Pre Landing Questions

[HBeach78]

Hello All,

I am happy to announce that I Finally received my Passport Request the other day! I was prompt about getting that sent out along with the 4 required photos, but anyway...

I just had a few questions,

How thorough does the itemized list have to be? I'll be bringing up the bare minimum like a suitcase full of clothes, a file organizer with all of my personal important papers and I'll be driving my 2001 Saturn with the typical emergency road kit in the trunk including coolant and washer fluid...

Do I have to list everything I have in the car including cd's?
Just how detailed does the list have to be?
Do I need to make a copy of my Title for them to keep?
Is there a special form to import the car that I need before I land?

Sorry for all of the silly questions, But I intend to land in Canada around December 1 and I really don't want any surprises.

This whole process has been very frustrating for me, I prefer to have my ducks all in a row and hope to have a smooth Landing.

Initially my husband and I were going to settle in Ontario, plans have changed since the paperwork was filed, and after we get through the Alexandria Bay port of entry we will be driving 2,500 miles to Calgary.... Is this going to cause any issues during the landing process? I suppose I could give his grandparent address to forward my PR card to and have them sent it out later....

Any helpful tips and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank You

 

[HBeach78]

Ok. I'm back with a few more questions...

My spouse is my sponsor, will I be required to show proof of funds?

Do I need to list the contents of my purse and the items that I'll be wearing?

Should I make extra copies of anything in particular?

I am only bringing what ever can fit in my Saturn... in this case less is more, and the easier I make it for the officers at the border to do their job the better for me.

OH and one last thing, Are there any "hidden" fees I should be aware of or take into consideration?

Again Thanks in advance!

 

[kumbu.bumbu]

In my case I landed from US. When I landed I did not make a perfect complete list. I gave about 10 major items like Cars, TV, Computer and jewels. Then when I permanently moved in I used u-haul truck with tonnes of load. That was not even checked. All I had to do was fill in the B4 and B4A forms (importing goods). The Items in the these forms were much different from my goods to follow itemized list. Only the cars were taken with care to fill in all import forms as it is needed to register in Canada.

Only the sponsor has to show the proof of funds. Others can land with the sponsor or after(Not before).

A piece of advise is get all your Auto Insurance Experience letters in the Insurance company letter head and driving records from DMV or RMV. This is needed to transfer the driving license and getting canadian Auto Insurance. I had some hard time in getting these.

And the cashier's checks are treated in Canadian banks as just personal checks and need 21 days to clear. So for immediate expenses don't releay on it. Bring traveler's checks.

 

[Karlshammar]

You can also get an international money order or international bank draft in CAN$, and it should be immediately available if you deposit it into a Canadian bank.

 

[HBeach78]

Wow,
Ok... I thought that US drivers didn't have to provide proof of Auto Insurance Experience/ Driving record because the the laws here and in Canada were similar and would be transferable... Like I should be able to turn in my license from Massachusetts and not have to go through the learners permit, and jump ahead to their version of a Class D license... I thought that only applied to people immigrating from places like the UK, Australia... hmmm That's one more thing that is not really clear.

Just one more thing to add to my To Do List... Hopefully I can get things sorted before December 1st as I intend to Land that day!

I'm not too concerned about travelers checks/money orders... I will leave my account open here for a few months and I can used my debit/mastercard for any spending, and the online banking in a bonus.

Thank You both for your replies

 

[Karlshammar]

They are generally transferable from the U.S. without a record from most states. Here in ON I think only New Jersey requires a record in conjunction. It may differ in other provinces or have changed here in ON since I got my licence (about one and a half years ago). I had a California licence and it swapped right over.

 

[BCKev]

Good to Follow:

From your post I get the impression that you will not be bringing all of your possessions with you when you go to Canada. If you have left things in the US and want to bring them to Canada later it would be wise to make a list of those items. Give them the list at the time of landing and you will be able to bring them to Canada later duty free.

 

[HBeach78]

I am only bringing in the bare minimum... clothes and personal papers, maybe a few trinkets with sentimental value and photos, driving my Saturn up, and @ $800.00... that's about it.. I am currently selling/donating everything else. I will not have anything I need to come back for, No Goods To Follow This is a one shot trip for me and I'm trying to make this as smooth as possible. And if all goes as planned I should be landing November 30th!

Thanks again for all of the replies