Moving to Vancouver, Canada

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evelynmanley
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Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Hi all -

My daughter and her husband will be moving to Vancouver, Canada as soon as HR at the company she works for squares things away with the company's Canadian legal team. She'll be on a three-month tourist visa initially and will be working remotely [Edited: I misunderstood this. She won't be working in Canada on a tourist visa. She's first going there to visit and get the lay of the land, and is working with her company's HR to get a work visa for later when she actually moves.] She's a systems architect. They've been to Vancouver and other parts of Canada before and love it. They're planning to stay in an Airbnb once they get there, give themselves time to find a furnished apartment and take things slowly. They have a car that they'll be driving there. They would love to find some peace and quiet, after having lived in San Francisco with a TON of nonstop construction noise all around them for years.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips on moving to Vancouver - everything from cell phone information (she has T-Mobile), which neighborhoods to look at and which ones to avoid, anything that would be good to know before moving there. I know there are lots of websites with this kind of info, but if anyone here has personal experience with Vancouver, I'd love to know what you think! Thank you!
Last edited by evelynmanley on Mon May 23, 2022 9:19 am, edited 5 times in total.
livesoft
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by livesoft »

Bring a lot of money as it is an expensive place to live. Maybe even more expensive than San Francisco.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

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The tropics of Canada! Still not exactly balmy.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by H-Town »

evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:41 pm Hi all -

My daughter and her husband will be moving to Vancouver, Canada as soon as HR at the company she works for squares things away with the company's Canadian legal team, which should take about three months. She'll be on a three-month tourist visa initially and will be working remotely. She's a systems architect. They've been to Vancouver and other parts of Canada before and love it. They're planning to stay in an Airbnb once they get there, give themselves time to find a furnished apartment and take things slowly. She's selling all her furniture before she leaves the U.S. They have a car that they'll be driving there. They would love to find some peace and quiet, after having lived in San Francisco with a TON of nonstop construction noise all around them for years.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips on moving to Vancouver - everything from cell phone information (she has T-Mobile), which neighborhoods to look at and which ones to avoid, anything that would be good to know before moving there. I know there are lots of websites with this kind of info, but if anyone here has personal experience with Vancouver, I'd love to know what you think! Thank you!
It has great food and many outdoor things to do and explore. I would say gas and cost of living is a bit more expensive in Vancouver, but sounds like she can afford it. Be prepared to file tax returns in two countries.

Vancouver BC is on the list that we want to live after we move to part-time work. We are 100% remote now, but our current full time work is still very much demanding.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by quantAndHold »

Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?

Anyway, it’s a beautiful city, with amazing food. We spent a lot of time there when we lived in Seattle. I would love to have a summer place there. It is very, very expensive. And IIRC, the parking situation was even worse than San Francisco.

I would recommend spending at least one winter there before making any kind of commitment that would be hard to unwind. Winters can be difficult.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by mkc »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?
Great point which should be ironed out ahead of time. A quick search points to the likely need for a work visa.
drk
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by drk »

Buy a sun lamp!

I've only been to Vancouver as a visitor, but I would recommend any of the neighborhoods along the Vancouver Marathon route. I've stayed in Airbnbs in Kitsilano and Riley Park, and both were very pleasant neighborhoods.
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

livesoft wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:44 pm Bring a lot of money as it is an expensive place to live. Maybe even more expensive than San Francisco.
She's preparing for that to be the case!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

H-Town wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:56 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:41 pm Hi all -

My daughter and her husband will be moving to Vancouver, Canada as soon as HR at the company she works for squares things away with the company's Canadian legal team, which should take about three months. She'll be on a three-month tourist visa initially and will be working remotely. She's a systems architect. They've been to Vancouver and other parts of Canada before and love it. They're planning to stay in an Airbnb once they get there, give themselves time to find a furnished apartment and take things slowly. She's selling all her furniture before she leaves the U.S. They have a car that they'll be driving there. They would love to find some peace and quiet, after having lived in San Francisco with a TON of nonstop construction noise all around them for years.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips on moving to Vancouver - everything from cell phone information (she has T-Mobile), which neighborhoods to look at and which ones to avoid, anything that would be good to know before moving there. I know there are lots of websites with this kind of info, but if anyone here has personal experience with Vancouver, I'd love to know what you think! Thank you!
It has great food and many outdoor things to do and explore. I would say gas and cost of living is a bit more expensive in Vancouver, but sounds like she can afford it. Be prepared to file tax returns in two countries.

Vancouver BC is on the list that we want to live after we move to part-time work. We are 100% remote now, but our current full time work is still very much demanding.
Thank you. Great point about the dual tax returns. Her company's HR dept is very helpful in every way, so I'm confident they will work with her on all this. I'll ask her about it.
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?

Anyway, it’s a beautiful city, with amazing food. We spent a lot of time there when we lived in Seattle. I would love to have a summer place there. It is very, very expensive. And IIRC, the parking situation was even worse than San Francisco.

I would recommend spending at least one winter there before making any kind of commitment that would be hard to unwind. Winters can be difficult.
Everything is in HR's hands, so I feel confident they know what they're doing. They have other employees also in Vancouver, which is a comfort to me as her mom. But I will definitely ask her about the tourist visa situation. She pays for parking in the parking garage in SF as part of her current rent. Otherwise, no way in the world would she park on the street. So many cars broken into, and of course the impossibility of finding a space on a daily basis. I visit her often, but only on Sundays very early in the morning when parking is free in her neighborhood and there's ample spaces. A nightmare. I wonder if she can find parking garages in Vancouver?
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

drk wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:14 pm Buy a sun lamp!

I've only been to Vancouver as a visitor, but I would recommend any of the neighborhoods along the Vancouver Marathon route. I've stayed in Airbnbs in Kitsilano and Riley Park, and both were very pleasant neighborhoods.
Thank you so much for the recommendations!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

mkc wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:11 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?
Great point which should be ironed out ahead of time. A quick search points to the likely need for a work visa.
I will definitely ask her about this (noted above also). Thank you.
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?

Anyway, it’s a beautiful city, with amazing food. We spent a lot of time there when we lived in Seattle. I would love to have a summer place there. It is very, very expensive. And IIRC, the parking situation was even worse than San Francisco.

I would recommend spending at least one winter there before making any kind of commitment that would be hard to unwind. Winters can be difficult.
P.S. She adores winter, the colder the better. She's a skier and would ski every day if she could.
sil2017
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by sil2017 »

No need to have a car if you stay in Vancouver Mainland. Public transit is top notch. Unlike the US, many Professionals take public transit to work.
There isn't a "bad " area though you may find homeless around Gastown and China town area. Crime is very low.
The best area to live is in Kitsilano, Fairview, False Creek, Olympic village, Mt. Pleasant, and West End. You can walk to all the eateries and shopping outlets.
As far as phone plan, it is not as cheap as Tmobile. You pay roaming charge even if you do not initiate the phone call.
There will be skiing close by at Whistler and Mt Seymour.

BTW, it rains a lot so expect to carry an umbrella with you.
Last edited by sil2017 on Sun May 29, 2022 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

sil2017 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:27 pm I grew up in Vancouver and relocated to the United Stated upon graduation from the University.
No need to have a car if you stay in Vancouver Mainland. Public transit is top notch. Unlike the US, many Professionals take public transit to work.
There isn't a "bad " area though you may find homeless around Gastown and China town area. Crime is very low.
The best area to live is in Kitsilano, Fairview, False Creek, Olympic village, Mt. Pleasant, and West End. You can walk to all the eateries and shopping outlets.
As far as phone plan, it is not as cheap as Tmobile. You pay roaming charge even if you do not initiate the phone call.
There will be skiing close by at Whistler and Mt Seymour.

BTW, it rains a lot so expect to carry an umbrella with you.
Thank you for sharing this great info! I have also heard that East Hastings and Granville St. should be avoided. Is this correct?

Do people have a choice of phone plans in Vancouver? Why do people pay roaming charges?

Fortunately, they love rain, and it will be a very nice experience after all these years of basically no rain in CA.
sil2017
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by sil2017 »

you are welcome
Last edited by sil2017 on Sun May 29, 2022 12:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Topic Author
evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

sil2017 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 7:04 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:42 pm
sil2017 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:27 pm I grew up in Vancouver and relocated to the United Stated upon graduation from the University.
No need to have a car if you stay in Vancouver Mainland. Public transit is top notch. Unlike the US, many Professionals take public transit to work.
There isn't a "bad " area though you may find homeless around Gastown and China town area. Crime is very low.
The best area to live is in Kitsilano, Fairview, False Creek, Olympic village, Mt. Pleasant, and West End. You can walk to all the eateries and shopping outlets.
As far as phone plan, it is not as cheap as Tmobile. You pay roaming charge even if you do not initiate the phone call.
There will be skiing close by at Whistler and Mt Seymour.

BTW, it rains a lot so expect to carry an umbrella with you.
Thank you for sharing this great info! I have also heard that East Hastings and Granville St. should be avoided. Is this correct?

Do people have a choice of phone plans in Vancouver? Why do people pay roaming charges?

Fortunately, they love rain, and it will be a very nice experience after all these years of basically no rain in CA.
Not East Hastings and Granville Street as it is the business hub area. I think they are referring to Main and Hastings area where the homeless and drunks hang out. The homeless situation is very mild compared to CA. I used to live in Southern CA.

Yes, there are choices of plans. You can pay for a plan with a certain number of data and voice or unlimited data and voice. If the latter, it wouldn't matter with the roaming charge. For example, if you pay for 1/2 GB for texting and 500 minutes for voice (talking on the phone), you pay for the minutes whether you call or someone calls you.

I sure hope they really love rain because it can rain for weeks especially in the Winter Months. I worked in CA for a year and couldn't adjust so i moved back to Vancouver. I crossed out every day it rained in Vancouver and then decided to move back to sunny S. CA.
Thank you for the clarification about those streets and for the information about the phone plans.

I will definitely let them know about the rain! That's good info! Thank you.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by quantAndHold »

evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:25 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?

Anyway, it’s a beautiful city, with amazing food. We spent a lot of time there when we lived in Seattle. I would love to have a summer place there. It is very, very expensive. And IIRC, the parking situation was even worse than San Francisco.

I would recommend spending at least one winter there before making any kind of commitment that would be hard to unwind. Winters can be difficult.
P.S. She adores winter, the colder the better. She's a skier and would ski every day if she could.
There is skiing nearby as someone mentioned. In general, it’s a great place for someone who loves the outdoors.

The main concern about winter is not the cold, which is very manageable. It’s about the lack of daylight in the winter. There aren’t many hours of daylight, and between the clouds/drizzle/rain and the low angle of the sun, it’s really *dim*. Some people deal with that just fine. Some don’t. And if they’ve never lived in a place like that, it’s hard to predict which they’ll be.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Random Poster »

evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:24 pm
mkc wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:11 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?
Great point which should be ironed out ahead of time. A quick search points to the likely need for a work visa.
I will definitely ask her about this (noted above also). Thank you.
It is certainly possible that things have changed, but when I was in Canada working on a tourist visa was not allowed.

I was given a work visa (as was my wife, even though I was the “worker” being sent to Calgary by my employer), which was a very simple process by virtue of NAFTA. Basically the company’s outside counsel prepared all the paperwork (they did want a copy of my diplomas), which was done in about a week and then sent to me, and we flew to the Calgary airport and received our work visas on the spot. The work visa was good for 3 years, but could be renewed.

More practically speaking, is the SIL a Canadian citizen? If not, I think that they will have serious issues opening a bank account on just a tourist visa because I think that they will need a social insurance number, which they will also need to get into the Canadian health care system.

And if they are taking a car with them, then they will have to import it, and—again—I don’t think that is possible on a tourist visa. Importing the car isn’t hard, but have them read the rules carefully and, of course, follow them. If it is a newish car, they might have to transfer the warranty as well. Some car makers make this easier than others, but if you show them that you didn’t expect to move to Canada when you bought the car, it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’d recommend TD Bank, personally (they have a CDN and USD account that is handy), opening up accounts at Schwab for the free international ATM access, and a credit card that doesn’t have an international conversion fee.

For whatever it is worth, I love Canada and especially Calgary, but I don’t find Vancouver to be appealing, aside from their airport, rail system, and coastal scenery. I just think that it is a very expensive and soulless place, but to each their own.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Metsfan91 »

mkc wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:11 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?
Great point which should be ironed out ahead of time. A quick search points to the likely need for a work visa.
She will need TN equivalent visa which is NAFTA professional work permit.
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 8:15 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:25 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?

Anyway, it’s a beautiful city, with amazing food. We spent a lot of time there when we lived in Seattle. I would love to have a summer place there. It is very, very expensive. And IIRC, the parking situation was even worse than San Francisco.

I would recommend spending at least one winter there before making any kind of commitment that would be hard to unwind. Winters can be difficult.
P.S. She adores winter, the colder the better. She's a skier and would ski every day if she could.
There is skiing nearby as someone mentioned. In general, it’s a great place for someone who loves the outdoors.

The main concern about winter is not the cold, which is very manageable. It’s about the lack of daylight in the winter. There aren’t many hours of daylight, and between the clouds/drizzle/rain and the low angle of the sun, it’s really *dim*. Some people deal with that just fine. Some don’t. And if they’ve never lived in a place like that, it’s hard to predict which they’ll be.
I see what you mean now about the winter experience and why that might be difficult. I'll mention this to them. Thank you.
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Random Poster wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 8:26 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:24 pm
mkc wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:11 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?
Great point which should be ironed out ahead of time. A quick search points to the likely need for a work visa.
I will definitely ask her about this (noted above also). Thank you.
It is certainly possible that things have changed, but when I was in Canada working on a tourist visa was not allowed.

I was given a work visa (as was my wife, even though I was the “worker” being sent to Calgary by my employer), which was a very simple process by virtue of NAFTA. Basically the company’s outside counsel prepared all the paperwork (they did want a copy of my diplomas), which was done in about a week and then sent to me, and we flew to the Calgary airport and received our work visas on the spot. The work visa was good for 3 years, but could be renewed.

More practically speaking, is the SIL a Canadian citizen? If not, I think that they will have serious issues opening a bank account on just a tourist visa because I think that they will need a social insurance number, which they will also need to get into the Canadian health care system.

And if they are taking a car with them, then they will have to import it, and—again—I don’t think that is possible on a tourist visa. Importing the car isn’t hard, but have them read the rules carefully and, of course, follow them. If it is a newish car, they might have to transfer the warranty as well. Some car makers make this easier than others, but if you show them that you didn’t expect to move to Canada when you bought the car, it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’d recommend TD Bank, personally (they have a CDN and USD account that is handy), opening up accounts at Schwab for the free international ATM access, and a credit card that doesn’t have an international conversion fee.

For whatever it is worth, I love Canada and especially Calgary, but I don’t find Vancouver to be appealing, aside from their airport, rail system, and coastal scenery. I just think that it is a very expensive and soulless place, but to each their own.
Thank you so much for this very helpful information about the work visa, car, and banking. I will pass on your information and advice to them. It's good that they'll be in an Airbnb for a while and can get the feel of living there. They've visited before, but living there is obviously a different thing. And even with renting an apartment later, they could move out of Vancouver after a while if they also find it too expensive and/or soulless. She doesn't have to be in an office; it's 100 percent remote. I have a friend who felt the same as you, and he left Vancouver and moved to Nanaimo and loves it there.

If you think of other issues that they might confront, please let me know!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Metsfan91 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 9:04 pm
mkc wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:11 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?
Great point which should be ironed out ahead of time. A quick search points to the likely need for a work visa.
She will need TN equivalent visa which is NAFTA professional work permit.
Thank you!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Mr. Rumples »

As I recall, the city proper gets almost no snow. I love Vancouver, it definitely feels very different than the US. Be aware of the rights of pedestrians with the blinking green lights. There are some other traffic differences; here you can make a U turn in an intersection with a traffic light unless prohibited; in Vancouver, a U turn is prohibited where there is a light unless permitted with signage.
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evelynmanley
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Mr. Rumples wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 7:12 am As I recall, the city proper gets almost no snow. I love Vancouver, it definitely feels very different than the US. Be aware of the rights of pedestrians with the blinking green lights. There are some other traffic differences; here you can make a U turn in an intersection with a traffic light unless prohibited; in Vancouver, a U turn is prohibited where there is a light unless permitted with signage.
Thank you for those very important heads-up. If you think of other things, I'd love to know, and I'm also interested in how Vancouver feels different to you than the U.S., if you care to share.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Random Poster »

evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:56 am It's good that they'll be in an Airbnb for a while and can get the feel of living there.
Well, maybe—-because I think not having a permanent address is going to complicate their life, at least in the short-term, with regards to getting set up with a bank, importing the car, and so on.

Why not just go to YVR for a few weeks on a tourist visa (and as actual tourists) and scope out a few places to live that way? I can see landlords being unwilling to sign a lease with someone who doesn’t yet have the right paperwork in hand (visa, banking info, etc), but maybe they could work something out, or at least maybe get a few choices narrowed down.

Kijiji.ca is one resource for finding rentals, as is rentfaster.ca. I’d at least look at those websites to see what’s available.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Random Poster wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 1:13 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:56 am It's good that they'll be in an Airbnb for a while and can get the feel of living there.
Well, maybe—-because I think not having a permanent address is going to complicate their life, at least in the short-term, with regards to getting set up with a bank, importing the car, and so on.

Why not just go to YVR for a few weeks on a tourist visa (and as actual tourists) and scope out a few places to live that way? I can see landlords being unwilling to sign a lease with someone who doesn’t yet have the right paperwork in hand (visa, banking info, etc), but maybe they could work something out, or at least maybe get a few choices narrowed down.

Kijiji.ca is one resource for finding rentals, as is rentfaster.ca. I’d at least look at those websites to see what’s available.
Come to think of it, that may be what she's doing - going for a few months on the tourist visa to check things out. I'll be seeing her tomorrow and will ask her. Thank you for those thoughts and the recommendation of rentfaster.ca and Kijiji.ca. Very helpful!

She's planning to drive her car to Vancouver. When you say "import," does that mean having the car shipped?

Thanks!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by vfinx »

livesoft wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:44 pm Bring a lot of money as it is an expensive place to live. Maybe even more expensive than San Francisco.
Having lived and worked in both places, I also find Vancouver to be a very expensive place to live, on an income adjusted basis. I suspect the SF Bay Area is still more expensive on an absolute basis, especially when considering currency value. But in terms of what the local median income can afford, Vancouver is shockingly expensive. It is one of the few cities in the world where an SF Bay Area transplant will not experience reverse sticker shock at housing prices for example. Yet my company pays 50% less for the same role in Vancouver.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by quantAndHold »

evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 2:35 pm She's planning to drive her car to Vancouver. When you say "import," does that mean having the car shipped?
No, Canadian cars have stricter safety standards. She won’t be able to register her US car in Canada unless it meets Canadian standards, and she pays the import fees and has it inspected. Depending on what kind of car it is, it might be cheaper and easier to sell it and buy a car meant for the Canadian market.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by mkc »

evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 2:35 pm
Random Poster wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 1:13 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:56 am It's good that they'll be in an Airbnb for a while and can get the feel of living there.
Well, maybe—-because I think not having a permanent address is going to complicate their life, at least in the short-term, with regards to getting set up with a bank, importing the car, and so on.

Why not just go to YVR for a few weeks on a tourist visa (and as actual tourists) and scope out a few places to live that way? I can see landlords being unwilling to sign a lease with someone who doesn’t yet have the right paperwork in hand (visa, banking info, etc), but maybe they could work something out, or at least maybe get a few choices narrowed down.

Kijiji.ca is one resource for finding rentals, as is rentfaster.ca. I’d at least look at those websites to see what’s available.
Come to think of it, that may be what she's doing - going for a few months on the tourist visa to check things out. I'll be seeing her tomorrow and will ask her. Thank you for those thoughts and the recommendation of rentfaster.ca and Kijiji.ca. Very helpful!

She's planning to drive her car to Vancouver. When you say "import," does that mean having the car shipped?

Thanks!
If she is moving there/changing her address to a Canadian one, the vehicle must be approved for and go through the import process. If it doesn't meet Canadian DOT regulations, it will not be approved for import.

She should check with the CBSA (Canadian Border Service) to see what current regulations are for people on work visas and tourist visas. She may be limited in how long she can drive with US plates.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by hmw »

I lived in Vancouver for a little over 2 years. I rented in the false creek area which was a nice area for a leisurely walk by the water. But there was a lot property crime even though my apartment was pretty far away from the downtown east side.

The underground parking lot of my building was only accessible by a keycard. When I first moved there, I noticed that all the cars in the parking lot had their windows rolled down. I didn’t think much of it until I had my car windows damaged so some thieves can steal quarters and loonies from my car. After that incident, I left my car windows down too.

But violent crimes are very rare. I had never had any concerns for my personal safety.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

mkc wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:28 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 2:35 pm
Random Poster wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 1:13 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:56 am It's good that they'll be in an Airbnb for a while and can get the feel of living there.
Well, maybe—-because I think not having a permanent address is going to complicate their life, at least in the short-term, with regards to getting set up with a bank, importing the car, and so on.

Why not just go to YVR for a few weeks on a tourist visa (and as actual tourists) and scope out a few places to live that way? I can see landlords being unwilling to sign a lease with someone who doesn’t yet have the right paperwork in hand (visa, banking info, etc), but maybe they could work something out, or at least maybe get a few choices narrowed down.

Kijiji.ca is one resource for finding rentals, as is rentfaster.ca. I’d at least look at those websites to see what’s available.
Come to think of it, that may be what she's doing - going for a few months on the tourist visa to check things out. I'll be seeing her tomorrow and will ask her. Thank you for those thoughts and the recommendation of rentfaster.ca and Kijiji.ca. Very helpful!

She's planning to drive her car to Vancouver. When you say "import," does that mean having the car shipped?

Thanks!
If she is moving there/changing her address to a Canadian one, the vehicle must be approved for and go through the import process. If it doesn't meet Canadian DOT regulations, it will not be approved for import.

She should check with the CBSA (Canadian Border Service) to see what current regulations are for people on work visas and tourist visas. She may be limited in how long she can drive with US plates.
Thank you so much for this info. Do you know when the import process begins? Is it once a person actually changes their address to a Canadian address, or is it when you cross the border with a work/tourist visa?
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

hmw wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:33 pm I lived in Vancouver for a little over 2 years. I rented in the false creek area which was a nice area for a leisurely walk by the water. But there was a lot property crime even though my apartment was pretty far away from the downtown east side.

The underground parking lot of my building was only accessible by a keycard. When I first moved there, I noticed that all the cars in the parking lot had their windows rolled down. I didn’t think much of it until I had my car windows damaged so some thieves can steal quarters and loonies from my car. After that incident, I left my car windows down too.

But violent crimes are very rare. I had never had any concerns for my personal safety.
Thank you for sharing your experience in False Creek area. Was this recently or several years ago?
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

quantAndHold wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:01 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 2:35 pm She's planning to drive her car to Vancouver. When you say "import," does that mean having the car shipped?
No, Canadian cars have stricter safety standards. She won’t be able to register her US car in Canada unless it meets Canadian standards, and she pays the import fees and has it inspected. Depending on what kind of car it is, it might be cheaper and easier to sell it and buy a car meant for the Canadian market.
Thank you again for such good information.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

vfinx wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 4:35 pm
livesoft wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:44 pm Bring a lot of money as it is an expensive place to live. Maybe even more expensive than San Francisco.
Having lived and worked in both places, I also find Vancouver to be a very expensive place to live, on an income adjusted basis. I suspect the SF Bay Area is still more expensive on an absolute basis, especially when considering currency value. But in terms of what the local median income can afford, Vancouver is shockingly expensive. It is one of the few cities in the world where an SF Bay Area transplant will not experience reverse sticker shock at housing prices for example. Yet my company pays 50% less for the same role in Vancouver.
It's so interesting to me that these two cities are so expensive, yet they have such a high risk of "The Big One" - which terrifies me!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by eye.surgeon »

Born and raised in Vancouver, moved in California 20 years ago.

Vancouver is a wonderful city. It offers the highest quality of big-city living for the upper middle class to wealthy of perhaps any North American city. It is very expensive, especially housing. There are no freeways in the sense that you are used to in the US, you have to get around the entire city and surrounding areas on surface streets, other than the transcanada highways. The weather is what it is, I personally like it. Public transport is great, you will want a car but won't need it much in the city if you don't mind taking the bus, and unlike the US, all social strata take the bus.

I lived in Kitsilano and you will find that and the surrounding communities are great. The suburbs are blah, similar to US suburbs. I'm talking about Richmond, Burnaby, etc.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Random Poster »

Regarding importing the car:

I didn’t pay any import fees, but that was because I was on a work visa and thus the car was tied to my visa. Which means that I (likely) wouldn’t have been able to sell it in Canada, if I had wanted to do so. By doing a temporary import that was tied to my work visa, I also didn’t have to get a formal inspection done at Canadian Tire (which in itself is a headache, based on what I’ve read and from people I talked to). As I recall, the border patrol people just looked at the VIN and for a few safety certificates/stickers that were on the car, but I had also faxed them a ton of documents before I got to the border as well (I think you have to do that at least 3 days before crossing the border when importing from Canada to the US, but I don’t recall the exact details when going from the US to Canada).

If you are a Canadian permanent resident/citizen, then you would have to pay the import fees and get a formal inspection done.

(And, on the issue of import fees, the same basic concept applies to the importation of household goods, but if they aren’t bringing anything other than clothes that fit in their car then that likely won’t apply).

The importation process begins when you show up at the border and declare that you are bringing your car across permanently (or at least for the duration of your work visa). Note that not every border crossing is set up to deal with car importation, but the larger crossings are, but I don’t think it is done on a 24 hour basis. I would be shocked if they could do so on a tourist visa, and quite frankly even bringing the matter up while on a tourist visa would probably raise some suspicions.

You end up getting a few pieces of paper, all stamped with CBSA stamps, at the border and you end up taking those to a provincial registry office to get your car registered and plated. Car insurance can be very expensive in Canada, partly because you don’t have a driving record there and the minimum coverage limits are higher there (As I recall, Alberta had $1M minimums; we just used the Canadian equivalent of AAA for the insurance, as they handled the registration for us as well, and we got our drivers’ license done through them too). Speaking of, to get the insurance, you also have to take a copy of your driving record from your current state with you, and a letter from your current insurer stating what your coverage limits are and driving history has been. Probably best to call CAA and see what the current requirements are.

Also, you can’t import a car that has a lien on it, so you have to have a clean title for the car (and it too gets stamped with an “exported” note, as I recall).

The whole paper process took us about 30 minutes at the Coutts/Sweetgrass border crossing, but I remember the car insurance part taking a long time because the CAA agent in Calgary kept giving us issues regarding our documentation from Amica.

And on another note, if they plan on getting a Canadian based credit card (and they probably should), that will be a hassle too because they won’t have a credit history yet in Canada and Canadian banks don’t give any credit to your US credit report/history. So we had to start out with a $500 secured credit card and go from there to build up our credit history.

And, lastly, if they have any investments, they need to research what they can and can’t do with them, and who they can use. Vanguard isn’t expat friendly. Schwab is.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but you can’t just show up at the border and say that you want to work there and expect everything to be an easy process. It won’t be. They need to do a lot of advance research and get everything set up properly and all necessary documentation in hand before showing up at the border, and even then, there will bell be a few hiccups to deal with along the way.

ETA: See this: https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transporta ... ng-vehicle

And maybe this: https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/how-t ... nto-canada

And this (but it is written for Canadians bringing a car in, mostly): https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/ ... ng-vehicle
Last edited by Random Poster on Sat May 21, 2022 6:26 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

eye.surgeon wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 6:04 pm Born and raised in Vancouver, moved in California 20 years ago.

Vancouver is a wonderful city. It offers the highest quality of big-city living for the upper middle class to wealthy of perhaps any North American city. It is very expensive, especially housing. There are no freeways in the sense that you are used to in the US, you have to get around the entire city and surrounding areas on surface streets, other than the transcanada highways. The weather is what it is, I personally like it. Public transport is great, you will want a car but won't need it much in the city if you don't mind taking the bus, and unlike the US, all social strata take the bus.

I lived in Kitsilano and you will find that and the surrounding communities are great. The suburbs are blah, similar to US suburbs. I'm talking about Richmond, Burnaby, etc.
Thank you for this great insight into Vancouver. It will be an amazing feeling for them not to have to deal with freeways everywhere. I can't even imagine it!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Random Poster wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 6:11 pm Regarding importing the car:

I didn’t pay any import fees, but that was because I was on a work visa and thus the car was tied to my visa. Which means that I (likely) wouldn’t have been able to sell it in Canada, if I had wanted to do so. By doing a temporary import that was tied to my work visa, I also didn’t have to get a formal inspection done at Canadian Tire (which in itself is a headache, based on what I’ve read and from people I talked to). As I recall, the border patrol people just looked at the VIN and for a few safety certificates/stickers that were on the car, but I had also faxed them a ton of documents before I got to the border as well (I think you have to do that at least 3 days before crossing the border when importing from Canada to the US, but I don’t recall the exact details when going from the US to Canada).

If you are a Canadian permanent resident/citizen, then you would have to pay the import fees and get a formal inspection done.

(And, on the issue of import fees, the same basic concept applies to the importation of household goods, but if they aren’t bringing anything other than clothes that fit in their car then that likely won’t apply).

The importation process begins when you show up at the border and declare that you are bringing your car across permanently (or at least for the duration of your work visa). Note that not every border crossing is set up to deal with car importation, but the larger crossings are, but I don’t think it is done on a 24 hour basis. I would be shocked if they could do so on a tourist visa, and quite frankly even bringing the matter up while on a tourist visa would probably raise some suspicions.

You end up getting a few pieces of paper, all stamped with CBSA stamps, at the border and you end up taking those to a provincial registry office to get your car registered and plated. Car insurance can be very expensive in Canada, partly because you don’t have a driving record there and the minimum coverage limits are higher there (As I recall, Alberta had $1M minimums; we just used the Canadian equivalent of AAA for the insurance, as they handled the registration for us as well, and we got our drivers’ license done through them too). Speaking of, to get the insurance, you also have to take a copy of your driving record from your current state with you, and a letter from your current insurer stating what your coverage limits are and driving history has been. Probably best to call CAA and see what the current requirements are.

Also, you can’t import a car that has a lien on it, so you have to have a clean title for the car (and it too gets stamped with an “exported” note, as I recall).

The whole paper process took us about 30 minutes at the Coutts/Sweetgrass border crossing, but I remember the car insurance part taking a long time because the CAA agent in Calgary kept giving us issues regarding our documentation from Amica.

And on another note, if they plan on getting a Canadian based credit card (and they probably should), that will be a hassle too because they won’t have a credit history yet in Canada and Canadian banks don’t give any credit to your US credit report/history. So we had to start out with a $500 secured credit card and go from there to build up our credit history.

And, lastly, if they have any investments, they need to research what they can and can’t do with them, and who they can use. Vanguard isn’t expat friendly. Schwab is.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but you can’t just show up at the border and say that you want to work there and expect everything to be an easy process. It won’t be. They need to do a lot of advance research and get everything set up properly and all necessary documentation in hand before showing up at the border, and even then, there will bell be a few hiccups to deal with along the way.

ETA: See this: https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transporta ... ng-vehicle

And maybe this: https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/how-t ... nto-canada

And this (but it is written for Canadians bringing a car in, mostly): https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/ ... ng-vehicle
Wow - I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share all of this very valuable information. I'll pass all of it along to them.

From your first link:
https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transporta ... g-vehicles

<<Visitors and temporary residents
You can bring your vehicle into Canada temporarily as a visitor or temporary resident. Your vehicle doesn't have to meet Canadian standards and must be only for your own use.
You can also bring your vehicle for personal use while you're in Canada on a work permit or student visa. You're considered a visitor in this case. However, if your status changes, your vehicle may no longer qualify for temporary entry.
As a temporary import, your vehicle cannot:
be sold or otherwise disposed of in Canada
remain in Canada longer than the limit on your work permit, visa or other customs document
remain in Canada if you're staying longer


If you become a permanent resident
Your vehicle can't be considered a temporary entry if you become a permanent resident.
If your vehicle qualifies to be imported, declare it with your other belongings to the Canada Border Services Agency and follow import procedures.
If your vehicle can't be imported because it doesn't meet Canadian standards you must export or destroy it.>>


So am I understanding this correctly that if when she enters Canada with a work visa, she doesn't have to go through the import process until her status changes from being a temporary resident? That doesn't seem to be what you're saying was your experience.

And if that's the case, then couldn't she use her American car insurance and registration, or does she have to get that from Canada? (I realize how naive this sounds, but I have no experience whatsoever with this!)

What documents did you have to forward before you got to the border? Again, based on the link above, it doesn't look like she'd need to send any documentation. (Another naive question?)

Is there an advantage in having a Canadian credit card vs. American credit card, at least when one first moves there? Is the advantage mostly that you want to build up credit history?

Thank you!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Random Poster »

You (temporarily, in the case of a work visa) import the car so that it can licensed and registered in Canada.

From the first link, but which you didn’t quote:

“You don't have to declare your vehicle as a temporary import if you're considered a visitor, or travelling through Canada to get to another country. However, we recommend doing so if you're staying over 3 months. This allows you to licence your vehicle in Canada.”

I don’t know how you’d legally keep up your US-state issued car registration once it expires if you are now living in Canada, and if you have an accident or insurance claim in Canada after being there for, say, 9 months, while on a work visa, how do you propose to explain that to the US insurance company, especially if you never changed the “insured address” with then?

US car insurance would certainly cover you in Canada for a limited period of time (and certainly as a mere tourist visiting during a regular vacation), but once you become a (temporary) resident of Canada, I rather doubt that it would.

And if you are going to be living in Vancouver, then, yes, you’d get your car insurance from a Canadian insurer and your registration done in British Columbia.

As for documentation, as I recall, I sent a copy of my title, bill of sale, current registration, warranty transfer letter, driver’s licenses, passports, and maybe my work visa (we had obtained ours at the Calgary airport on our house hunting trip; we did our actual move to Calgary three weeks later, so we had the work visas already in our passport). I suspect that the Transport Canada website tells you what documents you have to provide. (ETA: looking through my old emails, I also sent a copy of a recall clearance letter from Honda, which showed that there were no outstanding recalls on my car, and a copy of my car insurance).

You could get by with just a US based credit card initially, but having a Canadian based credit card can just make things easier, at least in terms of paying for stuff in local currency and getting a credit history.

If their intent is to just live in Canada for a few years and then come back to the US, maybe they can get by without a Canadian credit card. But if they will have local expenses, and maybe get paid in CDN, or want to be insulated to an extent from USD:CDN exchange rates, or want to put down roots and maybe stay there long term, then why not get a Canadian credit card?

But, again, I think that they will first need a social insurance number to get one as well.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Nestegg_User »

evelynmanley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 5:56 am
Random Poster wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 8:26 pm
evelynmanley wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:24 pm
mkc wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:11 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 6:03 pm Can she work on a tourist visa? Even remotely?
Great point which should be ironed out ahead of time. A quick search points to the likely need for a work visa.
I will definitely ask her about this (noted above also). Thank you.
It is certainly possible that things have changed, but when I was in Canada working on a tourist visa was not allowed.

I was given a work visa (as was my wife, even though I was the “worker” being sent to Calgary by my employer), which was a very simple process by virtue of NAFTA. Basically the company’s outside counsel prepared all the paperwork (they did want a copy of my diplomas), which was done in about a week and then sent to me, and we flew to the Calgary airport and received our work visas on the spot. The work visa was good for 3 years, but could be renewed.

More practically speaking, is the SIL a Canadian citizen? If not, I think that they will have serious issues opening a bank account on just a tourist visa because I think that they will need a social insurance number, which they will also need to get into the Canadian health care system.

And if they are taking a car with them, then they will have to import it, and—again—I don’t think that is possible on a tourist visa. Importing the car isn’t hard, but have them read the rules carefully and, of course, follow them. If it is a newish car, they might have to transfer the warranty as well. Some car makers make this easier than others, but if you show them that you didn’t expect to move to Canada when you bought the car, it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’d recommend TD Bank, personally (they have a CDN and USD account that is handy), opening up accounts at Schwab for the free international ATM access, and a credit card that doesn’t have an international conversion fee.

For whatever it is worth, I love Canada and especially Calgary, but I don’t find Vancouver to be appealing, aside from their airport, rail system, and coastal scenery. I just think that it is a very expensive and soulless place, but to each their own.
Thank you so much for this very helpful information about the work visa, car, and banking. I will pass on your information and advice to them. It's good that they'll be in an Airbnb for a while and can get the feel of living there. They've visited before, but living there is obviously a different thing. And even with renting an apartment later, they could move out of Vancouver after a while if they also find it too expensive and/or soulless. She doesn't have to be in an office; it's 100 percent remote. I have a friend who felt the same as you, and he left Vancouver and moved to Nanaimo and loves it there.

If you think of other issues that they might confront, please let me know!

strange idea....

work from Point Roberts !!!

(It's US !! but a relatively short drive (but through customs each way) to get to Vancouver)...but limited availability of housing)
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by LadyGeek »

It sounds like she wants to live permanently in Canada.

May I recommend she visit our sister Canadian site
Financial Wisdom Forum
? They're the experts on moving to / from Canada. Ask anything related to her finances there.

They have an excellent wiki, such as: Cross-border and expatriate issues (from the Canadian perspective)

She (or you) can also ask in the Bogleheads Non-US Investing forum, as she'll be a US ex-pat.

Also see the wiki: Taxation as a US person living abroad

Disclaimer: I'm a member of both forums.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by Random Poster »

And on the work permit issue, see this: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-re ... anada.html
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by valleyrock »

She might want to watch the TV show, "Trailer Park Boys." I think that's set in Ontario. Still, it's good to get a feel for the breadth of a new culture.
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by capilano »

I would recommend the Handsworth Secondary catchment or Weat Vancouver schools on the North shore, if you don’t mind driving across the bridge into town for work or can work from home.

much easier to get to the ski hills!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by capilano »

I would recommend the Handsworth Secondary catchment or Weat Vancouver schools on the North shore, if you don’t mind driving across the bridge into town for work or can work from home.

much easier to get to the ski hills!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

valleyrock wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 7:42 pm She might want to watch the TV show, "Trailer Park Boys." I think that's set in Ontario. Still, it's good to get a feel for the breadth of a new culture.
This reminds me of "Reno 911"!!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Random Poster wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 7:27 pm And on the work permit issue, see this: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-re ... anada.html
Thank you very much!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

LadyGeek wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 7:27 pm It sounds like she wants to live permanently in Canada.

May I recommend she visit our sister Canadian site
Financial Wisdom Forum
? They're the experts on moving to / from Canada. Ask anything related to her finances there.

They have an excellent wiki, such as: Cross-border and expatriate issues (from the Canadian perspective)

She (or you) can also ask in the Bogleheads Non-US Investing forum, as she'll be a US ex-pat.

Also see the wiki: Taxation as a US person living abroad

Disclaimer: I'm a member of both forums.
How wonderful! Thank you very much for steering us to these communities!
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Re: Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Post by evelynmanley »

Random Poster wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 7:19 pm You (temporarily, in the case of a work visa) import the car so that it can licensed and registered in Canada.

From the first link, but which you didn’t quote:

“You don't have to declare your vehicle as a temporary import if you're considered a visitor, or travelling through Canada to get to another country. However, we recommend doing so if you're staying over 3 months. This allows you to licence your vehicle in Canada.”

I don’t know how you’d legally keep up your US-state issued car registration once it expires if you are now living in Canada, and if you have an accident or insurance claim in Canada after being there for, say, 9 months, while on a work visa, how do you propose to explain that to the US insurance company, especially if you never changed the “insured address” with then?

US car insurance would certainly cover you in Canada for a limited period of time (and certainly as a mere tourist visiting during a regular vacation), but once you become a (temporary) resident of Canada, I rather doubt that it would.

And if you are going to be living in Vancouver, then, yes, you’d get your car insurance from a Canadian insurer and your registration done in British Columbia.

As for documentation, as I recall, I sent a copy of my title, bill of sale, current registration, warranty transfer letter, driver’s licenses, passports, and maybe my work visa (we had obtained ours at the Calgary airport on our house hunting trip; we did our actual move to Calgary three weeks later, so we had the work visas already in our passport). I suspect that the Transport Canada website tells you what documents you have to provide. (ETA: looking through my old emails, I also sent a copy of a recall clearance letter from Honda, which showed that there were no outstanding recalls on my car, and a copy of my car insurance).

You could get by with just a US based credit card initially, but having a Canadian based credit card can just make things easier, at least in terms of paying for stuff in local currency and getting a credit history.

If their intent is to just live in Canada for a few years and then come back to the US, maybe they can get by without a Canadian credit card. But if they will have local expenses, and maybe get paid in CDN, or want to be insulated to an extent from USD:CDN exchange rates, or want to put down roots and maybe stay there long term, then why not get a Canadian credit card?

But, again, I think that they will first need a social insurance number to get one as well.
Thank you so much for your patience with all my questions, @Random Poster. I really appreciate it. Everything you said here about the car issues and credit card makes perfect sense. And thank you for listing all the documentation that you provided to Border Patrol beforehand. My daughter and her husband appreciate this information very much too!
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