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Immigrating with cats and dogs

trishaaaaa

Member
Jul 30, 2019
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Hi! I'm planning to study in Canada, in Niagara College. I plan to bring my 3 dogs and 5 cats along from the Philippines. Has anyone had a similar experience? Would like to know how it went and how did you go about housing/accommodation arrangements, and travel/inspection fees and taxes?
 

mbaleine

Hero Member
Mar 13, 2019
283
172
I have no clue to the answer you are seeking. I just wanted to let you know how awesome it is to hear that you’re bringing your four-legged companions with!!! Hope all works out well.
 
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trishaaaaa

Member
Jul 30, 2019
10
0
I have no clue to the answer you are seeking. I just wanted to let you know how awesome it is to hear that you’re bringing your four-legged companions with!!! Hope all works out well.
Thank you! It is nerve-wracking. And people have told me I'm crazy and kept discouraging me from doing so. I just couldn't leave them behind. I can't imagine leaving them in the streets or putting them to sleep just like all the others do
 

scylla

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Jun 8, 2010
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Thank you! It is nerve-wracking. And people have told me I'm crazy and kept discouraging me from doing so. I just couldn't leave them behind. I can't imagine leaving them in the streets or putting them to sleep just like all the others do
Can a family member or friend take care of them while you are studying here? This is definitely going to cost a lot of money and the air travel will also be stressful to your pets.

Eight pets is above the legal threshold allowed in some cities / towns. Make sure you research the area where you're going to be living to confirm it's legal to have this many pets. As said above, expect that it will be difficult to find a place to rent and anticipate that you will pay quite a bit more for your accommodations.

Expect that it will cost a few thousand dollars to bring them over to cover vaccinations, crates, flights, etc.
 
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trishaaaaa

Member
Jul 30, 2019
10
0
Can a family member or friend take care of them while you are studying here? This is definitely going to cost a lot of money and the air travel will also be stressful to your pets.

Eight pets is above the legal threshold allowed in some cities / towns. Make sure you research the area where you're going to be living to confirm it's legal to have this many pets. As said above, expect that it will be difficult to find a place to rent and anticipate that you will pay quite a bit more for your accommodations.

Expect that it will cost a few thousand dollars to bring them over to cover vaccinations, crates, flights, etc.
Unfortunately, no :(
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,148
20,640
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Unfortunately, no :(
I would budget at least an additional $10,000 (on top of your existing budget) if you are bringing your pets over to cover the cost of travel as well as higher accommodation costs.
 
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bellaluna

VIP Member
May 23, 2014
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Hi! I'm planning to study in Canada, in Niagara College. I plan to bring my 3 dogs and 5 cats along from the Philippines. Has anyone had a similar experience? Would like to know how it went and how did you go about housing/accommodation arrangements, and travel/inspection fees and taxes?
From the Philippines, the most expensive cost would be the flight, as long as your pets are all up to date with their rabies shots. It was about PhP 17,000 for my cat on PAL. The animal import certificate is minimal, maybe PhP 100. At the airport, the inspection fee is $35. Keep in mind, this is per pet.

I agree with the others, you may have to reconsider bringing 8 pets to Canada, since it is expensive, possibly not allowed, and your status is not quite permanent yet.
 
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trishaaaaa

Member
Jul 30, 2019
10
0
From the Philippines, the most expensive cost would be the flight, as long as your pets are all up to date with their rabies shots. It was about PhP 17,000 for my cat on PAL. The animal import certificate is minimal, maybe PhP 100. At the airport, the inspection fee is $35. Keep in mind, this is per pet.

I agree with the others, you may have to reconsider bringing 8 pets to Canada, since it is expensive, possibly not allowed, and your status is not quite permanent yet.
Hi! Thank you so much for the input. We’ve already computed for the inspection fees and anticipating high costs for flying them as excess baggage via PAL. However, do you know of any cities/municipalities where the possibility of allowing this case is higher than the others? I haven’t actually seen maximum allowable pets per household online for the areas as of yet
 

trishaaaaa

Member
Jul 30, 2019
10
0
I would budget at least an additional $10,000 (on top of your existing budget) if you are bringing your pets over to cover the cost of travel as well as higher accommodation costs.
Thank you for the advice! I’m really discouraged about bringing them primarily because of the stress it will cause them and the accommodation we’ll be having in Canada and secondly the costs. But they’re family and I wouldn’t be able to live knowing I left them behind.
 

Copingwithlife

VIP Member
Jul 29, 2018
3,967
1,925
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Hi! I'm planning to study in Canada, in Niagara College. I plan to bring my 3 dogs and 5 cats along from the Philippines. Has anyone had a similar experience? Would like to know how it went and how did you go about housing/accommodation arrangements, and travel/inspection fees and taxes?
Well in Niagara Falls, the attached by-law stipulates how many dogs/cats you are allowed

3-Dogs
3-Cats

https://niagarafalls.ca/pdf/by-laws/Animal_control.pdf

And that is the maximum, and as mentioned landlords could have a issue with having so many pets in a unit
You'd have to research to see if Welland County has a restriction, but more than likely yes
Have you done any research on accommodations regarding having so many pets, BEFORE coming ?

https://www.wellandspca.com/bylaw-enforcement/
 
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trishaaaaa

Member
Jul 30, 2019
10
0
Well in Niagara Falls, the attached by-law stipulates how many dogs/cats you are allowed

3-Dogs
3-Cats

https://niagarafalls.ca/pdf/by-laws/Animal_control.pdf

And that is the maximum, and as mentioned landlords could have a issue with having so many pets in a unit
You'd have to research to see if Welland County has a restriction, but more than likely yes
Have you done any research on accommodations regarding having so many pets, BEFORE coming ?

https://www.wellandspca.com/bylaw-enforcement/
Thank you! This information is very helpful. Yes, we've done quite some research to seek the possibility of having all of them with me. But different sources point to inconsistent information regarding allowable count. For importing, we're already in the clear as the information from the canadian site is detailed. However, most resources really emphasize the difficulty of finding accommodations given the quantity of pets even though there are quite a few isolated cases. Thank you for attaching some references! We'll be sure to check them out
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,148
20,640
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Thank you! This information is very helpful. Yes, we've done quite some research to seek the possibility of having all of them with me. But different sources point to inconsistent information regarding allowable count. For importing, we're already in the clear as the information from the canadian site is detailed. However, most resources really emphasize the difficulty of finding accommodations given the quantity of pets even though there are quite a few isolated cases. Thank you for attaching some references! We'll be sure to check them out
You need to research the allowed count in the bylaws for the specific city / town / municipality where you will be living. These are the bylaws that will apply to you and your pets - and there will be a specific number that is allowed by law. The information you have looked at so far probably looks inconsistent because you're not being specific enough in looking at the particular city / town / municipality where you will be living. Your research needs to be specific to this area - and you need to look at the official bylaws. Strongly recommend you figure this out now to determine if what you are planning is even possible.

See the link above that was provided to you for Niagara Falls for an example of what bylaws look like. Make sure you are taking your information from actual bylaws - not random web sites or forums.
 

trishaaaaa

Member
Jul 30, 2019
10
0
You need to research the allowed count in the bylaws for the specific city / town / municipality where you will be living. These are the bylaws that will apply to you and your pets - and there will be a specific number that is allowed by law. The information you have looked at so far probably looks inconsistent because you're not being specific enough in looking at the particular city / town / municipality where you will be living. Your research needs to be specific to this area - and you need to look at the official bylaws. Strongly recommend you figure this out now to determine if what you are planning is even possible.

See the link above that was provided to you for Niagara Falls for an example of what bylaws look like. Make sure you are taking your information from actual bylaws - not random web sites or forums.
Thanks!