The Nexus Dilemma

To join Nexus or not is not much of a dilemma from my POV, but for one of a few reasons many people (even the expats) still don't have it.  I think Nexus(a joint US/Canada system for low risk frequent travelers between the two countries) is a must-have if you are traveling between the two countries.  It can save you TONS of time at the border, and I’d definitely recommend it.  Applying is a bit of a process, but well worth it for the time savings.  I made sure to take care of this right away since I knew I’d be traveling between the two countries fairly often to see family and friends, and I don`t like to spend extra time at the airport.

Hire Movers or Do it Yourself?

Leaving New York was difficult, but one positive thing was that U of T would pay for our move.  I could hire movers!  What a relief since moving is such a pain and I’d never splurged for professional movers before.  We ended up hiring a company recommended by the university.  I quickly learned that long distance moves work much differently than in-town moves.  They load up your things one day and then they wait to fill a full semi-truck in route to your destination (I suppose they’ve figured this to be the best use of their resources).  They commit to deliver your things to your new location within 3 to 21 days (varies slightly depending on the moving company).  What?!  3 to 21 days!  What kind of range is that?  Eventually I got used to the idea and just figured it was the only option.  So the next thing to plan was what to take with us in the car that we would need while waiting for our things to arrive, but it couldn’t REALLY take 21 days could it?  Well, actually it can even take longer!

Sparing you the details we actually moved things from both MN and NYC, and at the end of the day here is what each move looked like: 

• Day 0:  Movers come (took over 6 hours to pack our 380 sq. ft. NYC apartment & they ripped siding of the house in MN).
• Day 1:  We drive to Toronto with our car loaded with necessities. 
• Day 21: Last committed day for our things to arrive, but they don’t. 
• Day 25:  The driver arrives with our things so we drive out to clear customs.
• Total Cost:  $3,600 USD 
• 25 days without our things

Some of the things to keep in mind with a full-service mover:  (1) The moving company will provide you with a list of goods they are moving for you; you need to have this list of your goods when you arrive in Canada.  (2) The moving company can be a resource for you regarding customs regulations.  (3) You will need to meet the driver to clear your things through customs on the day they arrive in Canada if moving from another country; this is about 30 minutes outside of Toronto.  Overall, I wouldn’t recommend the full service moving company approach.  It is hard enough to move to a new country and not know anyone, but to not be able to get settled was the toughest thing for me.  But is there an alternative?!  I haven’t found a full service moving company that seems like a true alternative, but if I had to do it over again here’s what I would have done: 

• Rent a U-Haul 
• Hire people to pack and load in NYC 
• Drive U-Haul to Toronto 
• Hire people to unload in Toronto 
• Estimated cost:  $2,000 USD 
• Plus your things arrive with you!!!

Food for thought.  But, if you’re going to do it yourself, make sure you understand what will be required at the border before you pack!

Getting our Work Permits

One of the first things that should have keyed me into the fact that I wasn't just moving to another state was going through the process of getting work permits in order to move here.  I guess our experience was fairly painless so it didn't quite register with me.  But, if you are moving to Canada indefinitely or to work - no matter what your status - refugee, student, worker, family of a Canadian, etc. you will will have to get some sort of approval to enter the country.  The Citizenship and Immigration Canada website is really helpful, and provides the information you need.  Keep in mind depending on your status this may be a long process, so start early.

Since the website is so comprehensive I'll just share our experience and a few learnings that may be helpful for others in the future.  My husband got a job as  professor with the U of T who sponsored his work permit, and I got one as his spouse.  Our intention was to move with the work permit and apply for permanent residency from Canada.  We needed a Labor Market Opinion (sorry but I can't write labour)so we filled out the documentation and sent the supporting information to a company that U of T hired to help.  We received a positive LMO so we met the criteria to apply for work permits when arriving in Canada.  We took the LMO and all of the documentation to the immigration office at the airport when we flew in to obtain our work permits.  This process was also painless (except the bullet proof vests that the officers wear always make me nervous).  After a 15 minute wait, we met with an officer and presented the documentation.  Then she stapled the work permit to our passports,  we paid a fee, and that was it.

I've learned a few things that may be helpful for others in the future:

1. The date you get your work permit is typically considered to be the first date you moved to Canada.  However, I got mine when visiting my husband since he moved earlier than I did.  I thought it would be a good idea to get it out of the way, but in the end it didn't gain me anything, and in retrospect I would just have gotten it the day I moved.  In order to get health insurance, I've had to provide separate documentation of my move date which in my case is a little tricky.  Our lease started when my husband moved and my passport didn't get stamped at the border when I actually moved(in fact I don't think it ever has), so I eventually used the customs declaration to bring our car into Canada to show the date I immigrated.  Just something to keep in mind.
2. The name that goes on your work permit is the name that will be used moving forward for all government services.  I encountered some headaches because my passport lists my maiden name and was amended at the back of it to show my married name.  However, Canada does not accept the amendment of your passport as proof of a name change.  So, my work permit was issued in my maiden name.  This has been a pain because for all other services (health insurance/driver license, etc.) they will reference your work permit name as well.  So, the only way around this is to bring your marriage certificate to prove the name change - ideally when you go to immigration to get your work permit.  Make sure you don't pack the marriage certificate with the movers!

It would be great to hear of other related experiences.  If you have one, leave a comment!