SETTING OUT

You have your visa, you know where you’re headed, and you either have a job lined up or a good idea how to go about getting one and enough resources to keep you afloat while you search. Time to set out. The preparations you will need to make depend on your personal circumstances and whether you are heading to Canada for good or for a limited period. In either case there are some essentials to be sorted before you leave.

Banking arrangements

Be sure to inform your UK bank of your move. You may decide to keep the account going for a while, even if you are permanently relocating to Canada. It is a good idea to do this, as UK payments frequently need to be made after you have been away for a few months or more and it is easier to do this from a UK account. On-line banking, readily available now, makes this much easier. If you do decide to close the account make sure you clear any direct debits or make alternative arrangements for paying them.

Make sure you are taking sufficient money to tide you over until you are fully settled in. Travellers cheques are best for ready cash. If large sums of money are involved (say, the proceeds of the sale of your house) it is best to let the UK bank know that you will shortly be requesting transfer of the funds. Once you have started an account in Canada you will advise them of the details and the money will be transferred.

It’s a good idea to ask for a letter of introduction from your bank. This will make opening an account in Canada simpler.

Tax and National Insurance

Inform the tax office of your move. There will be adjustments to be made in the form of a rebate or tax owing by you. If you have been self-employed, or had any significant income from sources other than regular employment, it is worth hiring an accountant to sort out your accounts before you leave. If there are any queries it is so much easier to deal with them from the UK.

Similarly you will need to inform the Social Security office of your plans. You should contact:

HMRC
Contributions Agency Overseas Branch Centre for
Non-Residents
Parkview Benton
Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE98 1ZZ
Tel: 08459 154811

Be sure to take any relevant tax and National Insurance documents with you to Canada, including your National Insurance number.

Tidying up hire purchase arrangements

Make sure that these are all up to date and either make final payments or arrangements to continue your payments from Canada. (This is one of the instances when it is simpler to maintain your UK bank account for a while.)

Arranging insurance and pensions

You will need to sort out all your other insurances: life, property, etc. Make sure your goods are adequately insured in transit and on arrival in Canada. Contact your car insurers and get some record of your claims history, otherwise you may well find yourself paying full premiums if you are unable to prove any no claims history.

Contact the administrators of any pensions plans you contribute to and discuss future arrangements.

Firms specialising in finance for emigrés are listed in Useful Addresses.

Redirecting subscriptions and mail

Make sure you have either cancelled or redirected any subscriptions and make arrangements with the Post Office to have your mail redirected. It is advisable to pay to have your mail sent on for at least a year. Even if you think you have informed everybody you know of your new address, it is easy to miss somebody. You wouldn’t want the letter from long-lost Great Aunt Gertrude’s solicitor informing you that you have inherited her fortune to be returned Address Unknown!

Utilities

If you are making a long-term or permanent move be sure that your gas, electricity and phone bills are paid up. If your move is short-term make suitable arrangements for temporary disconnection or redirection of statements.

Selling or letting your home

There are many variables here; you may be selling your house before you leave or may intend to rent it out. If you are renting it try to arrange for someone to keep an eye on the property for you. Your best bet would probably be to put it in the hands of an accommodation agency as then you will not have to worry. Some mortgage companies, though, do not take kindly to your letting your property. Some simply disallow it and others insist on very expensive insurance. Even those who are fairly amenable to the idea can take a very long time to give their approval.

Taking pets

If you are travelling to Canada for only a few months you will probably not be taking your pets. Although they can enter Canada without too much trouble, it is more difficult getting them back into Britain on your return. If your move is more permanent you may well want to take them with you. In that case you will require a certificate from a vet stating that they are in good health and fully up to date with all their vaccinations. You will also require an export licence. Your vet will be able to advise you on the current procedure.

There are several firms that specialise in relocating pets: you would be well advised to deal with them. They can advise you on all the requirements and make sure that your pet is as comfortable as possible. A partial list of these firms is in Useful Addresses. One specialist firm that also provides a very informative website is Airpets Oceanic at www.airpets.com Or you might just like to ask your vet, who may be able to advise you of a suitable local firm.

Additionally, some moving companies offer a pet travel service. Other removal companies may also offer this service; enquire when you contact them regarding your move.

Taking your car

Although it is possible to ship your car to Canada, in most cases it really isn’t worth it. It will have to undergo fairly stringent testing to see if it complies with environmental and legal specifications, and will probably cost you much more than if you just sell it and buy another in Canada. You would also have the nuisance of having your steering wheel on the wrong side of the car as Canadians drive on the right.

Voting rights

You will retain your right to vote in British elections (as long as you remain a British citizen) even if you remain in Canada for some time. Contact the Electoral Registration Officer in your local district for more information. Be sure to register with the nearest British Consulate on arrival in Canada.

Taking your belongings

Not much to worry about if you are only going for a month or two. For a more permanent move, though, you will no doubt want to take considerably more of your belongings. Think about what you really want to take with you, as furniture is generally of good quality and not particularly expensive in Canada. You may find that your existing furniture does not fit well in the usually larger Canadian home and there is the expense of shipping it.

There are many reputable firms of international movers. Useful Addresses has a list of those contacted during the writing of this book which offered a comprehensive service to Canada. The addresses given are for their head offices; most have branches all over the country. A quick look in your Yellow Pages will lead to many others. Contact several firms, as charges and services vary; all should supply free quotations. It’s a very competitive market, so use that to your advantage.

Customs requirements

You will be allowed to import your personal possessions into Canada without paying duty. You can get full details of your entitlements from the Canadian High Commission. Also, your removal firm may be able to provide you with the necessary forms and help you complete them, if required. It is very important to make a detailed list of all personal/household items that you are bringing with you, as well as items that may follow later. You will be required to produce two copies of this list for Customs and Immigration on arrival in Canada.

Your document checklist

As well as making all these arrangements you need to be sure to take all the official documentation you may require. Here is a short checklist of what you will need; it probably should end with ‘anything else you can think of’!

Driving licence

Regulations vary from province to province, so you will need to check when you have decided on your destination. Once again, the Internet is probably your best source of up-to-date information. If you search ‘driving licence’ followed by your destination province you will find full details of requirements. But, wherever you are going, it is best to put the process of applying for a provincial licence in motion straight away as you will usually only be allowed to drive on your UK licence for 90 days (although some provinces are now willing to exchange a UK licence for a provincial one). The process can be time consuming and will definitely cost you. You will most likely be required to take a knowledge test (approximately C$15), road test (approximately C$50) and a vision test. In some cases you will also have to arrange a medical examination (should you be deemed to have a medical condition which could affect your ability to drive). Once that is all done, you still have to pay for a new licence, which can cost up to approximately C$75. A warning: in most provinces you will be asked to surrender your UK licence! So if you think you are likely to need that again, make a note of the number before you hand it over to facilitate replacing it on your return to the UK.

Certificates

Take all your education certificates, including any for training courses. Photocopies will not be sufficient in some cases. You will also need to take originals of such documents as birth certificate, marriage licence, certificates of adoption and so on.

References

As mentioned elsewhere, it is a very good idea to gather as many written business and personal references as you can before you leave. It is not easy for a prospective employer to telephone a referee in the UK. The same applies to landlords, who often require personal references. So get everyone you can think of to write something nice about you. When you show these recommendations in Canada make sure you keep the original.

Medical records

Visit your doctor before you leave and ask for some sort of basic record of immunisations, hospitalisations, allergies, etc. Get something similar from your dentist, and give these to your new doctor and dentist in Canada.

Passport

Be sure you have a full current passport. It’s also a good idea to renew your passport if it is due to expire in the next few months – it’s simply easier to do so whilst in the UK. Passport application and renewal forms are available from main post offices.

Visas

Make sure you have your visa tucked away safely with your passport as you will need to show it on arrival.

Permanent Resident Card (PRC)

It is now mandatory for all Permanent Residents to have a Permanent Residence Card (PRC). This is a small identity card carrying your name, photo and encoded information regarding your immigration status. No secure information is printed on the card. See Figure 15. The PRC was introduced by the Canadian government in 2002:

• to increase border security;
• to improve the integrity of the immigration process; and
• to provide holders with secure proof of their permanent residence status when re-entering Canada on a commercial carrier (plane, train, boat and bus).

A PRC is issued automatically to new Permanent Residents and the cost is included in your application for permanent residence fee. The card will be delivered to you by mail within 30 days of your entry into Canada.

Thinking about your move

Even if you have visited Canada before, or have friends or relatives there, there will inevitably be a period of readjustment. For a time it might all seem a bit confusing. Some of this disorientation can be avoided by finding out as much about your destination as possible. As well as looking at some of the publications and books listed in the Further Reading section at the end of this book (many of which you will be able to find in your local library), a visit to the Centre for International Briefing in Surrey might be worthwhile. There you will find a very good library containing all sorts of information on lifestyle, conventions, regulations and laws in various countries. They do charge a fee. And, once again, the Internet is an excellent resource.

Moving Publications Ltd is another useful source of information on specific areas of Canada. They publish a series of magazines targeted at people relocating to eight major areas in Canada, with information about real estate, cost of living, utility costs, municipal laws, transportation, education, pretty much everything you could need! The guides cover Alberta, Vancouver and BC, Montreal, Ottawa/Hull, Winnipeg and Manitoba, Toronto and Area, Saskatchewan, Greater Hamilton and Area. These can be obtained from Canada News.