Canadians have to declare they are moving back at airport?

[Avocado22]

Hi all. My wife and 2 year-old daughter are Canadian citizens and I am a US citizen. We're moving from the USA to Canada this June. I submitted my PR application in early April, so I probably won't have it by then. I hope that shouldn't be a big deal because I'll be hopping back and forth to the USA a few times to tie up some loose ends. Our plan is for the three of us to fly into Toronto. My wife and daughter will stay there and I'll have a round trip ticket to fly back to the USA in a couple days.
My question is does my wife have to declare that she's staying at that moment at the YYZ airport? We'll only be carrying enough stuff for a week or so as a moving truck with most of our stuff will be arriving for a customs check a few weeks later. We'll be staying at my wife's parents until the moving truck arrives. I'm wondering if we could enter as visitors and then my wife go through all the customs and declaration stuff when she meets our moving truck in Mississauga. If possible, it just seems better and easier (especially with a two year old) to do all the customs stuff not at the airport.

 

[OhCanada77]

As far as i'm aware, if she's a citizen, she can come and go as she pleases? Was your wife sponsored?

 

[Avocado22]

My wife wasn't sponsored. I can't remember if I'm making this up or if I actually read it somewhere, but I thought that Canadians living abroad had to declare they were moving back to Canada at the point of entry to do customs on all their stuff. I was hoping to enter as visitors and then do customs later when the truck arrived.

 

[spousalsponsee]

Hi all. My wife and 2 year-old daughter are Canadian citizens and I am a US citizen. We're moving from the USA to Canada this June. I submitted my PR application in early April, so I probably won't have it by then. I hope that shouldn't be a big deal because I'll be hopping back and forth to the USA a few times to tie up some loose ends. Our plan is for the three of us to fly into Toronto. My wife and daughter will stay there and I'll have a round trip ticket to fly back to the USA in a couple days.
My question is does my wife have to declare that she's staying at that moment at the YYZ airport? We'll only be carrying enough stuff for a week or so as a moving truck with most of our stuff will be arriving for a customs check a few weeks later. We'll be staying at my wife's parents until the moving truck arrives. I'm wondering if we could enter as visitors and then my wife go through all the customs and declaration stuff when she meets our moving truck in Mississauga. If possible, it just seems better and easier (especially with a two year old) to do all the customs stuff not at the airport.

Your wife and daughter cannot enter Canada as visitors, as they are citizens. You must enter Canada as a visitor if your PR status has not come through at the time you travel there.

 

[Avocado22]

Your wife and daughter cannot enter Canada as visitors, as they are citizens. You must enter Canada as a visitor if your PR status has not come through at the time you travel there.

I see. I guess I'm confused because since we've been living the USA we've always gone through the "visitors" line when we go to Canada even though my wife was a citizen. I thought there was a different and specific procedure for citizens moving back to Canada as opposed to just visiting. It sounds like you're saying the procedure is the same for citizens whether they are visiting or moving back, so it doesn't make a difference with customs.

 

[HKvv]

As far as I understand it, if your wife and child are returning residents, then they are supposed to declare this to customs at the airport and present their form BSF186 and list of goods to follow in order to avoid paying duty when their goods eventually arrive. They may be asked for evidence of how long they have been non-resident as if they have been away for a year then they can bring in goods duty free if they have owned them for a year or if they have been away for five years then the goods can even by new.

 

[Avocado22]

As far as I understand it, if your wife and child are returning residents, then they are supposed to declare this to customs at the airport and present their form BSF186 and list of goods to follow in order to avoid paying duty when their goods eventually arrive. They may be asked for evidence of how long they have been non-resident as if they have been away for a year then they can bring in goods duty free if they have owned them for a year or if they have been away for five years then the goods can even by new.

Thanks, that confirms my understanding too. I was wondering what happens if they don't do this at the airport and instead do it at a later time.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Thanks, that confirms my understanding too. I was wondering what happens if they don't do this at the airport and instead do it at a later time.

She needs to declare her goods when she returns to establish residency. If she is only entering temporarily this time, she can delay. If she is actually settling, then she needs to declare the goods.

If she does establish residency without declaring her goods, CBSA can and most likely will charge her full duties.

 

[cheng9999]

Thanks, that confirms my understanding too. I was wondering what happens if they don't do this at the airport and instead do it at a later time.

For returning citizens, you are supposed to have the "goods to follow" form stamped at the border. Then you go to clear customs yourself or through an agent who needs to go with you to CBSA office in town anyway when your stuff arrives. If there's lots of stuff, say they arrive in a container, a logistics agent is involved who goes over to the CBSA office in town with you where you have this stamped "goods to follow" form in hand.

I am not sure if you can get the form stamped anywhere else or at a later date. I have heard that if you forgot to do this, you'll have to run back to the airport and get it done as soon as you can. I suppose people do forget. So let's say your wife came back, the container follows, but she does not have the stamped list of goods to follow, the contents may get taxed.

If there's no container following this particular trip, and that'll come in an upcoming trip, she'll get her goods to follow form stamped at that time. The declaration of when she is becoming a resident again is simply her own declaration. I would imagine that CBSA may ask for proof, but only proof that the person has been away as a non-resident should there be doubt. In my case, I filled in the time I left Canada as a resident, and the date I returned intending to reestablish residency, which was almost 20 years to the date, and no questions were asked to prove it. But that inbound trip for me does not have to be my resettlement trip. I could stay less than 180 days in the calendar year and continue to be non-resident. But if you import your goods and want to do it duty free, you have to put down a date on the form when you are resuming to be a resident again.

 

[miss_tizzle]

If she didn't want to do it now, she too would have to recross the boarder when she plans to state she is returning to reside.

 

[Avocado22]

Thanks! That's very helpful. So, it sounds like she definitely has to state she's resettling when we fly in. Further, part of that declaration is getting the forms stamped of our declaration of goods. This is a little tricky logistically though. Our movers said they will inventory all of our stuff at our house and complete the necessary documents for customs, but they aren't packing up our house and creating the inventory/customs docs until after we've already landed in Canada (we're going to stay at my wife's parents for a bit). The movers said they'd bring our stuff to a warehouse in Mississauga where we'll do our customs. So, if I'm understanding correctly, we need to fill out the good to follow forms ourselves and have them ready at the airport. Then in a couple weeks when the movers arrive with their inventory and forms, we'll have to meet them in Mississauga and go through customs again. I guess I was just hoping I could get out declaring everything at the airport since we'll just have a few bags and the movers said they'll do the forms later. Oh well, still excited to get there!

 

[Hurlabrick]

Thanks! That's very helpful. So, it sounds like she definitely has to state she's resettling when we fly in. Further, part of that declaration is getting the forms stamped of our declaration of goods. This is a little tricky logistically though. Our movers said they will inventory all of our stuff at our house and complete the necessary documents for customs, but they aren't packing up our house and creating the inventory/customs docs until after we've already landed in Canada (we're going to stay at my wife's parents for a bit). The movers said they'd bring our stuff to a warehouse in Mississauga where we'll do our customs. So, if I'm understanding correctly, we need to fill out the good to follow forms ourselves and have them ready at the airport. Then in a couple weeks when the movers arrive with their inventory and forms, we'll have to meet them in Mississauga and go through customs again. I guess I was just hoping I could get out declaring everything at the airport since we'll just have a few bags and the movers said they'll do the forms later. Oh well, still excited to get there!

I know what you are saying, but you will have to have a list when you land. We had the same issue. Your list can be high level. As an example of the level of detail, please refer to the attached link.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Goods_To_Follow-Canada

 

[Harry001in]

I am returning back to Canada after 350 days from US. I am a Canadian citizen and a former resident. I am just carrying the household and personal stuff that I took with me when I moved to US last year.

Do I have to fill out BSF186 form? Do I need to state approx. values of household stuff?

Would I have to pay any duties at the border?

Would there be any import requirements for the car even though it has Ontario nameplate?