LANDING IN CANADA ??? -All You Need To Know.

[nilsen21]

Hello,
I and my wife drove from the US (not citizens) to Canada and did our short landing in October. We are expecting our PR cards very soon. Our baby will be born in January in the US. Since my wife was pregnant at the time we did our short landing, we could not declare the baby stuff we would like bring with us when we will move for good in May.
So my questions:
1. How much should we expect to pay for customs fee for our baby's stuff? (car seat, crib, mattress, toys, etc)
2. Can we bring our own baby car seat? It is Britax brand and I know it is sold in Canada too but not sure if the seat has to be bought from a Canadian retailer or so. (Since we will drive from the US, we will have our baby in his car seat but are we required to buy a new one in Canada?)
I would also very much appreciate if you share your experiences about moving with the other baby products.
Thank you.

Hi Babilon,

I am also planning to make a soft landing in Toronto driving from New York this Jan. Can you pls share your experience as how your entire trip was t the POE? Where did u land? Any particular time which one should target?

Thanks.

 

[jonnclk22]

Thank you jonnclk22....there is one apprehension......my english is not that good,would i be able to understand what they are asking....I mean their accent...kindly help me..this a big part of my worry..what if i don't get what they are asking and reply incorrectly...would they withhold me.....kindly help me....

Canadians customs officers are often very friendly and reasonable. Furthermore, Canada has a significant population of Indian folks and there'll likely be someone around who speaks Hindi / Punjabi. I was at Heathrow customs few years ago and there was this one old Indian lady who didn't understand a single word the agent was saying. So, a Pakistani man came forward and translated for her. So, don't worry about these things, you'll be fine.

 

[jonnclk22]

will it affect my PR card processing if somebody else speak on my behalf .....i want to know other people's experiences who have gone first time...whether anybody had been in such circumstance.

As I said, you are stressing unnecessarily. Millions of people from all over the world visit Canada and US in various capacities and customs agents have extensive experience with people who don't speak english very much.

 

[vkumar7077]

Soft landing in Vancouver vs soft landing in Toronto , suggestions pls? I live in Seattle , so it is economical to land in Vancouver.

Also , Can SIN be generated at Airport in Vancover? in one of other thread it was mentioned that SIN facility is available only at Toronto airport...
Can we apply for PR card at airport? Is so , Can I return the same day back to US?
Can I land in Vancouver and give Toronto address for my PR card delivery?

Pls advice

 

[jonnclk22]

Soft landing in Vancouver vs soft landing in Toronto , suggestions pls? I live in Seattle , so it is economical to land in Vancouver.

Also , Can SIN be generated at Airport in Vancover? in one of other thread it was mentioned that SIN facility is available only at Toronto airport...
Can we apply for PR card at airport? Is so , Can I return the same day back to US?
Can I land in Vancouver and give Toronto address for my PR card delivery?

Pls advice

1. Vancouver's only ~2.5 hours from Seattle by car.. makes perfect sense to do it there.
2. Just drive to Vancouver, spend a day there, go to Service Canada and get a SIN.
3. Yes and Yes
4. Yes, although they might ask you why you're doing that and might ask you to come back when you are actually ready to move to Canada.

 

[nilsen21]

Hi Everyone,

I am planning to do a soft landing in Toronto in the last week of December & plan to drive from New York.

Can you guys help me by sharing some info:
1. When is the good time of the day to do the landing?
2. Which bridge should I choose for doing the landing? I heard Rainbow bridge is not the right option.
3. How do I know if the officers will be available to facilitate my landing papers.

The last thing we want is returning back from the port of entry without the landing being complete.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[vkumar7077]

1. Vancouver's only ~2.5 hours from Seattle by car.. makes perfect sense to do it there.
2. Just drive to Vancouver, spend a day there, go to Service Canada and get a SIN.
3. Yes and Yes
4. Yes, although they might ask you why you're doing that and might ask you to come back when you are actually ready to move to Canada.

Thank you!!

 

[vkumar7077]

I am planning to do Soft landing in Vancouver in Jan. But I am planning to give my Friends Toronto address for PR card delivery. Do you think this will be an issue?

The reason I am doing so is , I stay in Seattle and Vancouver is very near to me.

 

[steaky]

I am planning to do Soft landing in Vancouver in Jan. But I am planning to give my Friends Toronto address for PR card delivery. Do you think this will be an issue?

The reason I am doing so is , I stay in Seattle and Vancouver is very near to me.

Why do you repeat? See response above.

 

[SoonToBePRHolder]

Hello,
I and my wife drove from the US (not citizens) to Canada and did our short landing in October. We are expecting our PR cards very soon. Our baby will be born in January in the US. Since my wife was pregnant at the time we did our short landing, we could not declare the baby stuff we would like bring with us when we will move for good in May.
So my questions:
1. How much should we expect to pay for customs fee for our baby's stuff? (car seat, crib, mattress, toys, etc)
2. Can we bring our own baby car seat? It is Britax brand and I know it is sold in Canada too but not sure if the seat has to be bought from a Canadian retailer or so. (Since we will drive from the US, we will have our baby in his car seat but are we required to buy a new one in Canada?)
I would also very much appreciate if you share your experiences about moving with the other baby products.
Thank you.

Hi Babilon,
We are in a similar boat as you were back in October when you did your landing (i.e. we are expecting a baby). I am curious to know your short landing experience. Did the officers ask any pregnancy related questions during the landing process? Please share your experience. We would really appreciate it. Thanks !!

 

[Chast21]

Hey, my husband has to do landing in can. If it's only clothes & shoes should he still do the list of personal items for IO??

 

[Sar2014]

Hi Everyone,

We did soft landing in July 2015 and stayed back in US.Now we are planning to move for good in July 2018 . I know 2 years minimum stay required out of 5 years to retain the PR status. Is this calculated based on 5 yrs from our first landing (ie July 2020) or as per expiry date mentioned in PR card (Which is September 2020) ?

 

[jonnclk22]

Hi Everyone,

We did soft landing in July 2015 and stayed back in US.Now we are planning to move for good in July 2018 . I know 2 years minimum stay required out of 5 years to retain the PR status. Is this calculated based on 5 yrs from our first landing (ie July 2020) or as per expiry date mentioned in PR card (Which is September 2020) ?

From the day of your first landing.

 

[pranab24]

Hi, I am planning a soft landing on the 26th of December and have a few questions about funds which I am hoping someone can help answer (these may have been answered previously, but I do not see a single place for it and there seems to be different info):

• Does the 10,000 CAD apply to the entire family, or to every individual family member (so 3 family members - 30,000 CAD)?
• Is the 10,000 CAD inclusive of any bank to bank wire transfer that I may do once I land and open a bank account?
• Do I have to declare (in Goods to follow) any bank to bank wire transfer that I may do once I land and open a bank account post landing?
• Will my wire transfer done post landing be taxed?
• Someone mentioned that if I do a wire transfer, then I have to invest the amount before the start of the next financial year, else it will be taxed. Is it true?
• If I carry travel cards (forex cards), do I have to declare the amount they have?

Than you in advance for your response.

 

[jonnclk22]

Hi, I am planning a soft landing on the 26th of December and have a few questions about funds which I am hoping someone can help answer (these may have been answered previously, but I do not see a single place for it and there seems to be different info):

• Does the 10,000 CAD apply to the entire family, or to every individual family member (so 3 family members - 30,000 CAD)?
• Is the 10,000 CAD inclusive of any bank to bank wire transfer that I may do once I land and open a bank account?
• Do I have to declare (in Goods to follow) any bank to bank wire transfer that I may do once I land and open a bank account post landing?
• Will my wire transfer done post landing be taxed?
• Someone mentioned that if I do a wire transfer, then I have to invest the amount before the start of the next financial year, else it will be taxed. Is it true?
• If I carry travel cards (forex cards), do I have to declare the amount they have?

Than you in advance for your response.

1. There are specific monetary limits listed on the CIC website.
2. Yes, you just need to show that you have access to that money.
3. No
4. Any income earned after landing while you are deemed tax-resident is taxable.
5. Nope.
6. Often you have to declare anything above 10,000 CAD; not sure about forex cards.