Moving Back To Canada

A resource for Canadian Expatriates returning to Canada to take up residence after living abroad

 


Moving back to Canada is exciting...but also a real challenge. Along with the wonderful aspects of your "new" life back in Canada, you also have to contend with reverse culture shock. Or first-time culture shock if your children or spouse have never lived in Canada. Further, the multitude of administrative and organizational aspects of moving home and setting up your new life can be daunting. Moving back from the USA or Mexico may not seem to be too much of a challenge, but many of the same issues are faced in these moves as well.

This primer/checklist is the result of my family's experiences moving back to Canada after spending 6-1/2 years in the Middle East. Our youngest son was born there. To him, we were immigrating to Canada. For the rest of us, it was a big move back to the land of taxes, rules and regulations, rain and snow...and of course, fantastic geography, a liberal Canadian society, public libraries, and much more.

If you find this primer useful, please contact me with any suggestions you think could be added to improve it.

Contents:

  • Part 1: Preparations you can do, and need to do, ahead of time while living abroad
  • Part 2: Preparations you can do, and should do, while vacationing in Canada for the last time before moving home.
  • Part 3: What you can do, and need to do, once you arrive in Canada.
  • Useful links (Canadian Border Services Agency, Canada Customs, moving companies, etc.)
  • Donate? - Help Paul widen the resources on this site and provide more volunteer services

Part 1: Preparations you can do, and need to do, ahead of time while outside of Canada

1 year ahead of your leaving (if you have the luxury of knowing this far ahead - 6 months or less if you don't):

  • Decide where you wish to settle in Canada.
    • If you already own a property or wish to live near relatives this may be a moot point for you.
    • If you are not set on a province/city/region that you have to go to, this becomes a very important decision. You have changed in your overseas experience. You will find most Canadians charmingly provincial at first. The charm wears off fast. Soon you will be wondering when you can go back overseas to be with more worldly folks. Really. It won't take long to feel this way. To help make the transition easier, consider what your values, interests, and goals are. Choose regions of Canada that suit your family. If you feel that you want a liberal, worldly social set, consider Ottawa, Vancouver, etc. If you wish for a more conservative surrounding, consider London, ON, or a smaller center in a conservative region. If you want nature and outdoors activities, BC tops the list (by a long shot - of course I am biased as I live there!). The most important thing to remember is that you are different. Canadians haven't changed. You probably no longer fit into your old life in Canada! You will have to create a new fit. Prepare ahead and you won't be so culture shocked.
  • Buy a residence ahead of time...
    • ...but rent it out for 6 months or a year before you arrive. Owning a house and keeping it empty may jeopardize your non-resident status with CCRA (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency). This would be yucky if you have been enjoying lower or non-existent taxes in your off-shore country! So rent it out at arms-length (not to a family member)
    • Buy a house in December or January: The best time for buyers. You can low-ball sellers and quite often get a great deal.
    • Having a house ready for you means you can get excited about where you are going in Canada. You will have a mailing address for forwarding your mail. You will have a place to send your household goods. You will have a place for your family to land when you arrive (lower costs - see finances below).


  • Roanna Stevens, back in Canada in late 2008, on finding a place to live:

    I think for us one of the most difficult things has been finding appropriate housing for our family. We have never lived in BC so searching for an apartment/condo to rent near Vancouver has been daunting. One thing that I am glad someone told us was that we should look at getting "transitional" housing rather than signing a one-year lease. This proved to be great advice! Since we had a timeframe in which we had to find a place to live, we ended up in a basement suite in Burnaby on a month-to-month lease. The location was great...the suite was not. However, it did give us time to start looking around and to determine what area would be best for us to live in. It was also SO much easier to look for a place when we were already in the general area. I had been doing the Craigslist thing from Bangkok but, in a city like Vancouver, you really need to jump on housing when it shows up. If it's a good place, it won't be available for very long. Eventually, we found a great place, at a fair price in an area we felt suited us.


     

  • Prepare your finances.
    • If you wish to leave money off-shore, prepare for that now. Open appropriate accounts, make appropriate investments, choose your money's geographic domicile.
    • Canada is expensive if you have to live in short-term accommodations, rent a car, eat out a lot, etc. when you move back.
      • Budget for 3-5 thousand dollars a month (yes, a month) for a typical family to live in short-term furnished accommodations, rent a car, eat at restaurants, and buy things needed for your new life.
        • The sooner you can get settled in your own accommodation and buy a car, the sooner you will stop the hemorrhaging of your bank account.
        • Assume that it will take a minimum of 2 months to get settled and 4 months to get really settled. That's right: Count on up to C$20,000 to just get settled (family of 4 example) in a new place in Canada.
        • Staying with family members sounds like a good idea, but if your family has enlarged, or if your kids have gotten a lot older in the years overseas, staying with family will get very difficult very fast. Your parents have gotten a lot older during your years overseas. Your other family members think you are rich because you had an expat lifestyle. They won't be happy with you camping in their basement. After all, since you are rich, why don't you just stay in a hotel?
        • Don't mess up your early exciting experience in Canada: Stay in your own separate, private accommodations when you arrive back. You will thank yourself later and so will your family members!
    • Prepare to be treated like a criminal by Canadian financial institutions. If you have been out of Canada for many years and have severed all important ties (per CCRA stipulations to ensure non-residency), you have no credit history. Be ready to face the following:

      • You will not have a credit history. Banks and credit unions will tell you "Oh, no credit history is OK. At least it is not negative!". This is a lie. No recent Canadian credit history is the same or worse than negative credit. You have not been a Canadian wage-slave and because of this, you must, therefore, have obtained your finances through some unsavory method: You will be denied loans, mortgages, and credit cards. You do not fit the narrow mind-frame of most bank employees. You are a risk. Better to say "no" to you. And with all the identity theft going on, even more reason to say "no!" to "strangers" (you!).

      • The only normal way to get loans, mortgages and credit cards is to have a job - even if you have $100,000 cash in the bank! The Canadian financial lending system is based on lending against income earning through provable normal sounding employers - and not against you or your assets.

    Hint: A burgeoning market is growing for self-employed, exceptional folks (like you!) for mortgages. The key person here is the mortgage broker. A very useful person to get to know. If you are planning on getting a mortgage when you arrive back, find a good mortgage broker. Skip banks completely. Skip credit unions (with the exception of perhaps VanCity they are no longer credit unions anyway, but banks in disguise)

    • How to beat this:

    Keep your overseas bank account and credit card. Leave some cash in the account to allow you to use your credit cards for 6 months or more, until you get credit re-established and your new credit cards in Canada.

    Get a job. Any job that pays a decent amount and is with an organization that is "normal" sounding. Then load up on your financial needs and tools. Then quit the job. Once you are in the game and a customer, you have all the tools you need. The hard part is getting to play in the game in the first place.

    Keep low-key financial services idling in Canada. Don't give up your Canadian credit card. Just don't use it in Canada. Use it once or twice a year overseas. More risk with CCRA, but at least you have this tool ready when you come back.

    Keep up a relationship with a person of influence in a financial institution in Canada. A friend or family member in a financial institution can make the "no credit" problem disappear - after all, they personally know you went overseas. You are not a risk: You are an asset to Canada! Bringing home your new-found worldliness and capital! (Yeah, right!)

    Sad note: The division between the haves and the have-nots in Canada has never been bigger. The have-nots are permanently relegated to the world of handouts, check cashing rip-off operations, stealing, fraud, and the black market. The Canadian financial system is contributing to this problem more now than every before. Unless you are a wage-slave, you are denied (or have to go through tremendous problems obtaining) what are now essential tools to helping you be successful and more efficient in a modern economy: Credit cards, loans, mortgages - even essentials like a telephone and hydro! You no longer have constitutional rights to a phone and heat for your house (remember privatization?) Well, your new telephone *corporation* looks first at your credit history before giving you service, not your rights as a citizen of Canada!

  • Prepare your children for the change by discussing it with them early, openly, and fully.
    • This is a double edged sword: On one hand it will help with planning. On the other, it will mean that the last year and the last few months in particular will be go by slowly . It will mess up friendships a bit for them. However, it is my philosophy (yours may be different) that children need to be part of family decisions. By being honest, open, and keeping them more or less fully up to date on family plans will mean that your children will be able to actively prepare mentally. Not telling them until much closer to the move date will shock them and make them feel helpless and victimized. You will be the one they take their frustration and insecurities out on as a result!
    • Prepare them for the schools they may be going to. If you plan to home-school in Canada: Find out what the home schooling "climate" is like in the region you are going to live in.
    • Discuss the benefits of your move home. Benefits most often include time with Grandma and Grandpa, access to great public libraries, access to Canadian sports, outdoor activities they might not have had access to, freedoms and rights, etc.
    • Get them ready for what you will and won't be taking back to Canada with you. Furniture, toys, souvenirs, etc.

  • Pets, children's vaccinations, driver's licenses, criminal record checks, ...
    • Pets! Britain was notorious for not letting pets into the country without a 6 month quarantine. If you have owned pets for a long time, this is no news to you if you have lived overseas. That rule has changed recently. Now Brits can bring in pets from certain countries (in the EU) with a vet's sign-off regarding rabies, etc. We knew people who would go to live in Europe for several months on their way to Britain just to get a vet's approval for their pets so they wouldn't have to be quarantined.

      What about Canada? If you own a pet, bringing it to Canada is far less onerous. Check with the Canadian Government's Food Inspection Agency for the latest rules:

      Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (Thanks to a Canadian in Australia for suggesting pets for addition to this document)

    • Children's vaccinations are another issue of concern to some parents. Vaccinations are wonderful things from the perspective of public health. They have minimized or eliminated the threat of some common illnesses for decades in our societies. But they also cause damaging and fatal reactions to a small percentage of children. They can also do other damage to the just forming systems of many more children. Damage that doesn't show up until later in these children's lives. Further compounding the debate is that often newer, less harmful vaccinations are not adopted immediately by public health departments, doctors and hospitals. So children may be unnecessarily being given older, more harmful versions.

      Every country in the world has different policies on vaccinations. Many mandate such vaccinations. And each country has a different brew they give to children at different times. At birth, for example, my son was given a TB shot. For the rest of his life he will test positive for TB because of this. However, there was a significant risk that we would be exposed to TB in the country we lived in and those we traveled to, so this was a balanced risk for us.

      Canada does not require vaccinations at birth nor as a condition for entry for returning Canadians. However, expect that public schools do require them on entrance. Can you object and be excused from this? If you do not want your children vaccinated, likely being excused will be on a case-by-case basis, depending on the school or area you are moving to. Or you can fake the paperwork quite easily. No-one likes playing games with important things you believe strongly in, but just as most people find in other parts of the world, there is more than one way to a goal. Sometimes you have to "work the system" a bit to get what you want in an imperfect world. (Thanks to a Canadian in Australia for suggesting vaccinations for addition to this document).

    • Laura Walker, a Canadian living in the UK and preparing to take up residence in Canada, researched driver's licenses and whether you can exchange your overseas license for a Canadian one without doing a test. She was able to change her Canadian driver's license for a UK one when she first went overseas. Ontario, for example, allows a direct exchange of driver's license if you have more than 2 years driving experience, for "drivers from other Canadian provinces, Canadian Forces-Europe, U.S.A., Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain, Austria and Belgium." For people from other countries who have let their Canadian driver's licenses lapse, you may have to take a new test! Check the details noted on the web sites of the province in which you intend to take up residence. As well, individual employees at individual offices of your province's licensing division may interpret your situation differently. (Thanks Laura for this information!)
    • Criminal record checks are a pain when done from overseas. Laura Walker in the UK had to get one done from there and found it took 6 months from overseas but could have taken 48 hours from within Canada. If you need a criminal record check done for a new job in Canada that you will start upon arrival, getting a record checked in Canada upon arrival or on the last visit before you arrive home would make sense. (Thanks Laura for this information!)

6 months to 3 months ahead of returning to Canada


Jack Novak posed many interesting questions in August 2009 around the following central theme:

Keep your goods and ship them or sell them and travel light?

Jack researched these questions in the context of moving overseas, wondering if people were happier taking a container of their possessions, for example, and shipping them back to Canada when they return, or were happier selling and going originally in suitcases alone.

I (Paul Kurucz) did it both ways. When I first went overseas my boss there said "Sell everything and bring only suitcases!" We did just that and unfortunately, regretted do so...sort of. We were expecting our second child on the way overseas and having a container load of books, toys, and baby equipment, furniture, etc. would have really helped. We did get a generous furniture allowance, but in the end it would have been better, perhaps, given our particular point in family life to have our "stuff" with us.

On the other hand, we had the opportunity to spend time experiencing our new country of residence without the emotional comforts, crutches, and chains of our physical stuff. So we definitely benefited from the adventure that moving our life in 6 suitcases resulted in.

Your point in life is important, I think: My boss was in his 50's, had no children, and loved to travel with his wife. To them, moving meant traveling light and enjoying the freedom of their point in life. So my boss' first advice made sense...from their perspective.

We did a second tour overseas and this time sent a container and returned to Canada with one in 2003. Great idea! We loaded up on cool stuff you can't get in Canada (art, rugs, furniture, etc.) on the way back because once your container is paid for, you can load it up to the very top with stuff at basically the same flat rate cost as 1/2 empty.

In summary, a few good starting questions might therefore be:

  • Where are you in your life? Do you *need* your stuff for what you want to do now and for the next few years?
  • Do you have a lot of emotional attachments to your stuff? How might this affect your experience after arriving ?
  • What is the cost of shipping versus buying new stuff when you arrive back in Canada?
  • What do you want your life to look like when back in Canada? An apartment full of stuff might not be an attractive outcome...on the other hand, an empty 5 bedroom house might not be either!

Please comment on your thoughts and experiences on this question for addition to this site! ( )


  • Find out how people from your part of the world move their household goods ("hhg") back to Canada. Ask around.
  • Check out moving companies and services in your region.
    • There are several shipping options open to you:
      • Go home with suitcases only
        • Pluses: No shipping costs, ready to move anywhere in Canada, flexibility, traveling light.
        • Minuses: You will miss your "stuff" very quickly, costs in Canada for buying all your furniture, kitchen stuff, etc. are extremely high (remember GST and PST?).
      • Ship a bunch of boxes/crates home by air freight
        • Pluses: Stuff gets there fast, stuff is secure, you can pick up your stuff from your nearby airport.
        • Minuses: Very expensive, limited by size and weight limits, gets there too quickly - a problem if you don't already have accommodation lined up.
      • Ship a bunch of boxes/crates home by sea freight.
        • Pluses: Inexpensive, gets there more slowly (if you need time to get settled, this may be a good thing).
        • Minuses: Insecure - your cargo gets bunched with others - it may be opened and pilfered from, damage as your boxes will be repeatedly moved and bashed by often poorly paid laborers.
      • Ship a 20' or 40' container by sea freight.
        • Pluses: You lock it with your own personal padlock at the end of it being packed - you unlock when it arrives in Canada - very secure, a fixed and large amount of space, little or no damage if you are involved in packing it, opportunity to ship home larger furniture, you have your full household ready to go when it arrives (you don't have to buy much in Canada for your new house - big savings)
        • Minus: Expensive (thousands of dollars) to rent a container (but may be totally offset by savings of not having to buy new furniture in Canada), takes up to 6 weeks to get to Canada.
    • Learn all the ins and outs of the moving business.
      • If you can pack all your possessions, you will save thousands of dollars. Moving companies make most of their profits on the packing phase. Pack your own and you will see sad faces from the moving company sales representative.
        • Some moving companies won't do business with you if you want self-pack. They will give you serious-sounding, but ridiculous reasons why they must do the packing. Don't listen to them. Find a moving company who will let you pack if you want to save big bucks.
      • You may be able to handle air freighting or container shipping by yourself. Or not, if you live in a part of the world where corruption is rampant.
      • Never leave for home until you have all the paperwork from the shipper in hand. Never fly out with the words "I will send it to you soon!" ringing in your ears. Leave with the original shipping manifest and bill of lading in hand. Canada customs must have this when you arrive if you want to clear your goods through customs!
      • Insurance on your container's goods is likely a scam. Many people who pay it and then try to claim for goods that got damaged in transit never get paid out. Or get paid out a pittance. The contract is packed with exceptions in fine print. If you have some extremely expensive, irreplaceable items then insure them individually and professionally and ship them by air freight. Otherwise, skip the 2, 3 or 4% insurance charges the moving company wants you to pay. The ship won't drop your container overboard. Your stuff will get there (particularly if you use the container shipping method).


      Roanna Steven's experience moving her family back to Canada in late 2008 from Bangkok to Vancouver:

  • I wanted to fill you in a bit on our experience of shipping our goods from Bangkok to Vancouver as you provided so many helpful tips for us (thank you SO much)! Actually, the shipping of our household goods ended up being one of the areas that went the smoothest in our international move! We used a shipping company that a friend recommended (and she had had a friend recommend them to her!) and they were superb. Also, their agent on the Vancouver end was excellent as well. (If anyone visits your website and wants a recommendation for a shipping company in Bangkok, I'd HIGHLY recommend CargoPort Thailand. We dealt with a gentleman named Tony who was brilliant. Their web site is www.cargoportthailand.com).

    One thing that did catch us a bit off guard was that Tony mentioned they would have to look in each box that we had packed (I guess to make sure we were in fact only shipping household goods). I panicked a bit (since we had done our own packing and the boxes were VERY tightly packed and I didn't want them being totally unpacked) but he simply looked in the top of each box. It was good that we knew ahead of time though so that we didn't tape up the boxes too tightly! I also had prepared a list of the goods we had so they used that as the packing list.


  • Book your moving/shipping company.
    • Get a firm price quote.
    • Build a clear and professional relationship with your mover.
      • Hint: One of the things I discovered about being successful in life is that it is not the quality and quantity of what you know that is important, but how good your questions are. Part of building a clear and professional relationship with a mover is asking lots of good questions. If the mover can answer them well, you have some confidence in their abilities. They also come to know that you are a customer who they need to treat professionally. If you get back from your questions: "Yes, yes! We take care of all that. Just leave it to us!" this can mean a range possible things, from "they really know their stuff" to "eeekkkk - my container went to the Ukraine by mistake?!" In either case, I suggest asking lots of questions and insisting on clear and full answers, particularly in the context of your moving company. I found out lots of things I needed to be prepared for, and that made my life a lot easier, by asking lots of questions.
    • Make sure he/she knows that you will be talking to many fellow expats about your experience after you move.


    John Morrison, a Canadian moving back from the U.S. in 2008 suggests:

Alternatives for reducing moving costs, for those moving from US or possibly Mexico back to Canada

Consider these ways of reducing moving costs:

- if you have a car, purchase a trailer for it and self drive back

- if you don't have a car or any large items to move back e.g. appliances, then consider mailing your items using the US mail to a town just the other side of the border. US mail lets you send domestic mail, up to 70lb in weight for each item. Length plus width plus height of each item must be less than 130". Cost is approximately $52 per item close to these maximums. So if you had 20 boxes close to these maximums that would be $1000. Compare that to $1500 for base rental of a small 1 way truck, before buying gas and other moving costs. You then rent a truck from your new town in Canada for the day, drive down and pick up your goods from across the border. At least, this is my plan

Thank you for your site - got me thinking through my move back from the US!


  • Sell off anything (like your cars) that will be hard or expensive to sell near the time of your departure.
    • Many people sell their cars at the last minute before they get on the airplane for Canada. Car dealers overseas know this and low-ball you. Since you are desperate, you take what they offer. You regret keeping it that long. You kept it because you needed it up to the end, you told yourself. NOT SO! If you had sold it earlier at a price the vehicle was worth you could have saved thousands of dollars! Here is how to do it:
      • Sell your car early (2-3 months ahead at least)
      • Rent a vehicle on a short-term lease for the remaining time.
      • You will have pulled your cash out and relieved yourself of the stress of selling it at the last minute. You will have a frightening amount of stuff to do at the end before you leave. Save yourself the extra grief of trying to get rid of your vehicle at the last minute.
      • The money you save by getting a good price will often cover the short-term lease and more!!
      • Another bonus: You don't have to worry about maintenance, repairs or possible breakdowns in the last few months!
      • If you wish to bring your car home with you, note that you can only import cars from the U.S. and only under certain conditions.
        • If you originally shipped the car overseas from Canada, you should be able to ship it back to Canada, as long as it has not been modified mechanically.
        • Details on importing vehicles to Canada can be found on the Canada Customs web site.

  • Begin making contacts in Canada for jobs, social events, social groups, etc. which you want to get involved in when you arrive. Making connections now will make the transition easier. If you have favorite musical concert to look forward to when you arrive this will be another anchor in Canada you can hold onto during the frantic last minute preparations. Have a camping trip planned with your kids. Have a family reunion planned. Stuff like that.

  • Get a job in Canada ahead of time...if you can. Unless you are retiring back to Canada (which many people are), getting work in Canada is one of the big challenges you might face. Why? There is an old saying that a house that is lived in is easier to sell than one that isn't. The same applies to getting a job in Canada: Having one means it is easer to get another from your current position - an employed person seems more attractive than an unemployed one. Human nature is kicking in here. Now add in the fact that the job you just had was not in Canada, nor perhaps in some recognizable place like the U.S. and you have a first screening disadvantage on jobs you apply for. I once had a middle-aged gentleman from the UK apply for a job that I was hiring for (in Canada). He had a "Higher National Diploma". I required a "Bachelor Degree". Guess what? In my youthful ignorance I assumed it wasn't comparable or valuable enough and he didn't get past first screening. In later years when I learned what a Higher National Diplomas was - bascially equivalent to a Bachelor's degree - I realized that he was not only qualified, but likely an excellent candidate - sigh.

    How do you beat this seeming disadvantage when you are returning to Canada and want to find employment? Some tips :
    • Great real estate: "location, location, location". Great jobs: "networking, networking, networking". OK, so networking can feel distasteful to many people. But it is necessary for most. Some networking suggestions:
      • Join service groups like Rotary. They are international, so why not do join in your overseas location before you return? Then you can transfer over and find yourself smack in the middle of a group of welcoming, supportive people (= job)
      • A lot of cities in Canada have "newcomers" clubs for anyone new to the city for less than 2 years.
      • Use your industry association to make contacts by attending trade shows/fairs/conventions in the year before you come back.
      • Come back 1-3 months ahead and just knock on doors of organizations directly in line with your experience and interests. Or make contact with their overseas branch in the location you are in and ask for Canadian contacts from the folks in the overseas branch. They might be more willing to help, often being expats themselves, than those in the Canadian location.
      • Talk to people, talk to people, talk to people. Canadian friends, former Canadian co-workers & bosses, family members. Let them know you are looking for work after arriving back from an exciting time overseas. Your excitement over returning to Canada and cool anecdotal stories you share will go a long way to Canadian employers seeing you as interesting. Remember: Most Canadians want to travel. You are a kind of "hero" to them - you not only traveled, but LIVED overseas. Cool. Share this "Cool" with them. And watch your excitement turn into an interesting opportunity here in Canada for you through networking.
    • Start your own business. Really.
    • Seek out a smaller firm that does business internationally. They will understand you better than a 23 year old assistant manager of the XYZ local credit union in ABC town in any province in Canada.
    • Go back to work overseas...but live in Canada. Many opportunities exist to help other countries export to Canada. Examples, students from other countries who want to study in Canada. Firms who wish to export to Canada. You can be their agent, start their local subsidiary in Canada, or act as their agent here. Cool.
    • Network with everyone and anyone you meet in Canada and abroad. Tell them your story. Oh, yes, I already mentioned networking as the best (yes, the best) way to get a great job fast in Canada.
    • Did I mention networking?

The last month before you leave for Canada

  • Get your cash out of the country you are in to an off-shore account or back to Canada.
    • A practical policy for keeping things clean with CCRA is "Cash into Canada, then you, then your goods". In that order. This is very important. You must arrive physically before your shipped container of hhg arrives.
    • Goods that proceed you are a problem as you are not there to clear them. And you may be deemed resident from that point forward by CCRA. Which means you pay tax on your final earnings overseas!
    • If significant amounts of money arrive in the months after you arrive, CCRA may question whether this is income earned after you took up residency in Canada. Ooooopppssss!!!
  • Get your B4 form (also called B4-05e), carefully fill it out and get required documents prepared. This document, a PDF guide for returning residents, and much more is available from the new "Canadian Border Services Agency" web site - link as of August 2008:

    http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/

    B4 form link:

    http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/b4-eng.pdf

    Thank you to Laura Walker in the UK for this information.

  • Pack your B4 form and required documents in your handbag (not your suitcase!) that you will be carrying onto your plane. You will need these at passport control at the Canadian airport at which you arrive.
  • Move your e-mail account over to an international or Canadian internet service provider. Then you can ensure more or less seamless transfer of your on-line presence.
  • Make a time line oriented check list of all the things you need to do. Particularly for the last 2 weeks and last 2 days.
  • Pack, pack, pack.
    • Do not pack the following:
      • Alcohol...unless you know exactly what you are allowed to bring into Canada - check with Customs and you must obtain an import declaration from your provinces Provincial Liquor Control Board. You will most likely have to pay duties on anything over your personal allowance.
      • Same applies to tobacco but less paperwork.
      • Food products, including seeds, clippings, branches, spices, etc. DO NOT PACK FOOD. When your shipment arrives in Canada it will be held up by Agriculture Canada until they are satisfied there are not possibly contaminating food, molds, or contaminating non-native plants or organisms.
      • Firearms (duh!) One of the nice things about Canada is that guns are not pervasive. Let's keep it that way!
      • Illegal hunting trophies or souvenirs (i.e. ivory, etc.). Usual banned stuff.
      • Any goods that belong to someone else. This messes up the process and could mean the difference between a costly and damaging search of your goods and a simple "You're cleared!". Either declare all the goods yours or don't bring other people's stuff with you. Get them to ship their own.
      • Anything else you don't want confiscated by Customs if they search your container.
    • Special packing considerations:
      • Any item over C$10,000 is a problem. You may have to pay tax and other complications can occur. Best not to bring any item over C$10,000 unless you really must. And then do your homework ahead of time on issues relating to this with CCRA.
      • Any cars, boats, motorcycles, motorbikes, motor homes, aircraft, etc. Check with CCRA on importing regulations or requirements.
      • Gifts - minimize the value of gifts you are bringing in. If gifts have a high value you get into tax and import duties considerations. Simple rule: Keep total value of gifts under C$100 and you won't have any trouble.
      • All goods must be owned and in your possession for more than 6 months. Have receipts to prove this with you for any possibly contentious items you may be bringing in.
  • Prepare and send out change of address notifications.
  • Prepare your health insurance in Canada. This is an important one: For some incredible reason, you will not get health coverage by Canada's "universal" health care system for the first 3 months you are resident again in Canada if you are moving home to British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, or New Brunswick. Other provinces do not require a waiting period - simply apply for immediate coverage to the health authority in the province you are settling in.
    • If you are moving back home to BC, ON, PQ, or NB, you have three choices:
    1. Have your overseas health coverage extended for 3 months past your return date. If you have a good track record with your overseas health insurance, they may be able to offer this coverage. Or your employer overseas might pick it up. If you are simply being transferred home by an employer, they likely will cover this anyway.
    2. Buy 3 months worth of health insurance here in Canada. The cost can be quite high: We checked into it for our family of 4. $700+ for coverage up to $60k, with a large deductible.
    3. Go three months without health insurance. You assume the risk and potential costs of any health issues that come up. Risking no coverage, if you are in good health, it is another option. After all, 4 billion people or more in this world have no "health coverage" or even access to western-style medical care. Is it so ridiculous to think that you might go three months without coverage and still emerge whole, sane, and with your finances intact?


Jane, a Canadian moving back from the U.S. in 2008 notes her reason for returning to Canada:

"I am a 60 yr. old, unemployed, female moving back to Ontario because I can no longer afford to live in the U.S.A. without health care...."

What is the value of the Canadian health care system? If in doubt, watch Michael Moore's film "Sicko".

And note that health care is not free in Canada - in BC unless your employer pays it, you pay $57 per month for your health care...


Kate, moving back to the province of Manitoba in 2010, comments on the waiting period for her health care coverage:

"One item you should re-investigate is the section on Health Care Coverage. We are returning to Canada and have been assured by Manitoba Health that we can be covered, as soon as we register with them, As long as we provide certain documents to them immediately: Proof of residence (i.e. proof of property purchase), our airline tickets (showing when we arrived), and proof of citizenship. There may be other requirements by province, but it is really unfortunate if there are people believing they must go 3 months without coverage and/or paying ridiculous fees for coverage...

...It is possible that insurance companies are not aware of this situation (at least not the one we originally contacted and Luckily did not pay for!), Or that they choose to be ignorant to this situation. We were lucky that we phoned Manitoba Health to clarify when our coverage would start, before paying an insurance company."

Follow-up: Kate is correct: Manitoba does not require a waiting period. However, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick do require a 3-month waiting period for public health insurance to start.


 

Part 2: Preparations you can do, and should do, while vacationing in Canada for the last time before moving home.

  • The last vacation you take before returning home is a wonderful time to prepare for your move home. Some of the things you can do:
    • Set up schooling or homeschooling for your kids.
    • Buy a house.
    • Set up a bank account (not a credit card, however - remember CCRA residency issues)
    • Research where you want to live.
    • ...
  • Set up a contact address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address. This is important. When you prepare your paperwork for the shipment and the shipping company you must have a Canadian destination address, a Canadian contact phone number, and a fax number. Use a relative's number if you can be sure that you can be easily reached at these numbers. You will get several phone calls and faxes after you arrive. Be ready for them.
    • HINT: The rest of the world has moved to e-mail. The shipping industry has not. They rely on faxes and it really throws them off if you say you don't have access to a private fax machine. Prepare for this: Get access to a fax machine and fax number to receive faxes before you arrive home. IMPORTANT: Many of the communications will be time sensitive. Missing an Agriculture Canada or shipping company fax could mean your shipment will be sitting at a dock and you won't know. Each day it is sitting in port can mean $100 or more a day in port charges (!)

Part 3: What you can do, and need to do, once you arrive in Canada.

At the airport when you arrive:

  • What to have on you, and ready to present, upon leaving the plane:
    • Returning Canadian Residents (Canadian citizens returning to take up residency in Canada):
      • Your completed B4 form
      • Your inventory of goods to follow - a packing list, preferably valued of what will be following you in a container or whatever other shipping method you choose. You will need to declare at least a total C$ figure of what your goods are worth.
      • Your passports
      • Liquor permit if you have decided to bring alcohol into Canada.
      • Immigration papers if you are not Canadian citizens.
      • Receipts for any item that Customs might want proof that it was in your possession for more than 6 months. Persian rugs, expensive art, computers, etc.
    • If you are not a Canadian citizen - you are immigrating, coming with a work permit, or are bringing in an inheritance, the paperwork differs. Check with CBSA and CCRA for details on what you need.
  • Declare to the Passport Control person that you are resuming residency in Canada. They will steer you towards the right person.
    • HINT: Having your neatly completed B4 and inventory in hand will please and delight the CCRA personnel who will work on the paperwork you need to clear your goods later. Pleasing and delighting CCRA staff by making their lives easier (ie. they don't have to fill out the B4 or ask you too many questions) will mean a reduced risk of hassle in clearing yourselves now and your goods later.


Carrying $10,000 or more with you when you arrive? A suggestion from Patty Juno in Dec. 2009:

"Would add one thing to Part 3:... the form if you are carrying more than 10K in currency - which returning teachers sometimes have, having just got their last paychecks and cleared out their bank accounts in the country they are leaving, etc."

[The CBSA web page entitled "Crossing the border with $10,000 or more?"]

[The CBSA Form E677, Cross-Border Currency or Monetary Instruments Report - Individual]


In the first week after you arrive:

  • Take regular fun breaks. Make moving home an adventure.
    • Hint: Get inexpensive but spacious accommodation and a vehicle - FAST. The sooner you get these, the sooner your bank account stops hemorrhaging.
  • Phone the local representative of the shipping company. Their partner company in Canada who will physically and paperwork-wise handle your shipment. Introduce yourself and let them know you have arrived and are awaiting your shipment. They may have paperwork for you to fill out or instructions on how to deal with Customs clearance.
  • Everything is different and you are in the early honeymoon phase of moving home. Enjoy it, but also make sure that your honeymoon isn't seen differently by extended family members who haven't left Canada...spend time with them, but not too much!

In the first 2 months after you arrive:

  • Obtaining Agriculture Canada Clearance:
      • You will receive a fax or telephone call from your moving or shipping company that Agriculture Canada is holding your shipment pending confirmation of the contents before they will release it. Don't be afraid: This is a common and standard practice. Just fax them a contents list:

        • Hint: Clearly note on your fax to Agriculture Canada that there are no seeds, spices, food, dirt on any garden tools, etc. in your shipment. Make it easy for them to say " <sound of rubber stamp hitting your paperwork> Released!"
      • Clearing Customs
        • You can do this the Hard Way or the Easy Way:
          • The Hard Way: When you go to Customs in your nearest Canadian city to obtain final clearance of your shipment once it has arrived in Canada (you will most likely have to do this) you break every logical preparation rule:
            • You didn't prepare your paperwork neatly, clearly, and completely.
            • You are bringing in lots of suspect stuff - alcohol, cigarettes, a car, lots of persian rugs, etc.
            • You are dressed poorly - or too fancily.
            • You haven't showered that day - or shaved.
            • You don't take off your sunglasses when you go up to the Customs counter.
            • You go to customs at 4:00pm, when the employees are tired and want to go home.
            • You don't like Customs, the Customs officer you go up to and their offices - and tell them so.
          • As a result of your choice of the hard way, you will have to submit your shipment to a search. This causes delays, charges (you have to pay for Customs to inspect your shipment!), damage during inspection, and probably impoundment and possible permanent loss of some of your goods if they decide to send some of your things to Ottawa for x-ray or further investigation. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
          • Hint: Choose the easy way.
          • The Easy Way: When you go to Customs to get final clearance on your shipment, do the following:
            • If available, bring a child with you. Have them smile and be friendly to the Customs officer. Make sure they say how exciting it is to be back in Canada and how they are looking forward to getting all their toys out again after the long move.
              • Second choice: Bring your spouse.
            • Make sure your paperwork is impeccable.
            • Don't bring in anything that will cause the Customs officer to look twice at your paperwork.
            • Dress cleanly and neatly but not too fancily. You want to project an innocent and wholesome appearance. Too fancily will imply that you are a drug dealer and that there are 300kg of cocaine in your shipment .
            • Be nice to the Customs officer. Take off your sunglasses and be courteous and pleasant with them. An easy customer is a customer who gets their paperwork stamped "Cleared" with no search or other hassle. Instant release of your goods is what you are aiming for.
            • YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Horror stories abound - real ones I have heard personally from returned expats who actually went through the hard way (their goods were searched) So take the easy way! There is no guaranteed way to make sure your goods won't be searched, just ways of dramatically lowering the risk that they will be.


One family's experience in late 2008:

When we got to the Vancouver airport, I went to the customs area to present the form B4. It seems they no longer process things the same way. They asked how old the stuff was that we were bringing WITH us and that was it. Then, they gave me a sheet of paper with a phone number to call once our goods arrived in Thailand. No B4 form or any other forms! This made me a bit nervous but, when our goods did arrive in Vancouver, we called the number on the sheet of paper and made an appointment (well, they actually told us when to come) with Canada Border Services Agency. As per your advice, I didn't send my husband solo to our appointment!! In fact, my husband and I and two young daughters all went together. It was a breeze! The agent was delightful and gave my girls stickers and even let them stamp our paperwork! We were in and out very quickly and she faxed the necessary documents to the shipping agent right away so our goods could be released. Wow!


Michelle Gay, a Canadian who moved back from Asia in late 2007, writes:

One thing that has really struck me - I have been back for 10 months...is that people move on. I really thought that the friends and family who I kept coming to visit all those years....were in a strange sense waiting for me to pick up where we left off. Coming back I realized that my relationships were kept alive because for the most part, I initiated them (called people to say I was coming home and do the driving to see them). Now that I'm back, I realize people moved on a long time ago and I've just been visiting their lives over the years. So in moving back, my insights would be to tell people that moving back is in many ways just like starting over again. You should prepare to carve out your life and reinvent yourself again.

I'm still loving the English speaking world though! I lived in Asia for over eight years and wow - to join a class, to eavesdrop on the bus, to walk into the store and listen to advertisements...I'm still appreciating being able to understand my environment.


Mrs. Arti Meyers, now in Toronto, generously shares her experiences and tips:

We have been back in Canada for 11 months now. We left in 1989 for the first time, and then since then have lived in London twice, Barbados and New York. Since 1989, we have lived in Canada for 3 years, dropping in and out.

This was our 3rd return home.... and maybe three times lucky. We find that the move HOME is always the most difficult move to make... because we expect or want it to be comfortable, natural and easy.... but this is usually not the case. I have to admit that the 3rd move home has been the best of the three. Perhaps this is because we have learned about what to expect, and have learned a few tricks.... or perhaps its because we are older and wiser....

Things that were particularly trying this year were trying to find a doctor in the Toronto area.... public health care in Canada seems to be a big problem here now. Be sure to go and get your health cards immediately, and probably the best short term health care option is to go to the walk in clinics that are set up. They are better than I had expected, and after waiting an hour or two, at least the problem gets dealt with. (personally, I prefer the British health care system that offers people the choice..... We used our local public care when it was convenient, quick and we felt confident with it, and when we had something of more concern, or something we needed attended to immediately, we used private health care.... we could use both, and that made a lot of sense!)

The other huge pain in the ***** was the telephone company! We thought we'd go with Rogers for cable, internet, phone and cells... for 5 people. They overcharged us by hundreds of dollars every month ---for months, and honestly June was the first time that we received a correct bill. Do you know how many hours on the telephone this took - This is a problem.

The other problem is in terms of work.... and if you have been out of the loop for a long time, it is really difficult and hard to work to get the network going again, to try to get work. The networking is key, and this was what my husband did... but honestly after almost 20 years away, the network is more outside of Canada than within Canada.... and that is ok because we have lived globally, and that is really our community.(My husband is now a consultant and this trip is in the Middle East and Europe!)

In terms of aclimating, my 16 year old son did this seamlessly. Here is a tip. Get involved right away in something that you are passionate about... he is a sports guy, and joined the football team on the 3rd day of school... then the rugby team.... it was a great way to meet good guys, be involved and slip right into the middle of high school! My daughter started university here at Queens in Kingston, Ontario, and although she missed London and her friends there, she said that it was so easy to meet friends, and this was a natural time of change, so this was also seamless.... that is another point, that if you can make the moves at natural change times, and that makes things much easier.

In terms of the family and friend interaction... this was a really upsetting one in moves gone by,...but this time we were wiser, so were not expecting hugs and kisses and weekly visits...... It was as we knew it would be on move home #3..... our dearest closest friends were there for us and continue to be our dearest friends....Our families were there a bit overall....and that was just fine. I think that the trick is to understand that you have been away, and that people have continued their lives without you.... so it is best to just try to make sure that you are creating an independent life, without overly relying on old supports.

Finally, after having been part of womens groups in new york, london and barbados....I thought that I would join the Newcomers Club in Toronto (we had never lived in Toronto) , so that I could stay involed in expat type activites with a more international crowd who had a fresh view of Canada and the city. This was a good idea, and a great insurance policy in case things with old friends & family was dull or not magic.... as it turned out for me, I was so busy with my nuclear family, old friends and greater family, I had little time for this.... BUT ... I would recommend it as a good idea, and a way to make the transition easier.

(July 2008 - Thank you, Arti!)



  • You will face lots of challenges and enjoyments. Watch for typical culture shock and some ups and downs of emotions, but bear with them: They are natural.

    Good luck and welcome back to Canada!

 

Useful Links

  • Canadian Border Services Agency - Created in 2003, this agency and this web site has the B4 form and lots of other information and resources or returning residents. (Thanks to a Laura Walker in UK for finding this new agency web site and sending it to me for inclusion here).
  • Canada Customs and Revenue Agency - CCRA - main site
  • Williams Moving International - a major Canadian moving company that handles international HHG moving.
  • Crown Worldwide - Relocations - a top tier mover (one of the best). Expensive but thorough. Specialize in many parts of the world in moving corporate and oil industry expats, so offices in Toronto and Alberta but not other parts of Canada.
  • Allied Pickfords - This is a top tier mover (one of the best). Expensive but thorough. There is an Allied moving company in Canada that went bankrupt in 2002/3. But this is a different company from Allied Pickfords.
  • Canukabroad.com - Well, the name says it all. Some relocation information and other goodies on this site. 2010 Update: Seems to be more of a travel site now...
  • Escapeartist.com - The name does not say it all. Information for expats and wannabe expats now living in Canada. Some useful resources and lots of links to other potentially useful sites.
  • Canadianexpatriatetax.com - "Robert R. MacDonald - Canadian Expatriate Tax Consultant". 'Nuff said.
  • Canadiansresidentabroad.com - More to do with investing your money and avoiding being declared resident of Canada, but regular articles on preparing to come home. Focus of this company is selling investment products and tax consulting services, but they have some useful resources in their newsletters and on their web site.
  • NEW! thecanadianexpat.com - Lots of useful resources and links here for Canadian expats abroad.
  • NEW! OneStop Canada - Customs and Immigration - a great resource page with links to useful CBSA resources and forms for when you arrive back to Canada. (Thanks to Patty Juno for suggesting this page for inclusion here!)
  • NEW! X-expats.com - "Helping repatriates and X-expatriates reassimilate into their home country's culture and practices" A newer site about returning home. Resources, videos, and more coming.

 

 

Finding this resource page useful?

Please consider donating to help me expand the resources and services offered here!

$15, $25, $50 or $___ would help me expand the resources available here and offer more services in 2010 to you, the returning expat!

All donors will receive a free copy of my upcoming handbook on beating "reverse culture shock" and extra-happy support for any questions you have on moving home!

Thank you!

Paul Kurucz

 

Donate?

I have been in touch with dozens and dozens of people over the last 7 years who have come across this web page. I love helping them prior, during, and after their moves with finanical planning, tax questions, real estate buying/renting, logistics, reverse culture shock, and more.

In 2009 I even drove up to meet someone to help them plan the building of their new home!

Plans in 2010 include widening the resources on this site, writing a "reverse culture shock" handbook, and providing telephone and video-conferencing support to anyone planning to return home or already here.

This all takes time and money!! Can you help?

A donation of $15, $25, $50, or $___ would help and all donors will receive a free copy of the handbook and my extra-happy "pleased to help!" support for any questions you might have, by email, telephone, instant messenging, and/or video conferencing.

Thank you!

Paul Kurucz
Victoria, BC

 

This document was prepared after a long, exciting, and challenging settling-in time for us back in Canada. I hope that it will aid others in moving back to Canada easily and happily! Your feedback and suggestions would be appreciated - Contact Paul

Paul Kurucz
Victoria, BC.

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Any information may be copied from this page for your personal use, but please reference this page as your source in any publication, either off-line or on-line. Thanks! Commercial use: © 2003-2010 Paul Kurucz . Last updated July 2010.