Canadians have always been treated somewhat loosely when travelling to the U.S, and we could be confident that travelling to our closest neighbour would be pretty much like being ‘at home’. But things have changed, and now you need to be really prepared in more ways than one.
First, if you are travelling to the U.S. for 30 days or more, you may need to register as an Alien before you go. Registration is part of the U.S.’s border security measures to safeguard their immigration system. That means if you are a Snowbird or are just planning an extended trip of 30 days or longer in a single visit to the U.S., you must be clear on when and how to register before you go.
And, with rapidly shifting political and economic situations, it’s more important than ever to have the financial protection of travel insurance.
How do you know if you need to register to travel to the U.S.?
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now requires that you are registered with them if you are 14 years of age or older, and that your children under 14 remaining in the U.S. for 30 days or longer are registered too.
You are already registered or exempt and don’t need to take additional action if you:
- Are a dual citizen of the United States or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
- Arrive in the United States by air
- Have been issued a Form I-94 when being admitted at a land Port of Entry
- Have been issued a U.S. immigrant or non-immigrant visa and are in the U.S. based on that visa
- Have been issued a U.S. Employment Authorization Document
- Are an American Indian born in Canada who entered the United States under Section 289 of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1359).
You need to register if you intend to stay in the U.S. for at least 30 days in a single visit and:
- Enter at a land port of entry as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure and are not issued Form I-94 (for example, you are a Snowbird)
USCIS has created a web-based registration process on its website at Alien Registration Requirement | USCIS and to register you may create your account here.
U.S. Customs may be tougher when you cross the border
When you travel to the U.S., you can’t treat the border casually anymore, and there may be unpredictable customs inspections. If you register before your trip, take a copy of your registration with you to the border customs (and while you are in the U.S., you should carry evidence of your registration at all times) and
- Make sure your passport is valid for more than six months, or if it’s longer, the duration of your stay in the U.S.
- Be prepared to say how long your stay will be and have evidence of your plan to return to Canada and where your accommodation is
- Speak respectfully and honestly to the border patrol
- Make sure there is nothing on your person and your technology that could be viewed in a negative light by U.S. immigration.
You may want to leave as many of your electronic devices at home as possible. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have the authority to ask for your passwords to search your computer, phone, camera or other electronic devices, and even look at your data saved in the cloud.
If you don’t want border agents to search through your personal data, you can use a temporary or pre-paid phone.
New travel insurance tip for your U.S. trip plans: Get cancellation insurance
If you are still travelling to the U.S., make sure you have everything you need, including, more than ever, your travel insurance.
You should make sure that you have trip cancellation/interruption insurance to protect your travel investment. Trip cancellation insurance is designed to cover only prepaid monetary losses that are not refundable by the travel supplier, like reservation deposits, payments for tour packages, or cruise ship tickets.
Trip cancellation benefits typically include specific covered reasons for cancellation, such as illness or Injury (if you, a traveling companion, or a family member falls ill or gets injured before the trip), death (the death of you, a traveling companion, or a family member), weather (severe weather conditions that prevent travel), natural disasters (events like hurricanes or earthquakes at your destination), legal obligations (jury duty or being called to court) and job loss (unexpected job loss or layoff).
Cancelling due to your change of mind or personal reasons generally is not covered. It is important to review your policy to fully understand what situations are eligible for coverage, and which are not.
Read How To Avoid Wasting Your Travel Dollars for more information.
If you have booked to travel to the U.S. but now want to change your destination you should check to see if your travel insurance policy needs to, or can be, adjusted to meet your needs. And, if you have purchased single trip emergency medical coverage, it can be refunded up until the day before your planned departure.
Remember to purchase trip cancellation/interruption insurance when you buy your trip (or preferably within 72 hours) not weeks or months later. Once the government issues a travel advisory, it’s too late to buy travel insurance to cover it.
Stack your travel insurance protection
There are various types of travel insurance available, so you can stack up what you want, when you want it.
For example, you can have a multi-trip emergency medical plan in place which will cover you for multiple trips within a year (including those to the U.S.) that covers emergency services such as
- Physician fees
- Hospital stays
- Surgery fees
- Medications
- Ambulance
Your coverage will include travel assistance, which is available 24/7, or handy apps that help you access local emergency phone numbers and locate hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Then if you’re booking a vacation (to the U.S. or elsewhere), you can ‘stack up’ your coverage by purchasing non-medical coverage like trip cancellation or interruption insurance you need in order to just protect that one trip’s investment.
Ready to travel to the U.S.? Don’t leave home without your travel insurance.
Travel insurance can potentially save you thousands of dollars when something goes terribly wrong. Make sure you’ve put insurance in place. Go online to sbis.ca to learn about how you can choose from multiple travel coverage options in minutes.
Packages are available for Emergency Medical coverage for every member of your family. You can also purchase All-Inclusive insurance coverage for Emergency Medical, Trip Cancellation and Interruption, Baggage Loss, Damage and Delay, and Flight and Travel Accidents. If you require any assistance purchasing your travel insurance, give us a call at SBIS at 416.601.0429 or 1.800.667.0429 toll-free and we can help. Or go online today.
