Americans from Alaska moving to - IMPORTING CAR -

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,


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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 Top 

of 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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Road Safety's Main Menu
  
  
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Importation


Importing a Vehicle into Canada 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VERY IMPORTANT VERY IMPORTANT VERY IMPORTANT
TRANSPORT CANADA OR THE REGISTRAR OF IMPORTED VEHICLES CANNOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS LIST. THE INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

THIS LIST IS BASED ON INFORMATION SUPPLIED TO TRANSPORT CANADA AND THE REGISTRAR OF IMPORTED VEHICLES BY THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. ITS ACCURACY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. THERE IS ALSO NO GUARANTEE THAT ANY VEHICLE DEEMED ADMISSIBLE CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY MODIFIED TO MEET CANADIAN REQUIREMENTS. PLEASE CONTACT THE REGISTRAR OF IMPORTED VEHICLES (WWW.RIV.CA)TO OBTAIN DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE PROCESS THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED FOR THE IMPORTATION OF VEHICLES PURCHASED AT THE RETAIL LEVEL IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 
 
 
 
EXPLANATIONS
 
 
 
SECTION (1)
 
THE REGISTRAR OF IMPORTED VEHICLES
 
 
 
SECTION (2)
 
GENERAL
 
 
 
SECTION (3)
 
PASSENGER CARS
 
 
 
SECTION (4)
 
LIMOUSINES AND FUNERAL VEHICLES
 
 
 
SECTION (5.1)
 
MOTORHOMES CLASS A AND C
 
 
 
SECTION (5.2)
 
MOTORHOME - CLASS B
 
 
 
SECTION (5.3)
 
MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES(MPV)MANUFACTURED BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2007 (such as vans, mini-vans, sport utility vehicles, etc. but does not include pick-up trucks and trucks / see section 12) 
 
 
 
SECTION (5.4)
 
MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES (MPV) MANUFACTURED AFTER SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2007 (vans, mini-vans, sport utility vehicles, etc. but does not include pick-up trucks and trucks / see section 12) 

 
 
 
SECTION (5.5)
 
DISABLED ACCESS VEHICLE CONVERSION
 
 
 
SECTION (5.6)
 
TRAVEL VAN CONVERSION
 
 
 
SECTION (6)
 
BUSES
 
 
 
SECTION (7)
 
SCHOOL BUSES
 
 
 
SECTION (8)
 
MOTORCYCLES
 
 
 
SECTION (9)
 
RESTRICTED USE MOTORCYCLES
 
 
 
SECTION (10)
 
AMBULANCE VEHICLES
 
 
 
SECTION (11)
 
TRAILERS
 
 
 
SECTION (12)
 
TRUCKS WITH GVWR LESS THAN 4536 KG, MANUFACTURED AFTER SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2007
 
 
 
SECTION (13)
 
SNOWMOBILES
 
 
 
SECTION (14)
 
LOW SPEED VEHICLES
 
 
 
SECTION (15)
 
WRECKED VEHICLES
 
 
 
 
 
FURTHER INFORMATION

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