Returning to Canada with US citizen husband of 14 years

[wendywhybark]

I received my IR1 in 2005 and have been living with my American husband in the US since. We own a home in Washington state, which we have rented out; we just sold our condo in Florida where we lived for three years. Presently we are living with relatives in Washington state wondering what we need to get our belongings/furniture and ourselves into Canada. We have an apartment rented in Surrey, BC in both our names and our son.

What if any paperwork does my husband require to go with me to Canada to live and apply from Canada for his Cdn Immigration status.
1. We have been married 14 years.
2. Own a home in the US and rent a home in Canada in both our names
3. Are bringing in two vehicles with Florida license plates.
4. I have a valid Canadian passport and BC driver's license.

Also will we have to pay duty on our furniture and personal effects in a moving van we plan to rent to take our things up to Canada. We realize we will have to pay duty Customs and Excise, I believe, on both vehicles by the Kelly Blue Book value of both vehicles.

Any information from anybody who has some simple answers to our questions would be most welcome. I've tried calling and writing to Immigration Canada and cannot get sufficient answers. My husband is very worried he won't be able to live with me until he gets his status. I believe I must either start paperwork for him from the US or can he move up to Canada with me and apply from Canada and go back and forth between the US and Canada as I did when I was waiting for my IR1 which took two years to get.

Warmest regards
Wendy and Dave

 

[MilesAway]

Start here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp
All the required forms and documents are listed. You want the "outland" application (which is the link I posted). Provided you are a Canadian citizen, you can sponsor him from outside of Canada. He can enter Canada as a visitor while the application is in process. I don't believe he can import his belongings before that though. I will defer to other members on that.

Check out the CPP-Ottawa thread for an idea of timelines and for information about importing vehicles from the US.

The process is essentially this:
-You fill out the forms as the sponsor.
-Your husband fills out the applicant forms.
-Include all additional documents as required in the guide, including FBI and medical checks.
-Submit everything together to CPC Mississauga.
-Mississauga will approve you as a sponsor in about 2 months and they will forward your application to the visa office (CPP-Ottawa).
-CPC Ottawa may or may not request additional documents or contact you prior to sending you the COPR (confirmation of permanent residence). Once you have the COPR, he can officially land as a PR. To do that, he'll either need to go to a border crossing or book an appointment at a local CIC office.