Canadian Driver's License

[KevinQ]

I am moving from Michigan to Ontario this month and will be applying for PR. When can I/do I need to apply for an Ontario Driver's license and re-plate my vehicle with Ontario plates? I will be driving between Windsor, ON and Michigan every day for work. Will I have problems with Michigan plates living in Ontario?

 

[truesmile]

You won't do any of that until you actually acquire the status of 'PR'. Be careful of your use of the word "living" at the border, you are just "visiting".

Crossing daily like that, I highly recommend your getting a NEXUS card (if you don't already have one).

Should be no problem at all with the plates since your Michigan DL will have the US address where you are still officially "living" at.

 

[KevinQ]

After I am married and "staying" in Canada and have applied for PR, do I not tell them at the border that I have applied for PR and carry the marriage certificate? Yes, I do have a Nexus card. Thank you for the response.

 

[Rob_TO]

I am moving from Michigan to Ontario this month and will be applying for PR. When can I/do I need to apply for an Ontario Driver's license and re-plate my vehicle with Ontario plates? I will be driving between Windsor, ON and Michigan every day for work. Will I have problems with Michigan plates living in Ontario?

If you are not a PR, you can NOT "move" to Canada. You can only visit as a tourist, or if you have the right permits you can visit Canada to study or work. Even while your PR is processing and if you're married to a Canadian, you are still a visitor here.

If you ever use the words "live" or "move" in speaking to a Canadian border officer, you could be in for a rejection to Canada at the border.

Also if you intend to drive back and forth over the border every day, you really should get a Nexus card.

I imagine when you eventually get PR, at your landing you will submit B4 import forms and that is when you'll officially import your car into Canada and can change the plates over. You'll also need to get the car up to Canadian standards, so may need to pay for a few modifications (i.e. running daytime lights and some other Canadian mandatory safety requirements).

 

[POLICAP]

What is your status in the US right now? If you're presently working in the US but a Canada PR, I would say hold on to your US driving License and do nothing to you plate number now. Once you get a full time job in Canada you can change your driving license and car plate number.

It will cost you a lot to do right now. Also, it will be easy for you to cross US boarder with US tag number and diving license.

POLICAP

 

[KevinQ]

I am a US Citizen, working in the US and applying for PR in Canada, going to be married to a PR of Canada. She has a home in Canada in which I will be "staying". PR takes 1-2 years to complete the application process. This is going to be tough crossing back and forth daily it sounds like.

 

[keesio]

If your application is pretty standard, it should take less than a year.

if you get NEXUS, crossing at the border will be a snap. For you, getting NEXUS is a no brainer.

 

[POLICAP]

Try and get a job in Canada. If not , get a house in the US and visit your wife in Canada every weekend.

POLICAP

 

[Rob_TO]

I am a US Citizen, working in the US and applying for PR in Canada, going to be married to a PR of Canada. She has a home in Canada in which I will be "staying". PR takes 1-2 years to complete the application process. This is going to be tough crossing back and forth daily it sounds like.

Since you will be crossing the border so often, it's mandatory you submit an "outland" PR application.

Outland apps for US citizens are processed mainly through the CPP-Ottawa visa office. In most cases for a straightforward application, you can get full PR in around 8-10 months or so (according to recent times being posted in the CPP-Ottawa thread).

 

[screech339]

Just keep this in mind. When you do get around to importing your car into Canada for Ontario Licence Registration, make sure you have no lien on your car, in other words, paid off. You cannot import the car into Canada with a lien on it. The bank or Financal Company that you financed for your car, will not allow you to export the car out of the country until all the payments are made. If you did, the bank could view your action as stealing their car, as it is legally theirs until it is paid off.

Screech339

 

[Alurra71]

@KevinQ:

I am also from MI. Married to a Canadian citizen.

I am going to assume that you use either the bridge or tunnel, since you are coming/going from Windsor.

If you have not been doing this successfully for a little while, you WILL run into the ONE guy at that border that is a pain in the *Bleep*

I know this from experience. So, here is some information that may or may not help your situation:

1. After marriage, file your PR ASAP!

2. Get your marriage certificate, ask to stop at immigration. Have your wife either with you or meet you there. Go inside and ask for a visitors record to be attached to your passport. Inform them you are recently married and will be applying for PR but would like to stay with your wife while that process is being done. They will likely give you a 6 month record, maybe more, maybe less, and tell you once you have filed your paperwork, bring them the receipts and such to prove to them it has been done. They will more than likely give you another visitor record for a longer time period, but you have to let them know you will NOT overstay and you are NOT moving in with her, only staying with her to be with her while the process is ongoing.

3. Do NOT bring any of your major household items with you across the border, if you even have any. You can bring some clothing, your personal computer things maybe simple you can put in your trunk or whatever.

Now, the reason why I tell you to do these things. There are a few guards there, that will give you a hassle every chance they get, and going back and forth daily is going to get picked up eventually and you don't want the extra hassle. Having that little visitor record stapled into your passport, while it does not guarantee re-entry certainly makes them feel better, hardly any questions, even without nexus. I am just telling you from personal experiences here. They turned me around once and refused entry (although not on legal paper to hinder my later immigration) until I could bring them "proof" that I indeed did live in the US. This was a week before hubby and I were married. I brought ALL they asked for and more on my next trip and the lady inside STILL gave me a major hassle. Believe me when I say they can really be NASTY! LOL

Anyway, good luck!

 

[truesmile]

Great to hear from personal experience. Interesting how that may have worked, a 'visitor record' expires as soon as you leave Canada. Hopefully there's a NEXUS lane there (OP already stated he has said card). My recollection (crossed there once) is that I still had to speak to someone . . . might have been the same guy since for a Canadian carrying a NEXUS card, was my worst (but not horrible) experience returning to Canada.

 

[Alurra71]

Great to hear from personal experience. Interesting how that may have worked, a 'visitor record' expires as soon as you leave Canada. Hopefully there's a NEXUS lane there (OP already stated he has said card). My recollection (crossed there once) is that I still had to speak to someone . . . might have been the same guy since for a Canadian carrying a NEXUS card, was my worst (but not horrible) experience returning to Canada.

I don't know about the tunnel, as I only used it ONE time because of an accident on the bridge and I don't recall it that well. It's a claustrophobic thing I think, most of that tunnel crossing is a blur! LOL

However, the bridge does have Nexus lanes both coming and going. Going into the US in the morning there are like 6 nexus lanes open in the 'new' addition to the plaza as well as the 2nd lane in from the left on the old side is a nexus/enhanced id lane from 8am to 10am only ...

Yes, the visitor record thing is strange because of the very nature of what they are SUPPOSED to do, however I think it might have something to do with being visa exempt. I am almost positive it just makes them feel better knowing that YOU know you won't overstay and what you can/can not do. Kind of like having a 'checkup' with them each time you cross, ya know?

I can't explain it, can only verify that this is indeed what did work for me traveling from MI to Windsor (had to actually go to Maidstone, but entered Windsor) frequently.

 

[screech339]

When I was dating a girl from Macomb area of MI, about 35 miles north of Detroit, I went through Sarnia/Port Huron Bluewater Bridge every 2 weeks for the weekend over a period of 1 year. I never had any problems/issues crossing the border on both sides. I guess I was lucky then.

Screech339

 

[Alurra71]

When I was dating a girl from Macomb area of MI, about 35 miles north of Detroit, I went through Sarnia/Port Huron Bluewater Bridge every 2 weeks for the weekend over a period of 1 year. I never had any problems/issues crossing the border on both sides. I guess I was lucky then.

Screech339

Because you were only crossing every 2 weeks or so and only staying the weekend, there would've never been a concern if you were living there I would cross on Tues night roughly at 7pm and stay the night, leave for work at 7am, so a 12 hour stay, although CBSA counted it as Tue and Weds BOTH lol, then I would come over on Fri night about 7pm (after work) and stay until Sunday morning. So they counted again, Fri, Sat and Sun, so they were not counting hours, but full days even for a couple hours. So to them, they assumed I was living over here when in actuality I was not! lol