David, My husband, myself and our xx year old son just received our Visa Permits. We have until Aug 2008 to land in Canada. We live in Alaska. Our tax situation is as follows: My husband is xx and I am xx We have significant IRA and Roth IRA accounts for both of us We have a house in Alaska we plan to sell, but may not sell before Aug 2008 We have recreational land we don't plan to sell, which we may put a small cabin on after we sell the house. We know we have to land at the border no later than August, but wanted to delay actually residing in Canada until 2009 1. Can we land in Canada, give them a list of goods to follow in 2009, but not move until 2009? 2. We plan to travel through Canada in Feb on our way to Oregon to spend a month vacation - is there anything we need to be alert to? 3. Do we have to file Canadian taxes if we are not physically there more than say 30 days in 2007? 4. What do you charge per hour to do some indepth planning for us? Thanks, ----------------------------------------------------------------
david ingram replies:
1. Yes. to maintain your PR status you must be physically present in Canada for 24 out of any 60 month period.If you landed in February on your way through, you would theoretically have until Feb 2011 to actually move.However, if you left it to the last moment, you would have to stay in Canada for the next 24 months without leaving.
2. If you were to land on your way through, it would be interesting and likley the logical time to do it. Too bad the Topof the World Highway is closed between Chicken and Dawson City. It would be a cool challenge to 'land' at the Chicken Poker Creek.Alaska / Little Gold Creek Yukon crossing which has a wonderful new Combined US / Canada facility which replaced the old quaint crossing buildings.http://explorenorth.com/library/communities/images/poker2.jpg
3. The answer is that you will not file if you are not living here or at least physically present in a residence.4. I charge $400 an hour.5. Something to be aware of. If you have $100,000 worth of furniture and a $2,000 car and show up at the border, the car can NOT enter without a US export stamp on the Original Official State Title. If you do not have the stamp, Canada Customs will send you back. Usually, you have to have sent the US Customs office you are leaving through a copy of the title and fill out a one page export sheet. The export sheet has differences for every crossing. In your case, if you are driving, it would be the official ALCAN CROSSING at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/ak/3104.xml
Call the POE at ALCAN at (907) 774-2252 to get their regulations at the time you intend to export the car.
They will send you their export form by fax or mail (by then it might even be a pdf by email) and make sure you fax back a copy of the car title(s) to 907-774-2020.
within their time limits. Also be aware that some of the crossings will only deal with you certain hours of the day. For instance, if you were moving fropm Seattle to Vancouver, the Blaine Crossing is only open for this between about 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM Monday to Friday and is absolutrely closed Saturday, Sunday and all Holidays.
Others, like Pembina North Dakota will export 24 hours a day and I expect that the ALCAN POE (Port of Entry - Port of EXIT) will be a 24 hour opne as well.
I just got through to the ALCAN crossing - Officer Carlson assured me that they do not have an input form or letter. They require a faxed copy of the title and registration 72 hours before you show up. Then you have to have the originals for them to seal/stamp for the Canada Customs office. some vehicles do NOT qualify for imoportation and licencing in Canada (or California for that matter) becasue of Motor Vehicle Safety standards and Emmission rules. Even a Chrysler magic Wagon built in Canada may not qualify if it was built for the US or export market. Go to http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/VAFUS/list/menu.htm
For an uptodate list of motorhomes, motorcycles, and autos that can be imported in to Canada on a permanent basis. (I have also reproduced it below.)
There is, of course, no problem if you are just on your way through Canada or not bringing your goods at that time.
Hope this helps. The following will explain why I this took so long. I stuck it aside intending to answer and then it just got lost in over 2,000 emails i had saved to maybe answer. I have actually cleaned out over 1,000 in the last three days in this little lull before tax season starts in ernest.
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CEN-TA Cross Border Services - Tax, Visas, Immigration
http://www.centa.com/article.php/CanWeekofMon20080121000540.html