OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) – According to Canadian media, snowbirds coming from Canada to the U.S. for the winter are finding themselves being fingerprinted and photographed.
Canadian traveler William McKeever spent the day shopping in Ogdensburg with his wife.
“There are some items you just can’t find in Canada,” he said.
He says it was smooth sailing getting across the border, but for a certain type of Canadian traveler, maybe not so much.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or CBC is reporting shock among snowbirds, who say some have been fingerprinted and photographed at the border.
The cause of confusion stems from an executive order President Donald Trump signed earlier this year requiring all visitors coming to the U.S. for 30 days or more to register with the federal government, aimed at enhancing border security.
In Ogdensburg, one Canadian said she knows snowbirds are not coming to the U.S. this year due to the current political climate. Meanwhile, it’s the opposite for McKeever who believes federal policy changes aren’t deterring the snowbirds he knows.
“They find that it’s getting a little harder, a lot of rules and legislation coming across now. You got to follow the rules,” he said.
Those rules, according to the Canadian Snowbird Association, say Canadians can register with forms I-94 or G-325R. One of them carries a $30 fee.
However, the CBC report says if border officials let Canadians into the U.S. without an I-94 form, they can fill out the G-325R form online free of charge.
Whether a short stay or longer, Ogdensburg officials hope, at a time when tourism is down, the reactions from Canadians are more like that of visitor Alex Doulov, who said,
“I visit Ogdensburg every weekend. I enjoy shopping. I enjoy the city; I love Ogdensburg. It’s a pretty city.”
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