ProofstayGuide · Canadian snowbirds
How long can Canadians stay in the US?
Quick answer
Canadian visitors can usually stay in the US for up to 6 months without a visa, and many snowbirds keep to 182 days in any 12 months. But a winter in the sun is counted three ways: that visitor limit, the IRS Substantial Presence Test (which most long-stay snowbirds meet, and answer with Form 8840), and your provincial health plan, such as 153 days a year in Ontario for OHIP. Stays longer than 30 days also require registration with the US government.
Three counts
Same winter, three different rules
1. US immigration: about 6 months, rolling
Canadians are admitted as visitors, usually for up to 6 months, and must state how long they plan to stay when they enter.[1] The common snowbird limit is 182 days in any 12 months, counting every day in the US, including summer trips and weekend shopping runs. Staying longer needs an extension from USCIS, applied for before your authorized stay ends.[1] Overstaying can cost you the right to visit visa-free.
Registration: visitors staying in the US longer than 30 days must be registered with the US government.[1,2] Many are registered automatically through the electronic I-94 record made when they enter; check your I-94 on the CBP website and the USCIS registration page before a long winter.
2. US tax: the Substantial Presence Test
The IRS treats you as a US resident for tax if you were in the US at least 31 days this year and 183 days counting all of this year, a third of last year and a sixth of the year before. A 4- or 5-month winter, repeated, meets it.[3] If you were in the US fewer than 183 days in the year and your home is in Canada, file Form 8840 by 15 June to stay a nonresident. Check your numbers with the Substantial Presence Test calculator.
3. Provincial health: stay home long enough
Your health card depends on time in your province. In Ontario, OHIP requires you to be physically present 153 days in any 12-month period, which leaves up to 212 days away. Away longer, and you may have to reapply.[4] Ontario also offers a one-time extended absence of up to 2 years outside Canada if you were in Ontario at least 153 days in each of the two 12-month periods before you leave.[5] Other provinces set their own limits: check yours before you book.
Example
A winter in Florida from Ontario
You spend 1 November 2025 to 30 April 2026 in Florida.
- Visitor limit: 181 days in the 12 months to 30 April. Under 182, just. Add a two-week trip to Maine in August and the 12 months to 14 August hold 195 US days: over.
- OHIP: 181 days away leaves 184 in Ontario, over the 153 you need. A three-week trip to Europe in the summer still leaves 163.
- IRS: the same pattern every year puts about 181 days in each calendar year (120 from January to April, 61 in November and December). Weighted over three years that is about 181 + 60 + 30 = 271, far over 183, so you meet the Substantial Presence Test. Each year is still under 183 days, so Form 8840 keeps you a nonresident: file it every year.
Three rules, three windows (rolling 12 months, calendar years, rolling 12 months in your province), and they move in different directions: the more time in the US, the closer to the visitor and tax limits and the further from your health-card minimum.
Sources
- Government of Canada, Travel advice for the United States: entry, registration, length of stay. Checked 25 Oct 2026.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Alien registration requirement. Checked 25 Oct 2026.
- IRS, Substantial presence test. Checked 25 Oct 2026.
- Government of Ontario, Apply for OHIP and get a health card. Checked 25 Oct 2026.
- Government of Ontario, OHIP coverage while outside Canada. Checked 25 Oct 2026.
Three rules, one winter
Count all three without a spreadsheet.
Proofstay records the country, state or province you are in every day on your iPhone, counts the 182-day visitor limit, the Substantial Presence Test and OHIP's 153 days together, warns you before a limit, and turns any year into a day-by-day report for Form 8840 or your accountant. Free to record.
See how Proofstay works →FAQ
Snowbird questions
How long can a Canadian stay in the US without a visa?
Usually up to 6 months as a visitor. Many snowbirds keep to 182 days in any 12 months, counting every US trip, not just the winter. To stay longer you must apply to USCIS for an extension before your authorized stay ends.
Do I need to register with the US government as a snowbird?
Canadians visiting the US for longer than 30 days must be registered with the US government. Check the USCIS alien registration page to see whether you need to register and how; you may already be registered if you received an electronic I-94 record when you entered.
Does the 6-month rule reset on January 1?
No. The visitor count is a rolling 12 months, so a summer trip counts against the following winter. The IRS Substantial Presence Test, by contrast, works on calendar years, weighted over three of them.
Do snowbirds have to file Form 8840?
Most long-stay snowbirds meet the IRS Substantial Presence Test after a few winters, even under 183 days a year. If you were in the US fewer than 183 days in the year and your home is in Canada, Form 8840 keeps you a nonresident. It is due by 15 June if you don't file a US return.
How long can I be out of Ontario and keep OHIP?
You need to be physically in Ontario at least 153 days in any 12-month period, which leaves up to 212 days away. If you are away longer you may have to reapply. There is a one-time option to keep coverage for up to 2 years outside Canada if you were in Ontario at least 153 days in each of the two 12-month periods before you leave.