Well friends.. in just under 2 weeks, on October 8, 2016, I will be landing in Canada as a Permanent Resident!
I was approved on August 12th and received my Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) a few days later. HOWEVER, the CIC sent my documents to my husband in Quebec, instead of sending them to me in Virginia. So, $15.00 for postage and a few days later, I finally received them!
The contents of the letter included two copies of the COPR (one for me and one for the border service officer) as well as a letter stating that my application was approved, how to get the COPR finalized when I land, and customs rules for importing personal belongings.
When landing as an immigrant/ settler you are basically given a one-time pass to bring your personal belongings to Canada duty/tax free. You are required to fill out the BSF186 - Personal Effects Accounting Document. This document informs the CBSA officer of the immigrants identification as well as all of the items he/she is bringing into the country. Oh yeah, did I mention you have to make a list of EVERYTHING you're bringing with you? You also have to include a description of each item and what it costs. Also, if you have any electronics or anything with a serial number, they need that information too! Got expensive jewelry? Plan on including a picture of each piece you have. Finally, include the price of EVERYTHING you're bringing!
Depending on what you are bringing with you, packing and listing everything could take some time. I ended up making a spreadsheet that included the item name, description, price, serial number (for items that have them) and location (which box) for each item. I labeled my boxes with a number to make finding specific items easier for the CBSA officers, as well as for myself when I start unpacking! It is quite an undertaking packing up 32 years worth of stuff! As far as getting all of my belongings to Canada, I found that U-Haul had the best deal.
This whole process has been an emotional roller coaster! I'm glad that it is coming to an end and a new chapter will begin very soon!
After I land and get settled into my new home, I will update you all on what my landing experience was like and how I'm settling into my new home in Canada! Until then...
Thanks for reading! I hope you find this and future entries helpful!
