Former Lancastrian

You can change it on landing. Make sure you tell CBSA of the new address and for them to change it when entering it into FOSS. Just have the new address written on a piece of paper and give it to CBSA.

mrpsv

thanks!

abrxx

Most likely this is the final post from me in this thread. We went to customs on Main Street in Vancouver. After a short wait (maybe 20m) a cheerful officer quickly checked my wife's ID and then took a cursory look at our paperwork. He had no interest in B4/B4A (along with all the serial numbers I had transcribed). Remember my B4/B4A was not stamped when I arrived, as the immigration officer told me it was not necessary. I think if I had a further shipment coming after my initial one, then at that point I should have gone the B4 route, but I got the impression that at Vancouver, if you are a immigrant, they don't bother with B4 for your one-off shipment.

So the only thing the officer wanted to see was the documentation from the shipping company. He also asked to ensure that everything was under $10,000. That was it. He didn't even ask how long my wife was out of the country (we shipped goods under the returning Canadian resident category). We had self declared our alcohol and only paid for that because I handed over the papers willingly. After walking out of customs we phoned our shipping company and they delivered our goods the very next day! Everything arrived in good condition although we have yet to unpack all our boxes.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my posts, and best of luck to all who are immigrating to Canada.

Thanks again,
Alastair

justin86

Ok cool, so they don't send any paper work out for a while then?
So i should wait until i get an e-mail receipt with a reference number and then send the change of address form?

anindividual

looks like on long vacations

evelyned

Which company did you use Abrxxx and how much was it if you don't mind me asking? We should be shipping soon too. Thanks!

Jim Humphries

Summer is always slow for PR cases because of holidays, officer postings in and out, holidays, on top of the high number of visitor and student visa applications. Things should pick up later this month.

pdlodge

We applied feb 5 and got an email march 1 saying that our application had been received in Mississauga. Even though canada post told me it was signed for on feb 7th or something like that. When you get the email of receipt they give you a file number that starts with an f followed by a bunch of digits. Maybe wait til you get that so you can quote it

abrxx

We used movingpartnership.co.uk who subcontracted locally (UK side) to Anglo Pacific. We went with groupage on a 20' container. We agreed on 2800 for 650 sq ft (I think) but because we went over by 28 sq ft (my fault, and because I did not get them to estimate) I had to pay an extra 250 or so. Apart from this minor quibble I can fully recommend them. We self packed our cartons but got them to export wrap our furniture. We had zero issues with customs with the self packing, despite hearing scare-mongering to the contrary from some shipping companies.

Cheers,
Alastair

harris

Hi, Would just like to ask if self-packing items were excluded from any insurance. Feel we would like to do this (export wrap furniture but self pack everything else), but wondered if there were any drawbacks with insurance etc.? Many thanks.

Cheers,

SchnookoLoly

Our shippers said they had to pack, and honestly we found it way better. They brought everything - boxes, paper, bubble wrap, etc, and we pointed out the particularly fragile stuff we wanted particularly well-wrapped. They were in and out in under two hours, way way faster than we would have done!

Also, they said that customs prefers shipper-packed stuff because of the manifest etc... They are way more likely to search self-packed stuff.

In the end it's up to you of course, but you might find life just a bit simpler if they pack.

harris

Many thanks for your reply. I will have to have a serious think about packing and the points you give make me feel that their packing might be better.

Thanks again.

prairiechicken

Contact Letton Percival to ask them about insurance for self-packed items - they are a specialist marine insurer who lots of people on here (including me) have used for shipping their stuff to Canada. I don't know how it affects insurance if you self pack, but they will be able to tell you.

Honestly, I wouldn't even have considered self-packing. The stress of doing it (and the time it takes) meant that having someone else do it was a no-brainer for me. They turned up with all the packing materials they could possibly need, and packed out of cupboards and off shelves. It was fantastic. We were there to oversee it (mainly involved chatting and making cups of tea, with a few questions answered inbetween), but they were really fast and efficient, and I am sure it took up less space than I could possibly have done it. They also wrap all the furniture, of course - it's not just about putting stuff in boxes.

If you are going to do it yourself, consider the cost of the packing materials - if you are taking your whole household, you're going to need a lot of packing materials to make sure they are all safe.

harris

Many thanks for the information. Will probably do as you suggest.

psynergy

Hey, so...

We've yet to hear anything and we applied 3rd of July. Who should I be contacting to bug them about it? I don't even know how to access ecas to see if they've even looked at it yet..