Dear Bird Talk, I am spending five months in Florida each year and wish to take a two-week vacation in Mexico. Is this deducted from my 182-day limit? Anthony Simpson Tiny, ON Response: Ed.: No! Only days in the United States will count, unless you leave from the U.S. in the middle of your five-month […]

Dear Bird Talk, In your last newsletter, there was an ad for the Canadian company called “Roam.” Does CSA endorse this cell phone company? Has CSA in the past investigated and recommended smart phone plans to their members who use text, talk and data in the U.S. If not, why not? Thanks in advance for […]

Dear Bird Talk, I just read a blog that indicated that CSA says that we can stay for 183 days + 30 days if we own property and are over 55. Is this correct? Terry Olson Kamloops, BC Response: Ed.: This is very wrong! There is a lot of misinformation in the blogosphere. You are […]

Dear Bird Talk, Please advise. If I wish to stay in the U.S. for 150 days every year, am I allowed to do that? And if I file form 8840 every year accordingly, do I still have to pay U.S. income tax on worldwide income? (This is assuming that I earn no income whatsoever in […]

Dear Bird Talk, I saw this on Facebook this a.m. Is it true? Don Peddle posted: Yesterday morning, I dropped off a buddy at the airport to fly to the states. When he got to Newark customs, they refused to let him into the states. The reason was that he had an impaired charge 32 […]

Dear Bird Talk, We arrived in the U.S. on October 22 and will be heading back to Canada mid-December for Christmas, returning in January. At a CSA presentation, we were told that we must be home for at least 30 days before returning to the U.S. Otherwise, those days count as days in U.S. None […]

Dear Bird Talk, We typically spend four to five months in the U.S. in the winter. Next year, in the summer, we are planning a 32-day cruise that originates in Alaska, goes through the Northwest Passage and ends in New York, following stops in Newport and Boston. As we won’t have been out of the […]

Dear Bird Talk, Good day. First, keep up the great work on Bird Talk! Very informative. I recently had an auto accident on my way to Florida. While trying to arrange shipment of a second vehicle to Florida, I discovered the murky world of auto shippers. I did consider the drive-down option as advertised in […]

Dear Bird Talk We have owned a home in Florida for six years and are considering selling it. Can we just bring our furnishings back to Canada? Claire Jacobs Wellington, ON Response: Ed.: The general answer is “yes,” for anything that you have owned in the U.S. for at least several months. We recommend that […]

Dear Bird Talk, I have been given an exit date of March 8, 2015, even though it is far fewer than 182 days for my stay in the U.S. The agent would not tell me why. Is there a way to get this visit extended to April 15? Even though I have never overstayed in […]