1. Do not abuse hospitality.
My father always told me not to abuse the hospitality of the friends I visited; the same rule applies if one sees the United States. Generally, Canadians can stay in the United States for up to six months in any twelve months. However, the customs officer determines the length of your stay at the US port of entry based on your declaration of the purpose of your trip. Don’t forget to write down the number of days you are staying and check with the government that everything is in order!
Provincial health insurance is another reason not to abuse American hospitality. The rules vary from province to province, but all areas have set limits: if you stay out of a section too long, you could lose your right to health insurance.
Daughter’s tip: As I’ve heard horror stories before about people being turned away at the US border, I’ll be extra careful and ask my dad to bring along some documents proving he lives in Canada and that he is not trying to stay in the United States indefinitely, such as a recent bank statement, copy of a current mortgage payment or rent receipt, tax return, and recent utility bill public, and keep them in a safe place. (Or a photo of his favourite girl, which is me, but unfortunately, that won’t help at the border.)
2. Pay your taxes only once.
I missed the tax return filing deadline once, and since then, I keep been reminded to file it on time. So I have another advice for my dad: pay only Canadian taxes.
The six-month limit I told my dad about is just an immigration rule. In the case of income tax, another criterion applies that of significant presence. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses particular measures to calculate how long you can stay in the United States before you have to file a US tax return. It takes into account the time you spent in the United States this year, the time you spent there last year, as well as the year before. That’s about 120 days (four months) per year over three years.
If my dad stays there longer than that, but his stay hasn’t been six months yet, he may not have to file a US tax return if he can prove to the IRS that he has demonstrably closer ties to Canada. For this purpose, he can complete an IRS form titled Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens.
But if my father spends more than six months in the United States, he could be deported, and he will have to file a US tax return. And, to top it off, he could even lose his provincial health insurance coverage.
From time to time, there is talk of creating a special snowbird visa that would allow people like my father to spend more time (and spend more money) in the United States. None of these proposals became law, and none of them included anything about “significant presence” or provincial health insurance.
Although I have a lot of experience with Google searches, I found this topic somewhat obscure; Here is a link that might help you find out more:
Government of Canada / Travel / Destinations / United States. Click on “Entry and exit requirements”.
And here is a link to the US State Department website for information from the US perspective.
Substantial presence test (in English and other languages, but not in French). This site helps you assess the importance of your presence and explains some exceptions to the rule, including the criteria for demonstrably closer ties.
About provincial health insurance rules: Since my father lives in Ontario, he needs to know about temporary absences and extended absences. To do a Google search if he lived in another province or territory, he would only have to type in the name of that province or territory and the words “medicare eligibility stay”.
3. White lies are sometimes acceptable, but not for travel insurance.
My dad once said that a little white lie could be okay in some circumstances. I admit it. I told one or two in time to avoid one of my tasks. But when the time comes to buy travel insurance (which is mandatory for travelling to the United States), I will ask him to tell his insurer everything, that is, to say to him about his high blood pressure and the hernia he suffered while shovelling
