Multiple residences (One in US and one in Canada)

[vineeth21393]

Hello All,

I am currently in the US on H1B and also have a valid Canadian PR card. Unfortunately, my place of employment is not very close to the border. I had a few questions regarding my situation:

1. I am at a distance where I can drive to the border every weekend and stay in Canada for the weekend. If I was to do that I'll be living in the US from Mon-Fri and in Canada from Fri-Sun. Has anyone else done this before? Can someone point me towards a forum or thread where people have done this? My concerns are regarding multiple residences, I'll maintain my US residence since I am living here 5 days a week and have a second residence in Canada for the weekends, would this cause any issues in the long run?

2. If I start traveling every weekend to Canada and back to the US is it still required to import my vehicle to Canada?

Thanks.

 

[DEEPCUR]

You can do this, but you'll have to transfer your license and import your car into Canada. If you say CBSA that you live in Canada which you will when entering during the weekend, they won't let you in with completing the import process. Once you change your license and car, your primary residence will automatically shift to Canada and you won't be considered to be residing in two places.

 

[vineeth21393]

You can do this, but you'll have to transfer your license and import your car into Canada. If you say CBSA that you live in Canada which you will when entering during the weekend, they won't let you in with completing the import process. Once you change your license and car, your primary residence will automatically shift to Canada and you won't be considered to be residing in two places.

Hi DEEPCUR, thanks for replying. I had one more question, if my address in Canada were to be my primary address and my address in US were to be my secondary address would that cause any issues in the US since I am living and working here 5 days a week?

Also, are there any restrictions on driving a Canada registered car in the US for a longer duration?

Thanks again

 

[canuck78]

Hi DEEPCUR, thanks for replying. I had one more question, if my address in Canada were to be my primary address and my address in US were to be my secondary address would that cause any issues in the US since I am living and working here 5 days a week?

Also, are there any restrictions on driving a Canada registered car in the US for a longer duration?

Thanks again

You'll need to check with your insurance company because if you are spending more time in the US Canadian insurance may not cover you.

 

[canuck78]

You can do this, but you'll have to transfer your license and import your car into Canada. If you say CBSA that you live in Canada which you will when entering during the weekend, they won't let you in with completing the import process. Once you change your license and car, your primary residence will automatically shift to Canada and you won't be considered to be residing in two places.

Are your question only related to your vehicle or general questions? If general questions determining primary residence isn't just dependent on where your car is registered. If you are spending the majority of your time in the US and working in the US you can also get in trouble if you're stopped and your car isn't registered in the US. You really need to be speaking to insurance companies about where you can get coverage based on your plan.