Canada, UK & Others Issue Travel Warnings for U.S.

March 25, 2025

Canada has joined Finland, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Germany in issuing new travel warnings for citizens planning to visit the United States.

These heightened advisories come in response to increasing detentions and deportations of international travelers due to stricter U.S. immigration enforcement, leading international governments to issue travel warnings urging citizens to carefully follow all regulations to avoid legal issues in America.

In addition, the U.S. government recently suspended policies that allowed transgender, intersex and nonbinary individuals to update their gender identity on passports, further complicating travel for some international visitors.

Stricter U.S. Policies and Their Global Impact

Under the Trump administration, U.S. immigration laws have led to increased scrutiny at border checkpoints. Travelers from Canada and other countries with historically strong diplomatic ties to the U.S. are now facing delays, legal complications and even detentions if they fail to meet expanded entry requirements.

The Canadian government is specifically advising those planning to stay in the U.S. for more than 30 days to register with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Failure to complete this registration could lead to fines, deportation or potential prosecution.

Economic Impact of the U.S. Travel Warnings

The new advisory is expected to further disrupt tourism from Canada, with projections showing that 2 million fewer Canadian visitors will travel to the U.S. this year. This decrease in tourism spending could result in a loss of $2.1B and cause 14,000 job losses across industries that rely on Canadian visitors, including airlines, hotels, restaurants and retailers.

With a significant portion of U.S. tourism reliant on Canadian visitors, this trend is already affecting businesses catering to international arrivals. As travel cancellations rise in, U.S. businesses—especially in regions close to the Canadian border—are experiencing a decline in bookings and sales.

As reported recently in U.S. media, Bellingham, WA stores and restaurants that once bustled with Canadian customers look more like “ghost towns.” Bellingham is about 18 miles south of the US-Canada border.

Meanwhile, according to Tourism Economics—which analyzes global travel data and economic impact—international travel to the U.S. is projected to decrease by 5.1 percent in 2025, resulting in a possible loss of $18B in visitor spending this year.