BIRD TALK

Dear Bird Talk,

I have recently become a member. I don’t know how to get any of the information I require.
1. Should I get a U.S. Visa and bank account?
2. How do I find locations popular for Canadian snowbirds?
3. Where do I pose questions such as the above?

Othello from Ontario

Response:
Ed: These are the basic questions that every new snowbird wants to have answered. As a Canadian citizen, you are able to visit the United States for up to six months in any one 12-month period (this does not mean calendar year!). As you cross the border, you are given a “verbal” visa and you do not have to go through any formal process or pre-arrangement process to be admitted. You should always take a passport with you and some other information that identifies you as a full-time Canadian resident. A health card, a property tax bill and a bank statement have proven very helpful to other snowbirds. You should open a bank account if you are planning on staying for 60 days or longer, but should first decide on a place which you would like to visit regularly.

To find specific locations where there are lots of other Canadians, your best bet is to talk to other snowbirds or perhaps to the CSA director for your province at one of our many meetings. U.S. meeting locations and dates are found elsewhere in this magazine. If you call the CSA office, we can arrange for a local director to call you. You also must buy proper travel insurance and the CSA recommends the Medipac program. Again, contact details are in this issue.