Pick Your Crossing From History, Not From One Live Number
One day is a shape; several days are a rule. Compare like with like, read when the wait climbs, and check whether the NEXUS gap holds — plus the new one-hour trap in the charts.
ResiDays Insights
Days count. Count them right.
Short, plain-word articles on keeping Canadian PR, citizenship day counts, U.S. presence, and tax residency. We read the policy, then we read the cases of people who got it wrong, so the same mistake does not cost you.
Border Waits: Check the Forecast, Then Check the Camera
One Sunday at Pacific Highway, read three ways: the forecast that picked the hour, the live wait that overran it, and the camera that proved it. Southbound 40 minutes, northbound 5.
The Substantial Presence Test Is Not a 183-Day Rule
The IRS count is weighted: all of this year, a third of last year, a sixth of the year before. At 122 days a year you are a U.S. tax resident. The formula, two patterns, and the closer-connection exit.
Citizenship's 1,095 Days Are Not a Bigger 730
Pre-PR days count at half value, capped at 365. Days abroad with a Canadian spouse count for PR and not at all here. A worked example with real dates, and two real cases.
Before You Renew Your PR Card, Run This Self-Check
Count the rolling five years yourself, in one sitting: list every trip, pull your I-94 and CBSA records, check the days-abroad exceptions, and know the steps if the count comes up short.
The 730-Day Rule Is a Moving Window, Not a Countdown
You can be fine on June 1 and short on June 2 without leaving Canada. A worked example with real dates, two real Reddit cases, the days abroad that still count, and what to do if your count is already under 730.
How we write these: Policy claims come from IRCC, USCIS, CRA, or IRS pages, linked at the end of every article. Case stories come from public forum threads, with names and details changed. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Start with the tools
Reading about a count is one thing. Running your own is another.
- Canada Days Calculator — count days in Canada from your travel dates.
- U.S. Days Calculator — count days in the U.S. from your I-94 history.
- ResiDays for iPhone — keep the count running on your phone, on-device only.