usabound12456

Hey there tdotca!

First and foremost, I know the frustration-- as I spent countless hours on IRS/CRA websites and international tax forums trying to find my answers. Eventually I came across a debate on LinkedIn between a few international tax experts regarding the proper way to handle Canadian TFSA's. I contacted the lady by phone and she REALLY knew her stuff regarding the matter; she probably spent nearly an hour answering all of my questions. I would highly recommend her services, as she's very reasonably priced for her expertise (not much more than what a tax preparer charges). Her name is Mary Beth Lougen, of Amexpattax (first thing to come up in Google). I seriously can't recommend her enough.

As far as what I did, we determined that in my personal circumstance my TFSA was not classified as a "trust", so there was no need to file Forms 3520 & 3520-A. Basically from what I understand, if you're unable to purchase mutual funds within the TFSA then it isn't considered a trust-- but if you are able to, then it is. A simple call to the bank solved that issue for me.

So for me all I needed to file was:

- Joint 1040 w/ a schedule B to report TFSA interest earned

- Canada T1 Departure Return

- FinCen Report 114 - FBAR (filed separately with department of treasury)

I'll be perfectly honest, I have no idea about RRSP's or EI-- but give Mary Beth a call, I PROMISE you won't regret it.

Hi there,

I am in a similar situation as yourself. When you said your TFSA is not a trust because you cannot purchase mutual funds, is your TFSA simply a savings account (and not a brokerage account)? What about ETFs, as I read those may also be considered PIFCs?

Hi everyone -

Wow, this is my first post since becoming a US PR - it's been a few months and it's been great!

It's that time of year, tax season, and I have a few questions and wanted to get people's (and specifically Canadian's) expertise on:

(1) I had my POE on Oct. 31 and officially moved down in early Dec, and didn't get health care insurance until Jan 2016 through work. For this reason, would I be exempt from ACA taxes? I read through Form 8965 and understand that I can potentially be exempt because (a) I had no coverage for less than three months in 2015 and/or (b) I wasn't a resident until Oct. 31?

(2) I, like many Canadians, have an RSP and TFSA. I understand that the RSP is treated as a tax-sheltered account by the IRS, but no guidance has been given regarding the TFSA. How have Canadians with TFSAs reported their accounts? Any suggestions?

(3) This is the first time my wife and I will be filing taxes together as a married couple. Given that I have the investment accounts in Canada, and am the higher earner, what's the advantages/disadvantages in filing separately or jointly?

(4) Anyone have any good recommendations for tax software, given the above?

Thanks for your insights.

Update:

The move was great and went off without a hitch (no pun intended!). U-Haul actually delivered us a fine truck that was completely fine and actually nice and clean. It was slow driving down the interstate, but hey, we were carrying a heavy load.

To those in Toronto, I recommend All Canadian Storage. Easy to rent from there, and they have supplies in case you need them.

Good luck to all!

Check the oil, power steering fluid, wiper fluid, coolant etc... Also check the tire pressure, see if there are any leaks anywhere, make sure the dials are working, as well as the seat belts. Check the brakes too while you drive it around and make sure to give yourself lots of room to stop when you're driving after filling it up. I don't know how much hauling experience you have but most people don't have much so they don't understand with a full big vehicle you can need up to twice as much space to stop.

I suggest that you have a lock for the back so when you stop to eat you don't need to worry about your stuff going missing.

Make sure everything you pack isn't going to move around. Remember heavy stuff over the wheels/through the middle and to equal out both sides with weight.

Thanks for the solid advice. I have hauled once before, and know about the required distance. Luckily I tend to drive around the limit anyways!

Hi everyone

I got a compliance letter from GM for my car. The emissions part is fine; the safety part says the following:

(ii) Safety Standards (DOT) Our records confirm that this vehicle conformed to all applicable Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) in effect at the time of manufacture. Our records confirm that this vehicle does not conform to the applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) in effect at the time of manufacture. Please note that this vehicle does not comply with all FMVSS.

The letter doesn't indicate what specific US standards my car doesn't adhere to. Is this sufficient for importing?

Inspect your UHaul trailer or vehicle very carefully before signing for it. Ours was kaput and we only realized when it was fully packed :/

Move and border crossing were otherwise uneventful.

Thanks! Yes, we are renting from u haul, doing a one way trip, so I hope this car is worthy of making it to our destination (900km away). I will drive it around a few kms before we start loading it - anything in particular I should watch out for?

Hi there,

My wife and I are moving down south this coming weekend. We have a u-haul reserved and will fill it with all of our personal belongings and effects (clothes, furniture, kitchen items, etc.)

When I did my POE a few weeks ago, I was told all I really need is an itemized list of all contents that we are brining with us. Is there anything else I might need / should expect? Do I need to fill out any specific customs declaration form, for example? Also, has anyone had any recent experience with this, who can tell me how it went?

I am crossing at Buffalo, NY.

Thanks!

No to travel insurance!

Travel insurance is for people who LIVE PERMANENTLY in a state and go abroad to VISIT. If you immigrate, you no longer live permanently in your home state! Travel insurance will not cover.

Temporary health insurance in US is very easy to get. Do it online, pay, covered immediately. And you can get insurance for 3 days, two weeks, a month - premium calculated on a daily basis.

Can you suggest an insurance company?

moved from NS to DC in 2004 with Uhaul..went well, no issues. make sure u look over the truck, as 1 of the biggest complaints has been centered around mechanical issues of their trucks! But was told they use the newer trucks for long distance moves.

Thanks! Did you do a one-way trip? If so, how was it?

Just get some travel insurance to cover you for those few days. That's the easiest and most logical choice. US medical insurance plans won't let you get a plan for a few days.

But you should make sure that you know the details of when your work coverage will start. It seems highly unlikely it will start the day you start work... because chances are you will have to fill out forms and then your company will have to submit them.. and then it usually takes the rest of the month you're in plus a full calendar month before you are actually covered.

And make sure you read the details of the travel insurance.. because most of them are useless and won't actually cover you for anything anyway... but yeah... get some just in case

Good luck!

While those are both very old topics there are a couple of helpful tips in there, including this link: http://www.immigrationhealth.com/index.htm

Check with what ever state you're moving into and see if they have any incoming immigrant insurance options. Honestly though, I don't know how easy of a time you will have getting onto those plans if you only need them for 4-5 days as almost EVERYTHING insurance statewide could take more than a week or so just to process and then ask for more info.

It would probably be easier to get onto any third party provider plan (NOT state based), but that link should help.

Thanks everyone. I figure travel insurance is the best call, just want to ensure I would be covered if I am technically becoming a resident of the USA in that time.

Thanks!

Hi there,

Between the time I physically immigrate to the USA and the time I start my work (which has offered me and my spouse health insurance), I won't be covered for any health insurance. This period will be about 4-5 days.

To be on the safe side, I want to buy insurance, but not sure from where. Would I purchase travel insurance from Canada, even though I would no longer be a resident? Can I purchase health insurance in the USA in advance for 4-5 days?

Any insights appreciated. Thanks!

I am sure this has been posted elsewhere, but wanted to get some recent experiences of people.

I am thinking of renting a U-Haul one-way to move from Toronto to D.C. I got a quote from a local U-Haul, and wanted to see what others' experiences have been both with U-Haul and other companies.

I am wary of doing the cube moving, as I want to haul my own items down and prefer they be with me at all times.

Any opinions are appreciated, thanks!

I just heard from another Montreal couple that was approved on their interview the 21st of Oct that the status was changed to Issued. So they should receive their waybill or tracking# soon. I guess ours might still be processing? Its been 5 days though and he said 3-5 days. I hope there isn't a problem.

I just had my interview on Oct 23 and was approved. Still early but also says ready. Is the waybill # sent to us via email?

It is unlikely they will ask for an updated AoS, but if they do or if they say there is a problem with your AoS that is the time to provide the updated information.

Thanks. Do you mean an updated I-864? I see there is a new version this year, and mine was completed earlier this year before this new version.

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding new evidence for my IV interview. I submitted my IV and AOS packages electronically to the NVC back in the earlier part of the year.

At the time, I could not get a tax transcript from the IRS as the 2014 versions were not yet ready, and so full Form 1040s were submitted in lieu. I have since obtained tax transcripts for 2014 for my sponsors. Additionally, I have some updated documentation for the petitioner's domicile, including recent bank statements.

My question is: how can I include this new evidence at my interview? Should I include it as part of the original package of documents I submitted, or leave it out and mention that I have new documents (the ones noted above)?

Thanks for your insight!

Thank you very much for the answer. Just to be on the same side, I will get recent photos taken.

Thanks

As always, the earlier, the better! Suggest to do it in-person at the consulate, where you can obtain proof that you requested it on the spot.

Almost 30 days ago I mailed the completed packet to the NVC, and was told to wait 30 days for a response of either a request for more information, or an interview date for my wife. I was meticulous in putting the packet together and knew everything was in order.

The problem is now the police records. In Israel, the police department will only send the records directly to the embassy or consulate. When I called to NVC to verify everything before sending, she informed me of this practice before I could even mention it. The woman on the phone told me the NVC is aware of it, but just to be careful I should write an explanation of it in a letter to be included in the packet. I followed this advice, yet yesterday we received an email that we were hoping would be the interview date, yet ended up being a request for more information. The request for the Israeli police documents in the NVC's own instructions states that the police records can only be sent to the embassy or consulate.

This is beyond frustrating as most of you can probably imagine. This is a BLATANT error on their part, and is now costing my wife and I in more ways than one. We have been separated now for many months already, and this is unacceptable. They are of course closed on the weekends so I can't call to see what they say.

Has anyone else had something like this happen? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

The same thing happened to me, and I got a case complete email a week or so later.

Hi IsraeltoUSA - My husband requested the police certificate to be sent directly to the embassy and they gave us a copy of (1) the request for police records (it just says we are requesting the police records to be sent to the embassy) and )2) another page which was like a reference of the request. This one basically says if nothing is "attached" you have no police records. Both are just a formality and proof we got it done. We sent in both and translated to English and certified both copies. Perhaps this is what they want? BTW I wouldn't wait until the last minute with police records - it takes 4-6 weeks for delivery.

When the case was complete we were told by NVC in an email to make sure to bring the police records to the interview. Before the interview, we made sure to email the embassy to make sure it arrived to the embassy.

BTW you could call and ask if your case is complete - maybe it is. We got one weird email from them and then a few days later another email with case complete but we weren't worried because I called ahead of time and they confirmed case complete.

By the way, are you a K1 visa? You mentioned that you are married..

Anyway good luck!

Chooky - what do you mean in regards to (2) above? Is that the actual police certificate, or a short form Hebrew version of it? How did you receive it?? I requested a police certificate and have proof of my request, with an upcoming interview.

Hi,

Just a quick questions -

In the interview package for CR-1, it says to bring two colour 5cm x cm passport photos. Are these the same two photos that I submitted to the NVC electronically?

Thanks!

Are you all positive that credit scores are not applicable cross border? I understand credit scores may be different in their methodology, but equifax and the like companies are present in both Canada and the USA.

Any evidence of this?

Anyone here tried to registered there appointment at http//ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca/iv/information/iv services

It kept saying not ready for appointment. My case was ready since Friday and I received an e-mail directing me to this website.

I also ran into the same problem this morning. I emailed them as per their instructions with the information requested.

The only explanation they told my husband was every case is different and to just wait like everybody else.

I will do that. Once my status change to ready I will email the consulate. Thank you.

I wasn't given any explanation either. I sailed through everything up to the CC, and then waited for a bit over 4 months. I think the main reason is that my PD was in 2015 whereas most other Canadians who got interviews before me had theirs in 2014. There was one Canadian who had almost the same timeline and exact same visa and mine and had their interview very early. Who knows!

Feelamazing, did you just email the consulate to ask about documentation? I would like to ask the same - for example my police check is just the regular one, I didn't do any fingerprints (but was never asked/read about it either).

I got a tax return question too. When I submitted the AOS, the 2014 tax transcript (what you would get from the IRS website) wasn't yet available, as we submitted the AOS around tax deadline time. I assume now it is probably available - do I need to bring it, even though it wasn't submitted at the time?

Does anyone here use the Police criminal record check without any fingerprints and be approved during interview? I just to be sure that it's enough. I just went to the local police headquarters in Durham region and they give me the green form.

I got my police certificate without fingerprints.

Did you get your P4 email letter yet?

Any of the latest interviewee's from Canada/Montreal Consulate get the email confirmation or P4 Package yet????

Wondering how long it will take - and do we need the interview letter to take to the medical exam?

thanks!

I got my interview scheduled last week for end of October but haven't received anything yet...