does anyone know if 'all' mortgage companies in canada check the equifax(/?????) as we'v not got good credit here in uk but were hoping to start a fresh in canada! anybody help????

Hiya,

I believe not as debts cannot travel across international waters.
Don't worry! and good luck.

If you have a HSBC premier account in the UK then your credit history will follow you to your HSBC bank in Canada, making it easier to get a credit card upon arrival.

I do know that with credit you start all over again in Canada it has taken us a year for credit cards to start falling at our feet. Whereas we applied about the 6month mark and was refused due to not being here long enough and not having built up enough credit.

If you try and get a mortgage upon landing, they'll want to see it.
If you give it 12/18 months and build up a good Canadian history, chances are they wont ask for it. Not all banks are the same, so if one asks, try another bank.

Yes your right on that as whilst securing a mortgage from the UK they requested our credit history then when we arrived they wanted to see our tax returns ie. P60's.

We were told by our mortgage adviser here in Canada that they cannot request your credit report from the UK. Something to do with the data protection act, I think he said.

We just got it online and printed it off but in the end they didn't even ask for it.(This was 1 year in though)

Sharon

Oh my goodness. Of course they can!! I got nailed with my ex husbands debts - from the UK- after I had been in Canada for years.

Didn't see the previous post about debts not following you.

As Dingbat said they DO follow you. It may take a few years but they will eventually find you.

I would advise no one to leave debts unpaid in the UK. The bank I worked for in the UK used a collection agency who then contacted a collection agency in the country you are in.

Leaving you with bad credit in the UK and the country you are now living in. Really not worth it in my opinion.

I would imagine the way the economy is right now, most financial institutions would be trying to recover even the smallest amount. (Just my opinion)

Sharon

didn't mean leaving debts i meant just got a bad credit history in the past hopefull should'nt be too much of a prob,thanks everyone!

Hi

I have been here in Calgary since January 09 and i have been refused a credit card cos of me coming from the UK n no credit history. They dont check the UK credit history was the answer i got as i wanted them to give me back my 2500 dollars.
I had to put 2500 canadian dollars as collateral so that i can get a credit card...the only one i got. I managed to buy a new car but i cant get a credit card. My advice is to tell your UK credit card company that you are in Canada for a year so that you can use your UK credit card here.
P.S I am with TD bank.

Ibby

surely the fees will outweigh the benefits.

I did get a credit card when I landed in Canada, albeit with a low limit. I applied when I opened my bank account the day after landing (with TD). I think it really just depends on who is opening your accounts.
On the other hand I went with my OH to Scotiabank yesterday to apply for a mortgage and was approved straight away. I've been here nearly two years now and didn't think I would be approved but my OH has banked there since she was a kid so that made the difference even though she doesn't earn the household income, I do!

Kriss

Have you seen this?

http://www.capitalone.ca/canada/cred...C1_12_T_CNCPNC

I would not suggest using a UK credit card in Canada for long amounts of time the exchange rate and fees are awful and you are doing nothing for your Canadian credit history.

Our mortgage company did want our UK Equifax reports when we applied after having been in the country a couple of months. It wasn't a problem and we got approved. We also managed to get a credit card without having to put any security down, albeit the limit is low, but it's better than nothing. Unfortunately my OH is the main applicant, which means that the canadian credit score will be in his name, but I can't get a card as I am currently working on a 1 year contract. So have to wait until I'm made permanent before I can start racking up my own credit score out here. I think it really all depends which bank you go to, if the assistant is savy enough to work the system for you, how long you've been in the country and what your particular financial situation is. There are no fast and hard rules with this! Good luck.

My experience (though this was 10 years ago) is that it is definitely worth keeping a UK card for a while, even if you don't use it.

HSBC gave me a mortgage (min 35% down) but wouldn't give me a credit card until I found a job and had a few pay checks in the bank.

With no credit history the utility companies all wanted me to give them a deposit. However, I showed them my Visa card and they used this instead, even though they send me bills and I paid these from my bank account. I could book a hotel room, rent a video, rent a car. In fact it is very difficult to rent anything in Canada if you don't have a credit card. You don't need to use it to pay for anything .