Taking funds to Canada upon immigration: Cash not an option

[hhk1]

FSW Outland new immigrant: Planning to make first landing from Turkey to Canada in a month (only work here, not a citizen). I have my POF in a USD account in a bank here and i might need to show the immigration officer, however due to depleting foreign reserves, it will be next to impossible to withdraw my POF in cash. These are not official policies by banks here, just branches making excuses and denying requests.

One option is taking a bank statement to show to the immigration officer, and transferring the funds via SWIFT to a Canadian account after I open one, but I am not sure if I am comfortable initiating that kind of transfer while outside Turkey, also I don’t trust the Turkish bank to not cause any problems.

Is it possible to transfer to a Canadian relatives account while here, and show the immigration officer upon landing that I have made this transfer and own these funds somehow? Or could I take a bank statement of my own account BEFORE the transfer and show it to the immigration officer? That last one’s a bit dishonest is the only thing.

I’m aware the immigration officer might not ask at all, but just to cover my bases.

 

[hhk1]

anyone who has experience with this?

 

[salamander72]

Bump.. I am in an identical situation as @hhk1 . Any help would b greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[pinemaple]

Not familiar with Turkey specifics, but is it possible to make an international online bank account while in Turkey and transfer before leaving? Some Canadian banks allow opening accounts abroad. You could also put it in like Wise or something.

 

[qdee]

I thought bringing too much cash would be the problem, because of risks of money laundering?
Wouldn't the same proof of funds you submitted along with your PR application be enough for the border officer?

 

[steaky]

I thought bringing too much cash would be the problem, because of risks of money laundering?
Wouldn't the same proof of funds you submitted along with your PR application be enough for the border officer?

how much is too much?

 

[iSaidGoodDay]

Not familiar with Turkey specifics, but is it possible to make an international online bank account while in Turkey and transfer before leaving? Some Canadian banks allow opening accounts abroad. You could also put it in like Wise or something.

Yes, I recently did 4 large transfers to 4 different bank account in Canada. Scotiabank has an upper limit of $50k, but there are other banks that allow a transfer of upto $100k too. Scotia was the easiest to open as well, it opened in 5 minutes vs others that took days.

 

[qdee]

how much is too much?

Over 10k CAD and you'd have to declare it at the border. I guess a larger amount = more attention from CBSA.

 

[qdee]

Yes, I recently did 4 large transfers to 4 different bank account in Canada. Scotiabank has an upper limit of $50k, but there are other banks that allow a transfer of upto $100k too. Scotia was the easiest to open as well, it opened in 5 minutes vs others that took days.

Did you open 4 accounts just to circumvent the 50k limit, or are there other considerations?

 

[iSaidGoodDay]

Did you open 4 accounts just to circumvent the 50k limit, or are there other considerations?

Yes, Scotia limits to only $50k. We can't send more than $50k to each Scotia account.

 

[salamander72]

So is it ok if we only show the proof of funds letter we got from the turkish bank? Or do we actually have to carry the money with us or have the money in a canadian bank?

 

[iSaidGoodDay]

So is it ok if we only show the proof of funds letter we got from the turkish bank? Or do we actually have to carry the money with us or have the money in a canadian bank?

POF from your Turkish bank should be sufficient if you have enough balance for POF.

 

[salamander72]

Thanks everyone.
So it seems that the POF document and Turkish bank statements are enough - no need to have the full required fund amount in cash or in a Canadian bank account upon landing.

But just in case, I searched up Scotiabank's new immigrant scheme. Turkey doesnt seem to be listed in the list of eligible countires:
https://startright.scotiabank.com/international-application.html#open-account

Is there any other bank which allows opening of an account from Turkey?

Thanks!