Shipping my stuff to Canada

[Malin]

Hi guys,
I'm planning on moving over from Sweden to Canada to be with my future husband, and wonder if anyone has experience with shipping personal belongings there. For example, any shipping companies to avoid or that you would recommend? Are they very strict at the border - do you need to specify your immigrant status (hoping to get the Canadian Experience work visa), are they likely to slap you with a deposit fee? If I ship my stuff ahead of time, independently of my own trip, will it still count as bringing your personal effects with you or will it be considered "mail"? I'm looking online as much as I can but any tips are appreciated.

 

[Pippin]

I am not quite sure about the Canadian Experience work permit you refer to, but is it a TEMPORARY work permit, until you have worked a specified amount of time and then apply for PR? IF it is supposed to be a temporary permit, you will have to be careful about shipping things that might make the VO think you were moving here permanently. There was a case at Vancouver Airport where a woman arrived with cooking pots and kitchen items in her luggage (she was coming for a holiday) and she was put on the next plane back.

 

[Creampop]

I wouldn't recommend shipping your house until you have some sort of status otherwise they will red-flag you and it will be a pain to get across the border... even with a work permit I think they might question why you are bringing so much, most people can't afford to ship their house for a 1 to 2 year work permit and then back again... you can't officially say your moving here cus even on a temp work permit you wouldn't be moving until there you had enough time to apply for PR.

 

[Malin]

The IEC program means you get a one year work permit, and while I'm there on that I'd get to work on the PR.

I am no shipping my whole home, but just a few boxes of things. No furniture or appliances etc, just clothes and little things. It says you're allowed to do this duty- and tax free if you're coming to stay for an extended period of time/setting up home, but you have to show a list of what you're bringing at the border, whether you have it with you or the things are arriving later than you. What I'm trying to find out now is if I can ship the things ahead of myself instead, without too much hassle, but I'll call the border office and ask.

 

[Malin]

I talked to the border services and they said that if I ship my things beforehand there will be taxes/duty to pay. Don't want that!

Can anyone recommend a shipping company? Who did you use and how much did it cost? By air or boat?

 

[steaky]

Terrible shipping experience (from other poster of this forum):

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t117259.0.html

Good shipping experience (by sea):

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/moving-my-used-goods-from-china-to-canada-t89620.0.html

 

[aristrauch]

Definitely check out this site:

shipping2canada dot com

Totally free and finds the best prices when shipping anything to or from anywhere in Canada.

Good luck.

AS

 

[Malin]

I ended up shipping 7 boxes of assorted stuff with an air cargo company, it was pretty cheap and went super fast. When I landed in Canada nobody was interested in seeing my painstakingly written lists of contents and value, and when I went to pick them up there was no fee or anything. Wow! Maybe because there were no furniture or other big things.