How Long Can A Canadian Stay In The US (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 6 Months

When a person wants to visit or stay in a foreign country, there are many things they should first complete and follow. The procedures are countless, there are many forms and applications required to get everything right. Some people come into other countries legally, while some are considered non-immigrant visitors.

The most common question asked by anybody who visits the USA, one of the most well-developed countries and in the world, is how long a person can stay in the USA with and without a visa. There are some countries called visa-exempt countries, and the people who ask these questions are normally the non-immigrant ones and the people from the visa-exempt countries.

The Canadians are especially concerned, because, they have to go through all the procedures, just like immigrants from Europe, Asia, Australia, and practically every other country in the world. Canada and the USA are quite intertwined through cultural ties and strategic trade options. Though each country has relaxed norms for the other country’s citizens, there are still some rules.

How Long Can A Canadian Stay In The US?

Normally, Canadians aren’t that sure about how long they can stay in the USA with and without a visa. To be on the safer side, it is better to know all about immigration. How long a Canadian can stay in the US depends and varies based on the various categories of immigrants and what their purpose of the visit is. Not every Canadian who steps into the US gets treated equally. The length of a person’s stay depends on whether they have a visa or not.

Canadian visitors, transit travelers, and business travelers do not need a visa to enter the USA. Although, the majority of the Canadians entering the USA, are tourists, with a tourist visa and they come to the USA during winter. Canadian snowbirds are the term that is used to refer to these tourists, by US citizens.

A Canadian can visit the US without a visa, but it is better to visit and stay with a visa due to legal reasons. Staying in the US longer than 180 days without a visa will certainly be illegal and can get a person into trouble.

Why Can A Canadian Stay In The US For That Long?

According to the US immigration Act, which is followed by the USCIS, a Canadian resident can stay in the US for 6 months, i.e. 180 days. To stay in the US for 6 months, a person doesn’t need a green card or a visa. There is also no need to be a US citizen. The year doesn’t mean the calendar period, but the rolling 365 day period, which starts from the day the Canadian citizen enters the United States. There are different types of visas that a Canadian can apply for before entering the US if they want to stay longer than 6 months.

Some of the major visas include E visas, E2 visas, H1B work visa, K1 visa for foreign citizen fiance, V1 visa for spouses of lawful permanent residents, A visa for Canadian government employees, G visa for Government officials of other international organizations, and some others. Another important fact is that Canadians who are removed from the USA or have a felony record or any sort of criminal record must go through completely different types of procedures.

Conclusion

When Canadians want to extend their stay in the US, they can fill a form of I-539, which is the Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status form. This form should be filled before the Canadian’s authorized stay in the US ends. Also, Canadians who work in the USA have different tax rules based on the IRS guidelines. A person will have to file their taxes properly if they extend their stay beyond 180 days.

There are also different rules about health insurance and when a person accidentally overstays in the US, they will have to face a lot of lawyers, paralegals, and consultants on how to manage everything and get out of it unscathed.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210539515000334
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15562948.2015.1011364