US-based applicants, let's connect here

[trumprefugee]

I wouldn't have a stamp...I have the email and name card from where the photo was taken. I could go to Walgreens/CVS but they don't take good photos and they also modify things...unless I go to a professional photographer, which I feel is an overkill...Where do people take photos in the US?

These are the specifications
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/information/applications/guides/pdf/5445eb-e.pdf

Note the following:

The back of one (1) photograph must:
bear the name and date of birth of the subject, as well as the name and complete address of the photography studio
bear the date the photograph was taken
the photographer may use a stamp or handwrite this information. Stick-on labels are unacceptable


I was living in New York and went to this place
http://www.doicamera.com/passport.html#canada
I would recommend looking up places in your area that specialize in passport photos and specifically Canadian PR photos.

 

[moose17]

I wouldn't have a stamp...I have the email and name card from where the photo was taken. I could go to Walgreens/CVS but they don't take good photos and they also modify things...unless I go to a professional photographer, which I feel is an overkill...Where do people take photos in the US?

Check out my post here. If you can get a specialty studio, great, but if your town is like mine and absurdly overcharges for them, just do your best at Walgreens and retake ones in Canada when you land or move here in case the Walgreens ones aren't taken (or once you know - it just depends on your timeline). Photos here were in Toronto about $12 for reference. For our Walgreens set I wrote all the info on the backs and we got our COPRs back just fine, though they weren't accepted for PR cards (almost certainly because of the horrible photos quality, not that).

If you have reason to expect to need a PRTD to go to Canada, that'll change the math some too, but between being US citizens and only needing to drive for any border crossings prior to getting PR cards we were fine just using the COPRs with crappy photos until we got better photos done in Canada.

 

[boldmove2018]

Thank you guys for your input. Since I've spent so much money on this already, I will just drop another $80 or so at a wedding photography studio to get a photo taken. Hopefully I will win the VO's heart that way with a high-quality headshot and get my COPR back a day or two sooner

Oh wait, I don't have PPR yet...

 

[northern sunshine]

Thank you guys for your input. Since I've spent so much money on this already, I will just drop another $80 or so at a wedding photography studio to get a photo taken. Hopefully I will win the VO's heart that way with a high-quality headshot and get my COPR back a day or two sooner

Oh wait, I don't have PPR yet...

Hahaha, I've had a trip to Canada planned for Canada day for a while and I've asked my boyfriend several times to make sure we don't forget to go get passport photos while I'm up there so that I don' have to deal with Walgreens again should my PPR ever come.

 

[boldmove2018]

Hahaha, I've had a trip to Canada planned for Canada day for a while and I've asked my boyfriend several times to make sure we don't forget to go get passport photos while I'm up there so that I don' have to deal with Walgreens again should my PPR ever come.

Nice. Great planning skills. A keeper

A trip to Canada is absolute luxury. I was there a couple of months ago. Still savoring it. Saving my next one for landing...

 

[lampbreaker]

I wouldn't have a stamp...I have the email and name card from where the photo was taken. I could go to Walgreens/CVS but they don't take good photos and they also modify things...unless I go to a professional photographer, which I feel is an overkill...Where do people take photos in the US?

You can write the photographer's name and address on the back yourself from the business card. Also add date photo taken, your name and DOB.

 

[boldmove2018]

You can write the photographer's name and address on the back yourself from the business card. Also add date photo taken, your name and DOB.

Bloody brilliant!

 

[lampbreaker]

Bloody brilliant!

That's why they gave it to you.

 

[boldmove2018]

You can write the photographer's name and address on the back yourself from the business card. Also add date photo taken, your name and DOB.

Just to follow up. I had a photo taken while I was in Toronto in May. Inspired by you, I used an online software to combine four of them into something that's printable from Walgreens. A 4x6 printout has 4 photos on it and costs me 35 cents. Now I just need to find a place to cut it into four! Got a scissor to spare?

 

[PianoTiger]

Just to follow up. I had a photo taken while I was in Toronto in May. Inspired by you, I used an online software to combine four of them into something that's printable from Walgreens. A 4x6 printout has 4 photos on it and costs me 35 cents. Now I just need to find a place to cut it into four! Got a scissor to spare?

Which online photo software?

 

[boldmove2018]

Which online photo software?

Something like this but I forgot the exact site I used:

https://www.123passportphoto.com

 

[Ang&Guille]

Hi Guys! Hope you are all doing great.

Wells Fargo Bank did not authorize us to export the car in August when we will be moving for good to Toronto . We are starting to look at the option to get a personal loan (unsecured) but the interest rate for 20K with a 757 credit score are crazy high. Does anyone have any experience moving with a car that has an upside-down loan? (Dealer will buy it for $15K, balance on the loan is $20K).

Do you guys know what are the deals for buying used or new cars for newcomers? Which dealer offers the best option?

 

[kynno]

Hi Guys! Hope you are all doing great.

Wells Fargo Bank did not authorize us to export the car in August when we will be moving for good to Toronto . We are starting to look at the option to get a personal loan (unsecured) but the interest rate for 20K with a 757 credit score are crazy high. Does anyone have any experience moving with a car that has an upside-down loan? (Dealer will buy it for $15K, balance on the loan is $20K).

Do you guys know what are the deals for buying used or new cars for newcomers? Which dealer offers the best option?

Been researching that for a little while now as I am in the exact same boat. My car loan is thru Chase bank and they already told me that they will not allow me to move to Canada with the car even if I keep making the payments. That said, apparently, even if the banks here did agree to let you go with the car while you are still making payments, I don't think you would have been able to import it to Canada. Reason being, you cannot import a car if it still has a lien on it. The car has to be paid full and you need the title in hand with your name on it showing that it is yours. (anyone who knows otherwise, feel free to correct me)

Best advice I could give you is to sell the car for as much as you possibly can and then get an unsecured loan or use credit cards to pay the bank the difference. Other option is if you are not too attach to the US and you don't care much about what happens to your credit score here after you leave (of course, that is also if you don't plan on coming back to live in the US anytime soon), you can always let the bank repo the car. I wouldn't recommend that route unless you absolutely have no other options.

As for deals on buying a used or new cars for newcomers, I can't really speak to that yet since I have yet to land. However, I would think that it won't be a simple walk in the park since you won't have any credit whatsoever after landing. Best thing I would think would be to buy a used car with cash if that something you can afford to do or move to an area where you can rely solely on public transit.

Hope that helps!

 

[clguy]

Been researching that for a little while now as I am in the exact same boat. My car loan is thru Chase bank and they already told me that they will not allow me to move to Canada with the car even if I keep making the payments. That said, apparently, even if the banks here did agree to let you go with the car while you are still making payments, I don't think you would have been able to import it to Canada. Reason being, you cannot import a car if it still has a lien on it. The car has to be paid full and you need the title in hand with your name on it showing that it is yours. (anyone who knows otherwise, feel free to correct me)

Best advice I could give you is to sell the car for as much as you possibly can and then get an unsecured loan or use credit cards to pay the bank the difference. Other option is if you are not too attach to the US and you don't care much about what happens to your credit score here after you leave (of course, that is also if you don't plan on coming back to live in the US anytime soon), you can always let the bank repo the car. I wouldn't recommend that route unless you absolutely have no other options.

As for deals on buying a used or new cars for newcomers, I can't really speak to that yet since I have yet to land. However, I would think that it won't be a simple walk in the park since you won't have any credit whatsoever after landing. Best thing I would think would be to buy a used car with cash if that something you can afford to do or move to an area where you can rely solely on public transit.

Hope that helps!

Asking the bank for permission is pointless. Banks have no control in what you do with your car as long as maintain payments. Many people live and drive in Canada with US plates for that very same reason of being able to pay off the loan immediately. The only thing that will happen is that you won’t get to register the car in Canada if there is a lien on the car. I would simply drive the car in Canada with US plates, insurance and registration until I am able to switch over. Nissan financial through Nissan dealerships have a program for new comers with no credit to buy new and used cars as old as 2016 models as long as you have a down payment of at least 10%.

 

[kynno]

Asking the bank for permission is pointless. Banks have no control in what you do with your car as long as maintain payments. Many people live and drive in Canada with US plates for that very same reason of being able to pay off the loan immediately. The only thing that will happen is that you won’t get to register the car in Canada if there is a lien on the car. I would simply drive the car in Canada with US plates, insurance and registration until I am able to switch over. Nissan financial through Nissan dealerships have a program for new comers with no credit to buy new and used cars as old as 2016 models as long as you have a down payment of at least 10%.

The person who asked the question said they were moving to Canada permanently so I assumed they wouldn't be driving back and forth but thanks for also pointing that out as in option as well as touching base on the Nissan financing deal!