Hey guys! My husband is from the US and I’m a Canadian citizen. We are planning on going through with an inland spouse application, and just need him to be in Canada for the final details before we can submit it. However, he’s planning on moving before that happens, in April. I wanted to get some advice about crossing the land border in his car. We had planned for him to “visit” to get into the country and across the border, and once we have submitted the application, use the receipt to be able to import his car post fact. Would this work? The other idea was for us to declare he was moving at the border, but he doesn’t have any evidence of being allowed to live here yet. Is that a problem? Can we say we plan on a spousal sponsorship and show our proof of relationship (marriage, etc.)? What would be the best plan of action for us? Thanks in advance!
Entering Canada before Application
- Thread starter RemiPuppy
- Start date
If he attempts to bring goods across the border, say more than for a short trip, the CBSA officer may find that suspicious. Your husband cannot "move" to Canada without having some visa saying he can do that (Work permit/Student permit/PR/etc), and if he declares that at the border they may refuse him entry (pretty likely really). A submitted PR app is still not enough to let him move here as no decision has been made on his eligibility. He can "visit" and you can then submit the Inland app when he is here but he will not be able to work without an OWP (taking 8+ months), or import his goods without PR. It is also recommended that he not leave the country while the PR app is in progress although it is less likely he be refused re-entry if he is a US citizen unless he overstays his visitor visa. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the reply! So we will have to have him “visit” crossing the land border, and then once the application has been submitted, we can import his car? He’s not looking for work until he is allowed to, and we know that OWP are taking a while. Luckily my income can support us both for the application time. I’ve never been to the border before - are we able to export his vehicle from the US without crossing the border, or would that require crossing and re-entering again?
My understanding is you can't import the vehicle without proof of PR. Once he's been approved for PR there is a virtual landing process that can be done but if there are larger physical goods (car, furniture, personal belongings not yet in Canada), I believe he will need to re-cross the border and declare himself as PR. There is an export/import process for cars that I haven't had experience with yet as we are still awaiting PR approval ourselves, but I do know you will need papers and if the car is not owned outright, we will need a letter from his creditor giving permission for export it or you will need to pay off the loan in its entirety in order to import it.
Ok awesome, thanks so much for clearing that up! I have a consultation with an immigration lawyer on Friday, so I will be asking them about all this, and if there is anything else I can add to this information, I’ll put it in the thread below. Thanks again!
Importing a car is possible without a completed PR application. You just have to pay duties and on it. Doing so however, might bring added scrutiny by the CBSA when importing the vehicle, and could affect the future PR application. While technically possible, I don't recommend it.
Once a PR application is approved, the new PR can import personal goods and vehicles that are exempt from duties and taxes. There are limits on goods and vehicles and such, as detailed here:
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/mrc-drc-eng.html
I'm a recent PR (See sig below for complete timeline), and have imported my car and most of my personal items duty and tax free. I still have a few personal items left to import once crossing the border becomes easier, but even these items are listed in my "Goods to Follow' document I created and filed with the CBSA when I brought my car in.
Thanks so much for the info! I really don’t want to bring scrutiny to our move, so I’m thinking a later car import once he has PR is a better idea. Just means a bit of a road trip (IL to AB) but that was planned either way. Thanks!
Thanks for the clarity! It's so hard to know what to do or which questions to ask when you're in the middle of it.
I just got my ecopr and I'm looking to import my US based vehicle into Canada. How do I import my vehicle duty-free into Canada when I'm already confirmed as a PR and I'm inside Canada already? Will I still get the option to import it duty-free if I re-enter from the US/Canada border? There is not a lot of information available for importing your belongings duty free when you're virtually landed. Appreciate any help!!
Not sure if it's any different from a physical landing, where you provide an itemized list of items that you are bringing with you into Canada, as well as a Goods to Follow list for items arriving later.
Maybe give a call to RIV:
https://www.riv.ca/ContactUs.aspx
Hmm.. I'm not sure if the same process as physical landing applies here, since I'm already in Canada and confirmed PR. Even if I go to the US and re-enter with my vehicle, it wouldn't be my first entry (or landing) as a PR into Canada
Well, virtual landing or not, you would need to (or have needed to) declare whatever you are bringing into Canada. Did you not declare anything at all?
Suggest, again, calling RIV regarding your vehicle.
Didn't declare anything because I entered Canada as a Visitor and got an ECOPR while being a Visitor. So, I'm officially a PR without having to be outside of Canada, entering and declaring my belongings when I land for the first time.
Interesting. How long did they give you to provide the itemized list of whatever you plan to import into Canada?
I was provided with no information regarding that. There is absolutely no official info on IRCC’s portal or anywhere else on how declaring personal belongings works when you’re landed virtually in Canada. That’s the reason I’m going around different threads here asking for any advice from people who might have been in the same situation as me at any point.
There is also no way to declare anything lol. I didn’t have to report to a border crossing or visit any office before I was confirmed PR. I was landed virtually as any other in-land PR applicant even though I was only a visitor.