Canadians travelling to the United States for longer trips are being reminded of new registration rules that will kick in next month.
The Canadian government updated its travel advisory for the U.S. on Friday, notifying travellers planning to head south and stay for more than 30 days that they will be required to register with the U.S. government.
The rule was part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” executive order, which was signed on Jan. 20 and applies to anyone who is not an American citizen or permanent resident.
“Canadians and other foreign nationals visiting the United States for periods longer than 30 days must be registered with the United States government,” Canada’s travel advisory states.
“Failure to comply with the registration requirement could result in penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution.”
The rule, which goes into effect April 11, will apply to some Canadians, including “snowbirds” who travel south in winter months, according to immigration lawyer Rosanna Berardi.
Ottawa advises travellers to refer to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to check if they need to register or not.
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“You can verify if you have been automatically registered on entry to the U.S. by looking up your I-94 admission form on the U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP) website,” the travel advisory states.
In the past, Canadians have been able to visit the U.S. for six months without a visa, though they were required to declare how long they intended to stay upon entry, according to the federal government.
Under the new rule, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says “certain groups of aliens” may not have been registered on entry.
The change comes amid tensions between Canada and the U.S over tariffs imposed on Canadian imports by the Trump administration and Trump’s repeated claims that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
Trump’s threats have prompted many Canadians to cancel or change their plans to visit the U.S. amid a growing “Elbows up” movement.
Canada is not the only country updating its travel advice for the U.S.
Earlier this week, the United Kingdom and Germany also updated their advice for travellers following reports of British and German nationals being detained at the border amid an immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.
— with files from Global News’ Sean Previl and Sean Boynton
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