After receiving PPR

[numberone]

Hi,
We just received our PPR (FSW) email today, requesting us to send our passports in 30 days. I have a few questions regarding our case:

1. We live in the US - not citizens. CIC wants us to send our passports to an address in Ottawa, ON
(CPC – Ottawa – PR 365 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa ON K1A 1L1). Isn't our Visa office supposed to be in the US?

2. We are planning to do soft landing when we get our COPR- will stay 2-3 days and then return to the US. Do we have to land the city printed on our COPR or can we land wherever we want?

3. When we want to move permanently, do we have to move to the same city we landed during our soft landing?

4. Can we pass the border by our car which is still on lease? We haven't finished the payments so the owner of the car on the paperwork is still the bank.

5. We won't be able to provide an address when we land cause we have no relatives no friends in Canada. In that case, can we rent a UPS mailbox in Canada and send its address to CIC later? What are our options in such a case? (We don't want to rent an apartment or a room )

7. We have a retirement fund in the US. Do we have to declare it when we land? If we don't do that will it be a problem when we permanently move to Canada? In other words, do we have to bring the same goods, valuables, and amount of money that we declare during our first landing when we want to do our permanent landing?

8. Can you give some info about the tax exemption rules for the first time landing?

Thanks in advance



Tags: @21Goose

 

[21Goose]

1. We live in the US - not citizens. CIC wants us to send our passports to an address in Ottawa, ON
(CPC – Ottawa – PR 365 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa ON K1A 1L1). Isn't our Visa office supposed to be in the US?
No, this is correct. You have to send your passports to Canada, along with a Prepaid FedEx envelope. They'll mail it back to you.

2. We are planning to do soft landing when we get our COPR- will stay 2-3 days and then return to the US. Do we have to land the city printed on our COPR or can we land wherever we want?
Anyway except Quebec - I'm not sure about Quebec, but I think you can't land there for the first time.

3. When we want to move permanently, do we have to move to the same city we landed during our soft landing?
No, once you get your PR card you can go anywhere you like, including Quebec.

4. Can we pass the border by our car which is still on lease? We haven't finished the payments so the owner of the car on the paperwork is still the bank.
I have heard conflicting reports about this. Technically you can, but there was someone on the forum who had a bad experience with a grumpy CBSA officer who didn't understand the concept of the soft landing. Search and you'll find it.

5. We won't be able to provide an address when we land cause we have no relatives no friends in Canada. In that case, can we rent a UPS mailbox in Canada and send its address to CIC later? What are our options in such a case? (We don't want to rent an apartment or a room )
You can rent it before you land - or after you land, whichever you prefer. Before might be better cause you can give CPSD the address when you land.


7. We have a retirement fund in the US. Do we have to declare it when we land? If we don't do that will it be a problem when we permanently move to Canada? In other words, do we have to bring the same goods, valuables, and amount of money that we declare during our first landing when we want to do our permanent landing?

I'm not sure about the 401k- I didn't mention my 401k cause I have no intention of touching it for at least 10 years - I'll wait till it hits 800k +. I fully expect to pay taxes at that time, and will figure it out with a tax attorney.

Goods and valuables, yes, you have to declare everything in your list of goods to follow, along with a CAD value of said goods. When you bring it later, the officer will look at that form, and may choose to verify/inspect. If you have things that aren't listed on the form you will have to pay any duty that is applicable.


8. Can you give some info about the tax exemption rules for the first time landing?
I believe that on first landing there is no limit to goods and assets with no tax penalty. Maybe @legalfalcon can expand on this.

 

[numberone]

1. We live in the US - not citizens. CIC wants us to send our passports to an address in Ottawa, ON
(CPC – Ottawa – PR 365 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa ON K1A 1L1). Isn't our Visa office supposed to be in the US?
No, this is correct. You have to send your passports to Canada, along with a Prepaid FedEx envelope. They'll mail it back to you.

2. We are planning to do soft landing when we get our COPR- will stay 2-3 days and then return to the US. Do we have to land the city printed on our COPR or can we land wherever we want?
Anyway except Quebec - I'm not sure about Quebec, but I think you can't land there for the first time.

3. When we want to move permanently, do we have to move to the same city we landed during our soft landing?
No, once you get your PR card you can go anywhere you like, including Quebec.

4. Can we pass the border by our car which is still on lease? We haven't finished the payments so the owner of the car on the paperwork is still the bank.
I have heard conflicting reports about this. Technically you can, but there was someone on the forum who had a bad experience with a grumpy CBSA officer who didn't understand the concept of the soft landing. Search and you'll find it.

5. We won't be able to provide an address when we land cause we have no relatives no friends in Canada. In that case, can we rent a UPS mailbox in Canada and send its address to CIC later? What are our options in such a case? (We don't want to rent an apartment or a room )
You can rent it before you land - or after you land, whichever you prefer. Before might be better cause you can give CPSD the address when you land.


7. We have a retirement fund in the US. Do we have to declare it when we land? If we don't do that will it be a problem when we permanently move to Canada? In other words, do we have to bring the same goods, valuables, and amount of money that we declare during our first landing when we want to do our permanent landing?

I'm not sure about the 401k- I didn't mention my 401k cause I have no intention of touching it for at least 10 years - I'll wait till it hits 800k +. I fully expect to pay taxes at that time, and will figure it out with a tax attorney.

Goods and valuables, yes, you have to declare everything in your list of goods to follow, along with a CAD value of said goods. When you bring it later, the officer will look at that form, and may choose to verify/inspect. If you have things that aren't listed on the form you will have to pay any duty that is applicable.


8. Can you give some info about the tax exemption rules for the first time landing?
I believe that on first landing there is no limit to goods and assets with no tax penalty. Maybe @legalfalcon can expand on this.

Great! Thank you very much for your response, 21Goose.
If the items we bring for the first time are all duty-free, is it a good idea to bring all our valuables with us when we do our soft landing?

 

[21Goose]

Great! Thank you very much for your response, 21Goose.
If the items we bring for the first time are all duty-free, is it a good idea to bring all our valuables with us when we do our soft landing?

No, you don't have to do that. The list of goods following is duty free as well. You just have to make sure that everything valuable is on the list.

Wait, I'll find a post where I laid out the list.

 

[21Goose]

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/landing-query.506571/#post-6186744

 

[numberone]

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/landing-query.506571/#post-6186744

Again, thank you 21Goose! The link is so helpful. Do we have to provide the photos of the goods in our Goods to Follow list as well?

 

[21Goose]

Again, thank you 21Goose! The link is so helpful. Do we have to provide the photos of the goods in our Goods to Follow list as well?

I took pictures of jewelry and expensive watches - anything over $1000 US. No need to take pictures of your laptop etc, just give the serial number for those.

If you have any antique artwork, furniture, or anything that's both valuable and hard to classify and has no serial numbers or other identifying information, take a picture.