taradem

Hi Again,
So its happenned, my husband has been offered a job in TO and want him to start in March! We are in Canada so I wondered if you would mind answering a few questions.
Cars and driving licenses - I have a Honda Pilot and assume I can bring it but what would I need to do to get it registered. We have canadian driving licenses, will we have to do a test?
Are there restrictions on what we can bring into California - herbs / spices / plants / whisky?
Property tax - I read somewhere that you pay 1% of the purchase price annually but also the difference between what the original purchaser paid and your purchase price, is that right?

I'm sure I'll have a million other questions but these are just the first things that have come into my head at the moment.
Thanks for your help,
Tara x

Jerseygirl

I'm a little confused...you say your husband's been offered a job in TO...isn't that Toronto, Ontario...a few miles away from where you are now in Oakville?


Edit: Just taken a look at your past posts and you mean Thousand Oaks...a little confusing. Does your husband have a visa to live and work in the US?

Bill_S

Do you and your husband have visas yet?

Your car(s) will have to be formally imported into the US. You'll need a letter from the manufacturer stating that the vehicle complies with US emissions and safety requirements. Check the State of California web site for what to do about driver's licences.

I doubt you will be allowed to bring live plants into the USA, much less into California.

Do you have visas yet?

taradem

Sorry yes Thousand Oaks, CA.
No he doesn't yet have a work permit / visa but its an internal transfer and there is a precedent for moving people quickly so I'm guessing the corporate lawyers will get on it.

Bill_S

Like I said in December, don't do anything until you have visas in your passports. Just because things have gone quickly and smoothly in the past doesn't mean there won't be snags with your husband's case.

I don't mean to sound negative, but I don't want the two of you to get so excited about a move that you forget that nothing can happen until you have the visas in your possession, no matter what the company promises.

taradem

No you're right and thanks for the advice. We don't plan to list the house etc until we have got all that stuff sorted out. Its just that it may happen really quickly so I'd like to try and stay ahead of the game. I think the American organisation may be a little more proactive and efficient than there Canadian cousins!

Jerseygirl

I agree with Bill...get the visa sorted out first. In the current economic climate some companies are withdrawing job offers.

There are restrictions into bringing certain foodstuffs into the US. If you need to take a US driving test....don't worry it is extremely easy. For instance when my daughter was 17 her NJ test comprised of driving across an empty car park...then reversing between 2 cones about 50 yds apart. The whole thing took less than 5 mins. Search for DMV California...you should find several answers there.

Sally Redux

Property tax is 1.1% of the value of the property, usually the purchase price.

California driving test has a theory test and one on the 'real' road but not difficult.

There are loads of Brits at Amgen and they look after you pretty well but please do feel free to get in touch with me if I can help you with anything now or when you arrive (I'm in Calabasas).

meauxna

Most States will let people trade in their Canadian license without re-testing.

There are major restrictions on these things; please visit cbp.gov for a list of Customs restrictions.

JAJ

Are you Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or temporary residents of Canada?

If you are permanent residents, are you ok with the idea of leaving behind your chances to become Canadian citizens (for many years) and possibly the abandonment of your Canadian resident status?

Havnfun

We recently moved from Calgary to California. We didn't bring our cars over so I don't have any information on that. You will have to do a written test and a road test for your license in California.

All of the moving companies I spoke with said no to any food, spices, plants, liquids, cleaning products, etc. If you are driving across the border you can bring the whiskey but it is cheaper here!

In California the property taxes can be different for each city. In the city we are in they start at 1% and go up from there and it is based on the purchase price. Some communities have a Mello Roo tax as well and we have yet to figure out how these are calculated. Typically they are in newer communities.

If you are Canadian citizens and your husband is transferring on a L1 Visa then all you have to do is show up at the border with the paperwork and it will be processed on the spot. We did ours at the Calgary airport on July 3 and it took about 1 hour total

taradem

Thats what I thought you would say about the food etc. Its not the end of the world but we only moved here from the UK 2 1/2 yrs ago and I've only just got my spice cupboard back to what it was. Never mind.
As for the whisky, its my husbands treasured Scotch collection of single Malts so we'll have to see about that!

We were in the last throes of applying for Canadian permanent residency before this happenned but I guess thats gone now. My son was born here so he has a Canadian passport. It will be really sad to leave Canada as we have loved it here but we are not too concerned about giving up any status here as we can't realistically see ourselves moving back.

Off to check out the customs website now - thank xxx

taradem

Another thought - did any of you bring pets? We have a dog.

scrubbedexpat091

Dogs are pretty easy to move across the border, make sure its up to date on all vaccines, and get a certificate of health from the vet close to your move date.

California is anal about plants and produce they have agriculture check points at many areas at the state line, so I'd leave all that behind.

Car you will need to import into the US (US Customs website has the info) and possibly need to export it out of Canada, not sure though.

California has the toughest emissions rules in North America and not all vehicles sold in North America will meet these standards, you will want to check and see if your vehicle is certified to meet California emission standards.

More info here on bringing a car to California and where to look on the car to see if its certified in California.

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr29.htm


Here is the info for getting a license in California.

http://dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#2500

Havnfun

You will probably want to see about bringing the Scotch - my husband gave his away before we came to find out they have the worst selection of scotch at prices at or above those in Canada.

We brought our cat over - we had all his records and he had a rabies shot right before we came. He flew on WestJet with my sister right in the cabin of the plane.