I am a snowbird! For more than 30 years, I have been crossing the Canada/U.S. border, partially for business but mostly for pleasure. The business part was overseeing Medipac’s Snowbird Extravaganzas and the Canadian Snowbird Association’s Winter Information Meetings. I also used some of our time to review hospitals and check in on our clients now and again. And… I was not cold.

After 50+ border crossings, I am happy to say that I only had one bad experience. Amazingly, it was with Canada Customs and not the U.S. customs or immigration officials.

I was a bit of a car guy, so I thought that I would give my parents a treat. I was driving them to Florida that year, so I purchased an older 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham D’Elegance so we could go “in style.” Everything was fine until a few months later, when we were returning to Canada. The customs official looked at the fancy car and the two 90-year-old seniors in the back seat and determined that there was something amiss.

They tore the car apart and searched every nook and cranny in it, delaying us for three-and-a-half hours at the border crossing. Mom and Dad were stoic and my wife Pat knew to stay quiet, otherwise I might go crazy. The idiots charged me $14.00 as duty for a supposedly new suitcase. It was an older suitcase that belonged to my parents (who kept it in like-new condition), but I was not going to argue. That never works when dealing with officious turkeys. The car was never the same after its strip search. No drugs, no weapons, no illegal booze, no illegal immigrants stuffed into the trunk and no reason whatsoever to even stop us. I sold the car shortly thereafter, at a loss. Lesson learned, I guess.

Anyway, about 15 years ago, we decided that we should fly and often, the U.S. immigration officials at the airport would ask me to put my hand on this square green light – which I willingly did. It never really registered that they were taking my fingerprints, but that is exactly what they were doing. They then asked me to look in the mirror and took a picture of my eye irises and, of course, my face.

I really did not think anything about it until recently, when this all became an issue, although I am not sure why. Several years ago, Pat and I went to the airport and signed up for our Nexus cards and Trusted Traveler ID. These “investigators,” for that is what they were, tore us apart and asked difficult questions, but we did get our cards and never looked back. We have been shooed through dozens of immigration and customs lineups and border crossing has actually become a pleasure. Oh, and those pesky I-94 forms are automatic when you fly.

The United States has every right – I would even say “duty” – to determine who is entering their country. So, you may be stopped at the border, and be fingerprinted, and be subject to facial recognition software and iris scans. Please tolerate this with grace. I believe that one year’s inconvenience is well worth it. And do not be overly concerned about the I-94 form. Just be sure to check and confirm that an I-94 record of admission has been issued when you arrive at your winter home. If it has not been issued, register for a G-325R form, print off a copy of the application receipt and keep that copy with your passport. A little work, but it’s worth the effort.

Happy travels.