President’s Message Karen Huestis CSA President At the end of May, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the Fiscal Year 2016 Entry/Exit Overstay Report, which contains the most recent data on foreign visitor overstays to the United States. The data show that for the fiscal year 2016, the total overstay rate of Canadian visitors admitted under a B1 (business) or B2 (tourism) visa was 1.44 per cent. While the data confirm that the vast majority of Canadians travelling by air or sea depart the United States on time, there are thousands of Canadian travellers who remain in the U.S. beyond their authorized admission period. It is important to note that the information provided by DHS relates to non-immigrant visitors who travel through an air or sea Port of Entry (POE), and does not include all foreign visitors to the United States, such as those who enter the country by car. As the information being shared between Canada and the U.S. expands under programs such as the Entry/Exit Initiative, the importance of complying with U.S. immigration policy cannot be overstated. Even in the summer months we, as snowbirds, need to be mindful of the time which we spend south of the border as day trips can add up quickly. In addition to possibly being denied entry or banned from entering the United States for multiple years, the potential tax repercussions of overstaying your time in the U.S. can be severe. OnMay 17, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (CanadaU.S. Relations) the Honourable Andrew Leslie addressed Parliament, providing important updates regarding key pieces of pending legislation, including Bill C-21, An Act to amend the Customs Act. As you may remember, Bill C-21 permits Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to collect personal information about all individuals who are leaving or have left Canada. Passage of this bill is necessary for the expansion of the cross-border information-sharing program, known as the Entry/Exit Initiative, which will automate the exchange of information on all travellers crossing the land border. Once fully implemented, an entry record into the United States will serve as an exit record from Canada and vice-versa. Bill C-21 was introduced and passed its first reading in Parliament on June 16, 2016. According to the parliamentary secretary’s statement, full implementation of the Entry/Exit Initiative is expected by 2018. We are monitoring the progress of this program carefully and will provide updates as they become available. Although you are probably reading this on what is hopefully a nice summer day, it won’t be long until it’s time to start thinking about travelling to our winter homes. One of the best ways to prepare for the journey south is by attending one of our annual Snowbird Lifestyle Presentations. This year, we are starting our tour in Ontario with stops in Richmond Hill, St. Catharines, Parry Sound and Nepean. From there, we head to Canada’s East Coast for shows in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Moncton, NewBrunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. These events combine live musical entertainment with useful information regarding the snowbird lifestyle. As always, admission is free so, if you’re able, please attend a show and say hello. Feel free to bring a friend…we are always looking for new members. You can find dates and times for all of the shows elsewhere in this issue of CSANews. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to renew their CSA membership. If you have yet to do so, please take a moment to renew by simply mailing us your renewal notice, visiting our website (www.snowbirds.org) or calling the office. We now have more than 100,000 members and believe me, that number makes a big difference when we are talking to our elected officials. Thanks also to everyone whomade donations to our Special Action Fund. Every dollar donated to the fund is held in a separate account and is used exclusively to fund our government advocacy efforts. Often, we find ourselves having to react quickly to emerging issues on the political front and that’s where the Special Action Fund is a necessary resource. If you haven’t already, please consider making a donation ‒ no amount is too small and this fund really plays an integral role in allowing us to continue to advocate on your behalf. Bill and I wish all of you a safe and relaxing summer. 10 | www.snowbirds.org
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