Foreigners who like to spend a month or more in the Sunshine State, including the visitors that Floridians playfully refer to as snowbirds, may want to make sure that they have their flamingos in a row the next time they want to have an extended stay here, or really anywhere in the United States.
According to the Canadian Snowbird Association (CSA), a self-proclaimed non-profit organization with over 100,000 members, President Trump’s Protecting the American People Against Invasion executive order is impacting the snowbirds.
The executive order directed the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that immigrants register with the government under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The INA requires that visitors to the United States ages 14 and older must register with the federal government when staying in the country for a minimum of 30 days.
As a result, the CSA published a press release on March 3, 2025, advising travelers to check if they were issued an electronic I-94 to prove legal entry to the United States. The CSA says that an electronic I-94 is automatically generated for each traveler when he or she is being allowed into the country.
While the release affirms that this includes most Canadians, it also warns that, in some situations, an I-94 may not have been automatically generated. That said, anyone issued one of the documents designated as evidence of registration under Title 8 in Code of Federal Regulations 264.1(b) has officially been registered, including non-immigrant visitors with an electronic I-94 admission record.
Regardless, the CSA encouraged travelers to double check their I-94 registration status at this link. If the link generates the traveler’s latest I-94 when his or her personal information is entered, then he or she is confirmed to be registered with the federal government.
If not, the CSA originally recommended that travelers register with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) when this registration is available. As of the CSA’s first press release, the portal was not active yet.
However, after CSA Executive Director Michael MacKenzie sent a letter to Secretary Kristi Noem of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the organization provided an update.
The update, published on March 12, advised that the travelers who did not have an I-94 when they checked the link need to create an online USCIS account here and submit Form G-325R.
This form is only available to be filed online through a USCIS account. At this time, it cannot be filed in person or via mail. Once a traveler’s registration is complete, the USCIS will reportedly post a notice providing proof of registration on his or her account that can be downloaded and printed.
The CSA stated that travelers must print their I-94 or Form G-325R registration and carry it with them as proof. It also says that Canadian citizens will be exempt from the required fingerprinting when traveling to the United States as a snowbird.
Furthermore, the CSA said that it will keep its snowbirds apprised of the situation and assured that it is working alongside Congressional representatives and the Trump administration to change the registration requirement with the goal of achieving registration exception for Canadian travelers.
“It is our position that this executive order relates to unlawfully present individuals currently in the United States and should not apply to Canadian tourists visiting the U.S. for vacation purposes,” remarked the CSA.