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U.S. Citizen w/ P.R. Status and final year wants to buy U.S. Car..

Leon

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Jun 13, 2008
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Re: U.S. Citizen w/ P.R. Status and final year Medical School Bought U.S. Car..

Apparently there are some rules stating that you can not drive a US registered car for more than a certain amount of time if you are a PR but for sure you can be a PR without actually being resident in Canada. You may have to explain this at the border a few times. Maybe bring some papers with you to show that you are actually living in the US.

Of course you also will lose your Canadian PR status if you go back to the US for good. Right now you need to stay in Canada 2 years out of every 5 to keep it. You might want to consider applying for citizenship now if you qualify (need 1095 days in Canada over the last 4 years). You could be a dual citizen, might need it some day.
 

Leon

VIP Member
Jun 13, 2008
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Re: U.S. Citizen w/ P.R. Status and final year Medical School Bought U.S. Car..

Yes, you can definitely lose PR. Happens to people all the time. Apply for the citizenship while you can. Maybe they will surprise you. You need to have an address they can send your mail to that somebody will let you know right away because when they call you for a test, it will be with 2 week notice or was for me and same when they call you for oath. If you have to reschedule, it's a pain in the neck. The average processing time is about a year but maybe yours will be faster. Mine was 2 and a half years, I am sure they lost my application and found it again during spring cleaning or something :) Applying for citizenship is not as big of a deal as applying for PR. No huge amount of paperwork because you are already in. Just a confirmation that you've been living in Canada and staying out of trouble.

As for the car, you can find the border services how things will work for you at http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html and there are some contact numbers on there you can call and ask when you arrive at the border with your US car and PR card in hand.
 

links18

Champion Member
Feb 1, 2006
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Re: U.S. Citizen w/ P.R. Status and final year Medical School Bought U.S. Car..

Yes, someone with Canadian PR status who lives in the US can drive their US plated car into Canada. However, it is not always clear what your legal "home" is and in some cases you could have legal residence in both countries, so it could get tricky at the border. If you have a US drivers' license that would be the best way to demonstrate your "home" is in the US. However, if you have been living in Canada for the past several years, you might have been legally required to get a Canadian license.
 

@yourservice

Member
Feb 16, 2009
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Re: U.S. Citizen w/ P.R. Status and final year Medical School Bought U.S. Car..

Here is one answer for you (depending on what province you go):

http://www.welcomebc.ca/en/settle/licence.html