zebragal NC said:
I have the same question... I plan to cross the border from the US in 20 days and I need to know the best method of shipping my personal things. I will be driving across the border but I am considering different options for retrieving the rest of my things...
I have 30 boxes (of mostly household items & clothing) and a few small pieces of furniture. My Canadian husband and I just received our sponsorship approval letter and I will be in Canada waiting for PR status. Are there any experienced border crossers out there that have done this? I have read that it may be best practice to wait for full PR status and then bring the rest of the items at that point over as my personal effects? Are there other viable options? Tax implications ?
Any advice is greatly appreciated 8)
yes there are certainly tax implications of shipping your belongings before you are approved as a PR. Once you are approved, you will be exempt from paying duties/taxes on any times you list on your B4 forms. Until then, you are subject to any tax/duty canada imposes on those items before you are able to receive them. it's certainly NOT recommended to do this. What most people do is put their belongings in storage until pr approval, then have everything sent then. Considering US applicants are being approved in 3-6 months right now, you will not need to store them for very long.
Be very careful about bringing a lot of personal items across the border with you, especially if they are not your husband's. even if you have a PR app in the system, they don't want you bringing in your stuff until you are approved, and can turn you away. At this point, you are only a VISITOR and visitors don't travel with all of their worldly possessions.