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Canada's Snowbird Visa Bill Is Back, and It Could Reshape Florida's Condo Market
A bipartisan bill would let older Canadian homeowners stay in the US up to eight months a year, a change with real stakes for sunbelt real estate
Published: July 16, 2026
A bill that has resurfaced in Congress every few years since 2011 is back again. This week, lawmakers reintroduced the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act, which would let qualifying Canadian retirees spend significantly more time in the United States each year without needing a formal visa.
Under current rules, Canadian visitors can generally stay in the US for up to 182 days per year before running afoul of immigration and tax residency rules. The proposed legislation would extend that window to as much as 240 days for Canadians aged 50 or older who own a home or have a signed rental agreement in the US, spend part of the year in Canada, and maintain no other significant ties elsewhere.
The bill's sponsors, drawn from both parties, argue that the change would formalize an economic relationship that already exists informally: hundreds of thousands of Canadian retirees already own property in sunbelt states, and advocacy groups estimate their annual spending supports tens of thousands of American jobs in tourism, healthcare, and services.
Real estate agents in Florida and Arizona, where Canadian buyers have pulled back this year amid cross-border trade tensions and a weaker Canadian dollar, see the bill as a potential offset to that slowdown. A longer allowed stay tied directly to property ownership could encourage hesitant buyers to close on second homes they might otherwise put off.
The legislation has failed to advance in previous sessions despite periodic bipartisan support, and immigration analysts caution that its prospects this term remain uncertain given a broader push in Washington to tighten, rather than loosen, entry rules.
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