Clarifying amount of time allowed in the U.S.
Posted date : Nov 13, 2017.
Dear Bird Talk,
We understand that there is a limit of 182 days for Ontario residents to be in the states per year. Does the year run from January to December (calendar year), or how do they estimate your stay in the states?
Beth Duffield
Point Edward, ON
Response:
Ed.: For clarity, a Canadian is not allowed to stay in the United States for more than six months in any twelve-month period. This means that U.S. authorities will look at March to March, or any other 12-month period, as well as the calendar year. You must be very careful if you shift your visit dates forward from one year to the next. Say that you spent December 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013 (six full months) on your trip last year and this year, you decide to travel from October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014 for six months. This is not allowed! If you look at the period between December 2012 and December 2013, you will have spent eight months there in the past 12 months. This is probably what the earlier letter’s border guard was trying to determine.
