon H Alberta Response: Ed.: Sorry, but absolutely not. The Department of Agriculture is very strict on these things to safeguard Canada’s crops from plagues, diseases and […]

Posted date : Nov 13, 2017

Dear Bird Talk, The official U.S. government website help.cbp.gov/app/answers notes that Canadian vacationers are only required under American law to present a valid passport. Admittedly, they add the caveat that individual officers may ask for further proof. Imagine my disappointment to see evidence both in your Travel Information Guide as well as in replies in […]

Posted date : Nov 13, 2017

Dear Bird Talk, Just a reminder to not have any fruit in the car when crossing the border. If asked about fruit, and one does not declare it and fruit is found, it is a $300 fine. If crossing at Detroit, there is a large Meijer grocery store just a few miles south on I-75, […]