Moving to Canada
There are plenty of sites offering information about applying for a Canadian visa for immigration and many more services offering (paid of course) to help you do. One of the main problems I had during the immigration process is the actual movement itself and what happens when you arrive. I received a lot of emails through my information website, onestopimmigration-canada.com, to request additional help and advice about what forms are needed, what to expect at Canadian customs and what to do when they first arrive in Canada.
I will not pretend that article will answer all questions for everybody, but I'll be giving as much information as you can support more detailed information from the website that in the text or by links to relevant authority. I'll start with one of the biggest headaches – the sale of the house (if you own) and packing for shipment.
Packing
When is moving home There are several theories, such as when to put the house up for sale. Basically, we were told to wait until the requested medical examinations at least then you have more than half of the process. We were fortunate that he had nowhere to go, so I put the house on the market and I just wanted to be sold and out of our hair! Even then, as "Our Story" shows, we struggled. If you own your home is necessary to assess the local housing market and while your bet always his plan to sell the house and know what stage of the immigration process was put on sale.
Everyone circumstances are different, but once the visa is issued, only 12 months from the date of his medical examination the physical land in Canada. A major concern was was that it would not be able to sell the house before which in turn would delay our landing. If you miss the deadline of 12 months, you'll probably have to redo medical examination at a fair cost and resubmit the form there. Or you could land in Canada with his unsold new home in their country of origin with all the problems involved. With the houses of many people their main source of settling funds, you need to have that money in the bank as soon as possible after landing.
If there's anyway you can find temporary accommodation then that the house was sold one less headache you need when countries is in motion. You can pay rent for a while, but at least you know what is in the bank when you arrive in Canada and this allows you to properly budget for their new life.
We used the whole exercise to get rid of all our old or unwanted things and start over. It all comes down to economics if it costs more to secure, store and ship something of value. The decision on whether to secure or not is a personal choice and depends on the value of the items you are shipping and do not forget to have pay the fees in excess has to pay for damage or loss. You will have to build a list of all items being carried to Canada and its values in Canadian dollars.
This is probably easier to take from the inventory drawn up by packaging the company – such as giving an accurate assessment of value I can, but do not spend weeks on it. If you have a toy box for children, for example – make your best guess at the value in the list as follows:
1. Box of assorted used toys children C $ 100.00
2. Boxes of photos no commercial value
3. BEDC Queen $ 850.00
And so on. It is expected that several copies of your packing list and a form B4 (Goods to follow) with it on arrival so make sure you have at least 3 copies in your hand luggage. Its good to have too many, but a pain if you do not have enough!
You will also need a similar list for the items you bring with you the day of arrival and any other subsequent shipments (we had an extra large box of things courier in a totally separate shipment just before they left).
Chances are that you will use a specialized international mover, moving their belongings to Canada. Depending on where you move in, you can have a long wait for things to reach their final destination. You can also choose to store the goods in his home country, while you find the home of their dreams so be sure to allow for storage costs and additional insurance. These charges can quickly add up and can give a nasty surprise.
One thing I will say about moving companies is that you are paying for a service, whether they are a good company to be able to advise on procedures, etc. correct and the arrangements to ensure a smooth arrival and customs clearance in Canada. You do not need your shipment to be rejected by the port of entry (very expensive when they ask his return to the original port of departure) or is terminated liable for additional taxes, etc., because of incorrect paperwork. You may be able to have to return once demonstrate that it is legitimate, but you will still be out of pocket in the short term.
Most shipping agencies charge per cubic foot and have plans to offer several different types – "share a container" or "Full container. Full container service will have the container packed and sealed at his residence. The shared container service will see their belongings packed in his home and then transported to the deposit of businesses. Once there is full other items to complete a container.
Pets
As with everything, your situation will depend on whether you bring your pets with you. There are rules stringent to be adhered to for the importation of animals – as with most countries – so please make sure you fully understand what is required.
There are some things to consider – if you are in rented accommodation on arrival have a pet seriously restrict your choice of home. Municipal ordinances on Pets are quite strict application leads to large fines if broken so make sure you understand!
Make sure any inoculations to date and has records. Furthermore, it is cheaper to transport animals, so take this into account. Its value in delaying the arrival of your pet if possible to allow time for settle and conduct all who come with one less thing to worry about. After a long and exhausting journey is what we really need to stay in the airport for several hours while the vet to check your pets and complete all necessary paperwork? Then you have to arrange transportation to your accommodation (if taken animals) with a stress on animals!
At day's end, countries that spend a lot of upheaval without leaving the family pet behind. That was the case for us that brought the 3-year Golden Retriever "Boris" for about 2 weeks after us. Boris was in kennels for 2 weeks before departure and during that time there was a custom travel kennel for him and the time to get used to it. All the necessary paperwork and veterinary tests were run by the magazine and was booked on a scheduled flight. On the day of the flight, which was not in the cage until the last minutes before the time burden remained restricted in the kennel.
When you have collected all the documentation was in order and all I had to do was go to the customs hall in the Calgary Terminal (C payment of $ 30.00 right import) and then return to the cargo terminal to pick up paperwork for the release of a dog seriously excited!
Arrival Date
I guess that would be the worst nightmare if you landed without the correct documentation so hopefully we can help prevent that! It is essential that these items are transported in the hand baggage and not packed away in a suitcase. All the immigration process takes place before you retrieve your luggage.
Canadian immigrant visa and confirmation of permanent residence for each family member with you.
A valid passport or other official travel document for each family member (usually must have a minimum of 6 months left before expiry).
Sufficient funds to cover their living expenses for 6 months.
Two copies of a detailed list of all personal or household items that are bringing with you. These lists must state the amount of the elements of worth in Canadian dollars.
Two copies of a list of items to go – if you send more later. Again, the values in Canadian dollars must be shown.
If goods were used to follow certain values which had declared to make it easier (see above) and had a detailed list of all what they see and what the letter was in The Canadian Customs and Border Crossing Agency (CBSA) are responsible for enforcing laws and provide the form B4 of the accounting personal effects. You should receive a checklist and detailed instructions on what is required for arrival in Canada when you receive your immigration visa when we had our visas issued were accompanied by a checklist of documents.
If you have any questions, please contact more nearest High Commission or the CBSA BEFORE you leave your country of origin – A good idea is to make sure all important documents or transcripts are translated into English or French as necessary (if they are not already) before arrival. For a more detailed visit our customs and immigration.
It may be advisable perform any other personal documents in your hand luggage too. The Citizenship and Immigration Canada e-book "An Introduction newcomers Canada "gives excellent advice on this matter.
As with most countries around the world, Canada has security very seriously and not bend the rules for anybody. The guidelines are very simple and to ensure a trouble-free arrival its imperative you stick to them. There are two main brochures available to help in terms their circumstances.
RC4151 – Settling in Canada is the document to guide you if you are settling in Canada for the first time or after being abroad for over 3 years (for Canadians)
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Also, for those who move to Canada to study or work temporarily enter the pamphlet RC4220 to Canada to study or work will be your guide.
Make sure all your assets you bring with you are listed in Canadian dollars values are two copies ready – one to keep and one for officials. To speed things up when the ground can download and print the forms B4 & B4A the CBSA website. It is better to have all your lists typed make life easier for staff members. You will also have the same types of products available (if any). No import tax or rights paid to the settlers personal and household goods, as long as you owned, possessed and used before the arrival in Canada. If possible try find all the receipts and / or registration documents to support this.
There is also a scheme for wedding gifts if they are newly married or about to marry into 3 months of their arrival in Canada. It should be noted that items to be used for commercial purposes will be subject to regular duties at the current rates.
With the recent international clamp downs on terrorism and money laundering is essential that if you physically carry on your person, for C $ 10,000 or equivalent in foreign currency cash, bonds or securities to report to the customs official. There is no limit to the funds of the settlers, but not following the rules may result in forfeiture of the money cash and / or heavy fines. See brochure RC 4321.
Good luck!
About the Author
Dave Lympany moved to Canada in 2003 and has developed a free information resource – http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com for Canadian Immigration, Life in Canada and all things Canadian.