Moving from Canada to the USA
Some of you might think that moving from Canada to the USA doesn’t represent a problem. It could be true if you are born American, if you have relatives there, or if your spouse is an American. In other cases, it could be quite challenging to move to the USA from Canada. You need to take care of so much paperwork. And you need to secure the visa, so you could be able to legally live and work in the Land Of Opportunity. To help you with the procedure, we contacted several people moving from Canada to the USA recently and asked them for some pieces of advice. And here we are with the informative answers for your Canada move abroad! Happy to be able to help you with the process of relocation from North America to the States.
What’s to know before packing your boxes to move to the US?
To move internationally, we offer a friendly advice: Hire professional international movers. We have one reputable company to recommend- Big Apple Movers NYC. Those guys are terrific at their job, using their experience and the expertise to provide you with the top quality service. For quite an affordable price. Allowing you to move to the states on a budget. The moving company like this one will help you with the very relocation as well as with the preparations for it.
To make you prepared for the big move Canada-USA a lot before the moving day, we shall talk about the necessary things you need to do prior to the relocation to the south:
- Apply for the SSN- Social security number is something you can do nothing without. Apply for it ASAP.
- Get the work visa before you enter the USA.- You need to work in the USA, so better get the visa to do that legally.
- If you’re a driver, get your driver’s license- MDV is the institution in charge of issuing licenses. Although, if you’re moving to NYC, every moving help for your international NYC move shall advise you not to bring your car
- Take care of your health insurance. –Don’t even consider being uninsured. Imagine the consequences if something did happen.
- Secure the housing- Not arranging the home before you move could lead to stay in a hotel and have some extra expenses at the very beginning of your new life.
Social Security Number- Canadians, pay attention and get it ASAP
The first and the essential thing to do the moment after moving from Canada to the USA is to get the SSN. Moving to NYC from Toronto, for example, takes an effort. Just like it takes an effort for moving to Canada from the States. Immediately after you immigrate to the States, and get settled in New York City, you should find out all it takes to get the SSN. Perhaps, the international movers conducting your relocation to the Big Apple could give you a hand with this. As NYC movers, they should be able to advise you regarding this issue.
Besides, you can always contact the embassy and find out what are the current requirements to get the social security number. Without SSN, you can almost do nothing in the USA. And it can take up to 2-3 weeks until you get your SSN. Exactly the reason why we mentioned this is the priority number one!
Get the work visa before entering the States
To legally work in the USA as a Canadian, you’ll need a work visa. If you don’t have it already, then apply for it at once! You could wait for a while until you get it. This is where you must work with your employer, given that the employer is actually the one in charge of getting you a work visa. I’m saying this because you’re not allowed to work without it. And if you do, you could be deported back to Canada. And you wouldn’t be able to come back to the USA so soon.
If there’s no employer, so there’s nobody who could deal with the work permit, you need to do this by yourself. And as soon as your SSN arrives, apply for the Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You can’t apply for it before you get the social security number. Another reason why you should apply for the SSN as soon as possible.
Driver’s license
After you finished the relocation from Canada to the US, and you applied for the SSN, you should go to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). You have a deadline of 10 days after you moved to the States from Canada to do this. There you shall take a written driving test. If you pass it, you get the temporary driver’s license for 60 days. After it expires, you take the test in the vehicle. There could be a variation between different states, so you should check on this once you relocated to the USA.
Moving from Canada to the USA? Think about the health insurance in advance
After moving from Canada to the USA, you won’t have a health insurance. In case you didn’t purchase it on time. Don’t underestimate this. While we are healthy, we don’t take the insurance seriously. But, imagine that something happens to you? What would you do then? It would be quite expensive, no matter what you would need if you didn’t have the health insurance. Think about your options, consider different offers, and purchase the insurance before moving to NYC from Canada.
In case your employer secures the health insurance, and other sorts of insurance, make sure you get the detailed picture of what’s covered. You wouldn’t be happy if something bad happened, and you find out at that moment that it’s not covered by your insurance policy.
The housing in NYC is quite expensive, secure it prior to your move
Shop for your NYC home prior to your moving from Canada to the USA. You should be able to find the appropriate housing online. And you could make a reservation for it, so it could wait for your arrival. If you didn’t secure the housing, you would need to stay in a hotel after the Canada-USA migration. And it doesn’t feel good. You would prolong your settling down, you could be in a hurry, and that’s when you could accept even the worst offer, just to get settled. You do have several urgent things to do after moving from Toronto to the USA. Don’t waste your time by leaving the search for an apartment or house after your relocation to New York City.