UNITED KINGDOM - British couple wanting RV around your beautiful America

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Not offended at all Tom, I even took it as a joke.  I'll be the first one to make fun of us.  First lesson from my finance teacher: "If you are not worth laughing at, you are not worth much", I live by those words.

And you're right that the summer is short.  People fine with visiting in 60F daytime high will be fine from late spring to early fall.  Those looking for 80F+ should stick to July and August.
 
    Tom, since Canada is 20% larger in land mass, it is even more difficult to generalize what our weather will bring, than it is to generalize US weather.  We stretch from Atlantic to Pacific, to Arctic Oceans, and from below Northern California in the south (Pelee Island).  BTW, I'll take our plus/minus 20C this summer here in the Maritimes, over Kansas' 79 days of over 100F.
    Since we are both Commonwealth Countries, there may well be special rules which would allow greater flexibility as to duration.  You can very comfortably RV in parts of Canada almost 12 months a year, many full time in southern BC.  Although, I would recommend April to October in most areas.
    As for US entry, it is my understanding that US entry as a tourist is limited to 6 months in any 12 month rolling period.  So, leaving after 6 months, and re-entering would not get around those rules.  I have heard that application can be made for longer tourist entry, but am told that it is labourious and not easily granted.  We know of several Canadian snowbirds who have been banned entry for 3 or 5 year periods for staying longer than the 6 month allowable.

Ed
 
The US and Canada are almost exactly the same size. The US is 3794083 square miles and Canada is 3855100 square miles. Anyhow I was making a joke. Don't you have a sense of humor? Anyhow for the vast majority of Canada the place is frozen most of the year.  However this has some advantages. Since Canada has a population of 33,739,900 and California has a population of 36,961,664 this means that there is a lot of undisturbed wilderness, a lot less people and a whole lot less pollution. Did you know that half of the lakes in the world are located in Canada? Of course this means that half the mosquitoes in the world are located in Canada (another joke, Ed). :p
 
[quote author=Hfx_Cdn].... it is my understanding that US entry as a tourist is limited to 6 months in any 12 month rolling period.[/quote]

First I've heard of that Ed. Do you have a link to the source?

Here's a link to an official USCIS document allowing an extension beyond the initial 6 months by merely filing Form I-539; If they don't respond before you leave, you get an automatic 8 months extension (i.e. total of 14 consecutive months) just for filing the form. This would suggest that there's no limit of 6 months in any rolling 12 months.
 
    Tom, I am merely repeating what I have been told by border guards upon entry, and from other Canadian snowbirds who claim to have been denied entry.  I will see what I can find out, but it could take a few days.
    Tom (Seilerbird) are you referring to Florida's State bird, when you claim we have so many mosquitoes? 

Ed
 
Ed,

I vaguely recall Steve Pally mentioning different rules for Canadians, but I thought they related to how long Canadians can stay out of Canada.

I do recall before we were residents, having business in BC; I flew up to Vancouver one day and back the next. But the visa issues at the time were too complex to explain here. Maybe around the campfire.
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
    Tom, I am merely repeating what I have been told by border guards upon entry, and from other Canadian snowbirds who claim to have been denied entry.  I will see what I can find out, but it could take a few days.
    Tom (Seilerbird) are you referring to Florida's State bird, when you claim we have so many mosquitoes? 

Ed
That is the one. They come down from Canada to spend the winter in Florida.
 
    Tom, here is a link to a lengthy article in the Canadian snowbird magazine on the subject.  As you can see we are at the total discretion of the border guard.

http://www.snowbirds.org/topic/bird-talk/politics-and-govt/128/159/issue-79.html#anchor2132

see also:  http://www.snowbirds.org/topic/bird-talk/politics-and-govt/128/159/issue-79.html#anchor2130

I did go to the US Customs and Border Protection website and you are correct that a form I 194 can be submitted, but it generally seems to be a request to allow entry if you have a criminal record, or if entry was denied because of a previous overstay.  Suffice to say, I will not be visiting the US for more than 6 months in any given year, unless there is a change in how the Border Service deals with tourists.
    Much of that deals with medical coverage out of our home province, but my out of country coverage only requires me to be back in my home province, then I can go  again.

Ed
 
Sounds like a great idea to me. My wife and I retired and have had a Travel Trailer (caravan) since 2007 and committed a lot of our time to touring the USA, though we still live in England.
You will of course have many options available to you, if you really need help then there are lots of support pages here and people who may be able to give advice. If you already have an outline plan then there are many options to achieve it. It usually just needs time, money, research and flexibility to achieve it. The more of these that you have then the easier it is.
We find that 10 to 13 weeks at a time leaves us ready to come home and eager for the next trip (we have done 8 so far, check our website/blog[icon in the top left of this message]).
We found Florida very accessible for Brits. Come over for a holiday, rent an RV for a few weeks, tour the RV dealers, look for some second hand bagains without being in a hurry. You may well save the cost of your holiday in getting a bargain. Decide what level of maintainance/repair you are confident to undertake, which will help you decide whether you ant a new RV or an old RV.
I would warn you that once you get the travel bug your garden will go to pot.
There is indeed a lot of good advice elsewhere on this forum. But if you want specifics then you need only ask
If you are serious and want some specific support or ideas then please email us.
 
    As I read the link provided above by Marc, visitors to Canada from the UK do not require visas for stays of up to 180 days.
 
Thanks for the links Ed.

[quote author=Hfx_Cdn].... we are at the total discretion of the border guard.[/quote]

That's been my experience, but not beyond 6 months, and it was stated as such on the USIS web site. I've also stated that in numerous forum messages. However, a forum member recently reported that they were granted 8 months merely by asking for it at the port of entry; Apparently, the border agent's supervisor was allowed to grant a longer stay.

.... you are correct that a form I 194 can be submitted ....

I didn't mention form I-194. I did, however, mention form I-539.
 
Thank You. I understand about the 6 month period but I would like to know if I can leave my RV there on a site. Is there any rules about importing an RV? I don't know the rules.
 
[quote author=Tom Y]... I would like to know if I can leave my RV there on a site.[/quote]

Where is "there"? Would that be the USA or Canada (both have been discussed in this topic).

Is there any rules about importing an RV?

Again, which country would you be "importing" into, and from where?
 

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