Last updated: 12:30 PM ET, Tue October 21, 2025
As snowbird season ramps up, so too is confusion over the new registration requirement for visitors to the U.S. who will be there for longer than 29 days.
Since being introduced this spring, the alien registration form is required to be filled in for most non-U.S. citizens who will be staying in the country for an extended stay (30 days or more.) If crossing by land and on some ferry services, Canadians who are staying past 29 days need to have an I-94 form (the form is automatically issued for those arriving by air.)
The form requires applicants to be photographed and fingerprinted at the border. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), travellers can apply for it up to seven days ahead of travel or at the border, although CBC reports snowbirds being told they cannot apply at the border.
Since Sept. 30, applying for the I-94 costs $30 US per person. Prior to Sept. 30, it cost $6 US.
Some snowbirds are reporting they are being given the option to submit a G-325R form once they are in the US, which also avoids the $30 US fee per person being charged at the border. Not everyone is being offered the alternative, however. A lot of it is still unclear and there is conflicting advice being offered by different parties.
Boomers’ Interest in US Travel Plummets
It may not be a concern for a growing number of Canadians however. The Winter Smart Traveller Survey from the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIA) reveals that people in the Baby Boomer generation (and prime snowbird demographic) are deciding against travel to the U.S. this winter.
The survey found that overall, only 26 percent of surveyed Canadians are planning a U.S. vacation this winter, down 37 percent from previous years. Among Boomers though, only 10 percent are heading across the border, representing a steep 66 percent decline from previous.
Concerns listed include the usual suspects: Rising travel costs (41 percent), political tensions with the U.S. (40 percent) and abroad (24 percent), as well as concerns around exchange rates (29 percent) and safety (20 percent) are all shaping travel decisions this winter.
Border Crossing Advice
For those who are still willing to head into the U.S., the best advice is to follow the directions of the border patrol officers they encounter. U.S. immigration lawyer Jennifer Behm told CBC News up to individual CBP officers to decide whether they will insist travellers apply for their I-94 at the border or grant them the option of completing the alternative G-325R form at their U.S. destination.
“It’s completely at their discretion,” she said.
CBP spokesperson Jessica Turner told CBC News that regardless of whether travellers register ahead of time or register at the border for the I-94, they will be charged $30 US each, and officers will photograph and fingerprint them at the border.
“These measures are required under U.S. immigration law to enhance border security, verify travellers’ identities, and ensure compliance with U.S. entry and exit requirements,” said Turner in an email to CBC News.
Related: If the U.S. is Out, Where Should Snowbirds Migrate this Winter?
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