Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Hi all,

I've got a few questions relating to the way we're intending on moving to Vancouver next year, basically i just want to lay it out and see if anyone has any advice or sees any major issues i haven't spotted which are going to hit us when we enter the country!

First of all we're not moving with jobs, we've budgeted to be able to live in Vancouver for four months without work while we go for interviews etc. We're trying to sort out short term accommodation through a friend of a friend now. If we haven't found work by the end of say June we'll head back to the UK to re-group, at least we'll have our PR cards by then so re-entering will be easier!

We will start looking for work from the UK in Jan/Feb but from what we're heard it's not going to be easy securing a job from here.

So because we may only be staying for three to four months we wont be shipping our belongings over there as soon as we leave the UK. If we do find work after say a month we will be instructing a company in the UK to pick up our gear in storage and ship it out to us. So i assume i dont need to hand a "goods to follow" list to immigration when we enter? Does anyone know of any issues with organising shipping after you're settled?

When we land from the UK it wont be in Canada as we're planning to spend a week with friends in Seattle first, hire a car there and drive across the land boarder. Has anyone done this? Is it any more/less complicated doing it this way? Will US immigration give us grief as we only have a one way flight? Or do they not care as long as we're leaving their country within our allowed time?

If for some reason we cant secure a short term let in Vancouver before we arrive i guess we wont be able to apply for the PR card right away. Will not having the card hinder us with finding work or renting an apartment? And how do you go about sorting the PR card after you have found a place to stay?

Are there any other cards/papers you have to apply for to be able to work, rent an apartment, buy a car etc? I've now got my HSBC account setup in Vancouver and have funds in there and they say that they can transfer my credit rating for me as well, has anyone done this?

Wow... just re-read that and lots of questions, sorry it's a bit of a ramble but it's all getting a bit jumbled up in my head! If anyone has any advice or can answer any of my rambling questions i would be very grateful :D

Thanks in advance

Rich

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Just about the Goods to Follow ... I'd suggest you do need to make a list to show to customs when you arrive ... or you may end up having to pay duty on your belongings when they do come?

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

You will need the goods to follow list when you land.
You do not have to provide an address for the Pr cards when you land, you can fax the form to them after you have landed. On that point can you use your friends friends address?
Knowing US immigration they will have a problem with you not having a return flight.

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Thanks alot, that helps... I didn't think about import duty...

I'm sure it will be fine going into the US, not much i can do about it now anyway ;)

I'm getting the feeling that most people who migrate tend to do it for work, getting a bit nervous that we're just rocking up blind and hoping to sort something out!

Thanks again...

Rich

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Your not alone in just rocking up to the border without a job. That's exactly what we did, have been here 3 months now and suppose I should start job-hunting soon.

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Regarding the return ticket issue, you will probably be questioned by US immigration. However, if you can prove to them that you are on the way to Canada to become PR's (shoule be easy - show whatever paperwork you have) then I think you'll be fine.

Also, sometimes it's cheaper to buy a return ticket anyway - even if you don't plan to use the return ticket.

Another possibility is to fly to Vancouver first, complete the landing process there and then travel to Seattle for a week. There might be a price difference in doing that though.

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Hi

I am sure you are aware of this but you wont get your PR card for 4 - 8 weeks after applying for it. You will have get a record of immigration when you land which is your PR proof until you get the card. Although we were told we could not re-enter Canada using it.

We did not need a PR card when we rented a house in Ontario. Nor did we need to PR card when we changed driving licences to a Canadian one or applied for a Social Insurance Number (SIN).....all we needed was the PR proof and ID...w.r.t to SIN you get the number straight away then get card through post a few weeks later.

I have a HSBC account in Canada and I'm not sure about the whole transfer of credit rating....I dont think they do anything like that in my experience (I have had a UK HSBC account for 15 years).

We brought a car before we arrived as a friend did the test drive etc but to get the car insured and registration plates although it was easy, we did have to do a few things in order.....this is how we did it. Exchange driving licence, obtained insurance (& certificate) then registered transfer of vehicle to get plates.

All of this is based on our experience of moving UK to Ottawa.....we also moved without jobs, been here 5 weeks. I meet with a consultant from a YMCA Employment Access Centre today...which was free as we had PR status. He provided me with employment advice and explained different government programs available etc.....there is also workshops available to help understand the Canadian job hunting etc.....what i am trying to say (i think) is that there is support here.

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Hi, my partner and I did the same thing last year and took us slightly longer than expected to find jobs but I think thats just the time of year (we arrived late November) We didn't get any responses form our job applications made from UK.

Also we didn't fly into US like you but we did go across the 'Peace arch' border last month to renew our visa and it was very straight forward on the Canadian end. TBH we were kept longer and asked more questions entering the US than getting our new visas. So make sure you have all your paperwork etc to prove you are travelling onto Canada - be prepared for lots of questions. I'm sure they will prob just issue you a 3 month visitor visa like they did us but I would contact the US border agency or something to confirm that before you travel (i've heard quite a few stories of people arriving and being sent home for not having all docs etc)

Also check out Craiglist for jobs and short term accommodation, really handy tool.

Good luck!

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Since Seattle is only a 2-1/2 hour drive from Vancouver, I would fly into YVR first.

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

You'll be fine entering US - you may get asked a few more questions then normal but with British passport and with all the docs for Canada you'll be fine. Just be honest answering the questions, have contact details for your friends in Seattle handy and all the docs for Canadian PR. Suggest you have hotel booked for first few nights in Vancouver and carry that proof with you just in case.

For entering Canada, as others have pointed out, you will need goods to follow list completed. We did this and then didn't ship stuff until 2 years later, had no problems and paid no duty.

Make sure you go and get SIN cards straight away and register for Medicare. Otherwise looks like you're all set.

We moved with 2 backpacks, skis, a couple of nights booked in a hotel, no jobs, and 6 months worth of funds. All worked out fine :)

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

Hi again Rich_London

Have a look at www.workingincanada.gc.ca

You can use this website to search using the NOC code and it produces a detailed report based on the occupation and location of your choice. This includes potential employers who have indicated they have hired that occupation before.

Hope it helps.

JB

Re: Entering Canada March 2011....
 

My 2 cents worth ...


It depends on what you do and at what level. For some 4 months is not enough time, for other types of jobs you should be fine.

OK, but keep it short-term. A place that someone else thinks is OK might not suit you at all. I would be very vary of making any commitment "sight unseen."

I don't understand this. If you go back to the UK to re-group you will need to look for jobs there. Might as well keep looking in Vancouver.

It isn't, but you can find a lot of information about the job market in your fields and make some contacts, and even set up some meetings, while you are still in the UK so you hit the ground running.

As others have said, yes you do.

Expect an "interesting" conversation with US immigration.

Semantics I know, but you rent cars here (rent things, hire people). Make sure you get permission from the rental company to cross the border or your insurance might be invalid. How do you plan to get the car back to Seattle? One way rentals are expensive. It might be cheaper to fly to YVR.

You have up to six months to give them an address to send your PR card to. Otherwise you can get one later but you will have to pay for it.

In practice you need your SIN card. You can apply for this straight away at any Service Canada office.