Canadian snowbirds are fingerprinted and photographed at the US border under new requirement
Several Canadian snowbirds reported being fingerprinted and photographed at the U.S. border this month while registering.They are preparing for their winter stay, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says is now standard procedure at CBC News.
Jacquie and Steve Ree, from Ladysmith, British Columbia, arrived at the Peace Arch border crossing between Surrey, British Columbia and Blaine, Washington on October 9.
Snowbirds knew they would have to comply with a new registration requirement for travelers staying in the United States for more than 29 days. So when a CBP agent said they could complete the process at the border, the couple agreed, unaware of what awaited them.
Jacquie Ree said they were sent to a secondary inspection where their campervan was searched.
“I watch them open all our hatches and we think, ‘Oh my God,’” she said. “They searched our entire camper.”
Ree says she and her husband waited in line for an hour and a half, only to be surprised.old by a second CBP officer they could not register at the border. But when they were about to leave, a third officerid, he was able to register the couple and proceeded to photograph and fingerprint them for data collection purposes.
“I thought, ‘Geez, I hope I don’t have anything in my file that they’re going to find,'” Ree said, adding that wasn’t the case.
The couple was charged $60 US in total for thetheir registration is complete.
Ree said she thought the fee was “a bit of a money grab” and found the process frustrating because CBP officers had conflicting ideas about whether travelers could be registered.
“They didn’t really know what they were doing,” she said. “I felt bad for them.”
Persistent confusion
Confusion over registration rules has increased since US President Donald Trump issued a decree earlier this year regardingdemanding many foreign visitors remaining 30 days or more to register with the U.S. government.
Those who fail to comply face fines of up to US$5,000 or imprisonment.
This requirement has been in effect since April. However, as the new snowbird season begins, it is the first time many Canadian snowbirds have encountered the rules, leading to some uncertainty and frustration.
Air travelers are generally exempt from the registration requirement because they receive an electronic arrival record (I-94) upon entry into the United States.. However, land travelers generally do not receive one.
The Snowbirds say they are insulted that the Trump administration is starting to enforce an existing law for Canadians that requires anyone crossing a land border and staying more than 30 days to register with U.S. immigration authorities.
An online article from CBP, updated October 2, presents land travelers with two options for obtaining their I-94: They can pre-apply through the I-94 website or the CBP One app within seven days before entering the United States, or they can check in at the border.
CBP spokespersonHis son, Jessica Turner, told CBC News that whichever method they choose, travelers will be charged US$30 each, and agents will photograph and fingerprint them at the border – all part of the I-94 application process.
“These measures are required by U.S. immigration law to strengthen border security, verify the identity of travelers and ensure compliance with U.S. entry and exit requirements,” Turner said in an email to CBC News.
But immigration lawyers and snowbird organizations say there is another option for long-term land travelers: If border agents let them into the United States without an I-94, they can register online at their destination by filling out a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) form called G-325R.
The form asks travelers a long list of personal questions, such as their U.S. address, email address and marital status. It must be completed within 30 days of arrival, and there is no fee or fingerprinting requirement for Ca.nadians.
U.S. immigration attorney Jennifer Behm says it will be up to each CBP officer to decide whether to insist that travelers ask for their I-94 at the border or grant them the option to fill out the G-325R alternative form at their destination in the United States.
“It’s entirely up to their discretion,” she said.
Snowbird Ree said she was told at the border she could fill out Form G-325R online, but instead chose to register at the border.
However, when snowbirds Brenda Paige and her husband Dan, from Calgary, arrived at the U.S. border in Sweet Grass, Mont., on Oct. 2, there was no mention of the Form G-325R option.
Instead, she says they were automatically sent to secondary inspection so that a CBP officer could help them complete the I-94 application process.
“He just said, ‘OK, who’s going to start?'” Paige said. “It just seemed like he had a bucket list.”
Paige said the couple were photographed, fingerprinted and charged US$60 in total. She said no part of the process was presented as optional.
“We want to come back every year, so we did.”
Another snowbird, Caroline Horne of Burlington, Ont., said she and her husband had a completely different experience at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday.
She said the couple told the border agent they planned to stay in Florida for about 30 days and he let them in without mentioning the registration requirement.
“Nothing was brought up other than what we do as part of the job and whether we consume alcohol or tobacco,” Horne said.
CBC News sent Horne a link to the G-325R form, which she quickly filled out.
Separate departments cause confusion
CBC asked CBP’s Turner about the G-325R form option. She rejected him.
“This does not replace the requirement for an I-94 nor is it relevant to the entry process for Canadian citizens,” Turner said.
Attorney Behm attributes the confusionon over-registration options to the fact that two separate immigration agenciesCBP and U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) are involved in the process.
“They are not always fluid in the way they operate or in the way their operations or decisions influence each other,” said Behm, a partner at Berardi Immigration Law in Buffalo, New York.
She says if snowbirds pre-register online or check in at the border, they will likely be sent for secondary inspection, which automatically means they will be fingerprinted and photographed to verify their identity.
“When you go through the secondary inspection office, it’s part of their overall action plan,” she explained.
Behm says snowbirds who instead fill out USCIS Form G-325R while in the U.S. might find that experience to be smoother.
“If you’re computer literate…it’s not too heavy an application.”
The Trump administration is being sued over the looming requirement for travelers to register with the government if they stay 30 days or more. Scheduled to take effect April 11, the rule has alienated many Canadian snowbirds who now say they are considering leaving the United States because of it.
“So many questions are coming”
Stephen Fine, president of Snowbird Advisor, which runs a resource website, says he will be monitoring the registration process this season so he can keep snowbirds informed.
“There are so many questions coming up,” he said. “We receive dozens of emails every week about this. »
Fine says he worries that some snowbirds might forced to apply for an I-94 at the border and not be offered the alternative: register online once in the United States
“I feel like there may be some CBP officers who won’t give you the option or will make you feel like you don’t have a choice. [another] option, “hI said.
Snowbird Paige, who was left with no other choice at the border, said she didn’t mind the process, including fingerprinting and photo scanning.
“It didn’t worry me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Canadians already in the United States can check out this CBP webpage to see if they automatically received an I-94 upon entry.
