checklist?

[dburnt 59]

I am maybe being a little too proactive, but...

My interview is next week, and I have already committed that (assuming a positive outcome) I would keep working till end August. I just know that some things take time...

Has anyone seen a useful checklist of things to prepare/arrange specifically if driving from Canada to US? I know I have to get compliance for car, arrange insurance and benefits, etc., but I am not sure what else I need to do in advance of driving down.

I love checklists :-)

[NikLR 13,227]

A list of the boxes and their contents is needed. Ex: box 1 - books, box 2 - kitchen. Etc...

[gwenstar 66]

We just recently crossed the border with our truck - definitely get the compliance letter. When we went through the agents looked at that then filled out the forms for us and stamped it. They did not check the truck or anything. Do you own the vehicle? That makes a difference - much harder to import a vehicle that is still under financing.

The two options are to import (which we did) or you can bring it into the US for a period of time up to a year without importing it. During that time you can't sell it in the US. They will document about the date the car was brought into the country and you have to take it back to Canada within 12 months.

Anyhow the things we did/had:

Compliance letter - fix anything that needs to be done to make the car compliant

Title and Registration and insurance with my husbands name

In BC my husband had to change his insurance to different class since he was moving - it covers him for 30 days until he can registrar the car here in the states and get new insurance here.

Label boxes with what you have packed inside

Have a general list of the contents of each box (for instance number the boxes and write what is inside on the box itself then have 1 sheet with the box number and the main content to show at the border if requested)

IMPORTANT: Make sure to get the form 7501 from CBP that you need to take to the DMV to be able to register it in the states

Find out the requirements for registering the car in the state you will be living in. Different states have different requirements such as safety or emission testing and levels of insurance coverage required.

Get quotes from insurance companies to make sure you are getting the best deal. Verify that the coverage meets the state requirements. You don't have to have an SSN in order to get insurance. When I was looking up quotes online it always asked for an SSN to get the quote - but you can call and they will be able to give you a quote over the phone.

It was all surprisingly easy. I was stressed out about it, but honestly it was one of the easiest quickest parts of the whole visa process. lol We chose to go through a smaller POE in BC because it gets so busy in Vancouver. So figure out what port is going to be the best for you and read the reviews of border crossings here on VJ. The one we went through the people were super nice, helpful and joked around with us a bit. It was really laid back - well as much as it can be when you are sitting in a room while the fate of your immediate future is dependent on people looking at your paperwork!

Here is a link to the requirements and forms. You can fill the forms out before going to the border or when you are at the border. They don't take much time and are easy.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/218/related/1/~/importing-a-car-or-vehicle---obtaining-epa-form-3520-1-and-dot-form-hs-7

Edited July 11, 2014 by gwenstar

[Lakehouse 293]

Don't forget to access the pinned topic in this forum section:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/347629-moving-to-the-us-summary-list-canadian-immigration-guide/

I learned a lot early on from reading that thread.