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I'd caution you that getting across the border isn't as easy as some folks would make it sound.
I've got a friend who moved back to BC recently to her home after several years in the USA. She's a Canadian citizen, so the move back was complicated for her only in the declarations of property and the determination of taxes at the border ... some of the antique furniture she had was family stuff, but she couldn't prove it. The border folks set a value on the stuff and she had to pay taxes on it to return it to Canada.
I mention this because it seems like sometimes the Canadian border guys can be very arbitrary.
My friend's current boyfriend, helping her with the move by driving one of her Canadian legal pick up trucks hauling a properly licensed/insured trailer ...was denied entrance to Canada at the border. He tried for two days to find out what the problem was, but they wouldn't budge on denial to him to cross the border. He had his passport, and indicated that he was merely helping a friend move back to her home ranch in BC, had no intentions of staying more than a week to help her unload and get settled in. He had adequate funds for his trip and return to the USA, and is a business owner/sole proprietor, so had to be back home soon.
Some months later, with him driving another truckload of hers ... he was waved through.
I agree with what juliek4 says. I'm an Aussie now living in the states as a permanent resident. Before moving here to the states I traveled to Canada from Australia on a 6 month tourist visa. US citizens will need the same visa to stay for 6 months. When your 6 months are up leave the country for whatever the required minimum time is now. (I went to Europe for 2 months then went back into Canada for another 6 months).
I've been through this visa red tape for many different countries to live, work in and just travel to for a holiday. Some 50 countries in all and I can tell you this much.....although it may be easy to enter a country without a visa the problem lies when you want to leave to go back to your country of origin again. Make sure you do everything legally so you don't have any trouble leaving any country to go back home again. Visas are easily acquired both online and in Embassies/Consulates. Always make sure you have at least 2 years valid left on your passport also if you plan on being away for 12 months. You don't want to be running out of passport time in another country. Complications waste time and money with red tape trying to get a passport renewed. Make sure you allow extra funds to travel out of Canada after the 6 months is up and of course more money to get back in to Canada again.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
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If you do not need to work, you can go to Canada and live as long as you want with no visa as long as you cross the border and reenter every 6 months assuming you have American citizenship. You will also not be part of Health Canada so you will have to buy medical insurance.
I think i'd be fine on the money, I don't live extravagantly, and I've seen apartments go for 800 canadian with utilities included...
Living simple can surely stretch your dollar. However, make sure you are coming in with eyes wide open. In Toronto or Vancouver, an $800 per month apartment with all utilities included will be very small and most likely be in a less than desireable part of town.
Also, rememer the cost of buying or renting furniture. It will be more difficult, albeit not impossible, to convince Border Services that you are just "visiting" with a bunch of furniture in tow
After you factor in the cost of health insurance and moderate living costs, things will be very tight. As I'm sure you already know, food/entertainment/consumer goods are significantly more expensive in Canada when compared to the US. If you plan to bring a car, remember fuel is ~25% more expensive here and insurance is also a good bit more.
Don't be discouraged by any of this. Just info to have. If you have not seriouly considered Montreal, you may want to check it out. Montreal will most likely give you the best "foreign living" experience of any city in Canada. You will do fine there just speaking english. However, if you can learn french while visiting, all the better.
In my opinion, Toronto and Vancouver are really no different than any other US mid-sized city.
If you do not need to work, you can go to Canada and live as long as you want with no visa as long as you cross the border and reenter every 6 months assuming you have American citizenship. You will also not be part of Health Canada so you will have to buy medical insurance.
I'm curious, how long do you need to show that you were out of country? Who keep the record? Does a shopping trip count? I'm up in Canada all the time and stay with relatives and I really like it up there. I was planning on hanging around during the summer months after I retire and popping across the border to my farm once and a while. And I've noticed a big difference in border stations and waits. Interstate highway crossing, major hassle. Little county road station, it's like I'm interrupting the ball game on TV or nap time.
Hi carp killer, you can easily do that with a passport. I'm not sure of the required time to cross the border, I was under the impression, you just needed to cross over into US, stay overnight maybe and re-enter. But that could be wrong. You should look that one up on canadian immigration.
The border usualy stamps your passport. I say (usually). In my case they didnt, so there was no real record that i know of. This was a long time ago, and immigration laws change frequently. Im now a legal resident of US, so for ME to go back, i would need to get papers called "parole" to re-enter the US. Any time you get immigration documents its costly, and i believe most have doubled recently.
good luck !
This is interesting, I am being told alot of different things, but I just wonder how much trouble I'd have renting an apartment with just a passport.. that's my main concern, getting that place to live, I wouldn't have a problem staying for 6 months, going back to NC for a few weeks and then returning...
Does anyone know whom I can contact to a definitive answer on the exact protocol? I really feel Montreal calling to me.. I think I'm going to visit there in the next couple of weeks.. it's only about 14 hours away....
Rather attempting navigate the Canadian Immigration bureaucracy by yourself - it is much simpler to contact a Canadian Immigration Attorney. Pick the Province you are interested and get in touch with Immigration Attorney in that Province. It will cost you a little money but you will save allot of time and be advised on things you would not otherwise think to consider.
Keep in mind taxes are much higher than what you have previously experienced, business ambition is not encouraged and not all Canadians like Americans.
This is interesting, I am being told alot of different things, but I just wonder how much trouble I'd have renting an apartment with just a passport.. that's my main concern, getting that place to live, I wouldn't have a problem staying for 6 months, going back to NC for a few weeks and then returning...
I think you'll find landlords are less interested in your nationality/immigration status than they are in your ability to pay the rent in the forseeable future. Most rental applications require things like bank references, employment references, etc.
If you wish to rent and tell the landlord you don't have employment, needless to say the landlord will want some reassurance you'll be able to cover your obligations.
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Little county road station, it's like I'm interrupting the ball game on TV or nap time.
