US Border crossing requirements when moving to the US (after K-1 visa approval)

[Amanda25 0]

I have been approved for the K-1 visa, so now I will be moving to the US to live there permanently (I move on August 31, 2013).

My fiance (who's an American Citizen) & I will both be driving across the US Boarder from Canada - with all my furniture & stuff (using a U-Haul) i.e. a truck full of my stuff.

I have 6 main questions:

1) What do I need at the border (for Border crossing into the States) - to be able to get through the border?

2) I have read that I will need to present an inventory list of my things.

But how detailed does this list need to be?

Should this inventory list just say: Clothing, books, electronics etc.? or do I have to break the clothing down (e.g. dresses, skirts, coats) & the electronics down (laptop, TV, DVD, etc)?

3) What else do I need to bring through the border (besides the unopened package that immigration told me to hand over & my passport with my K-1 visa approval)? Any forms I need to fill out & give to them?

4) Is there anything that I am not allowed to take across with me (e.g. chemicals - cleaning supplies, hair products etc)?

5) I have a plant (an orchard). Am I allowed to take it across with me?

6) Anything else that I should look out for or do to prepare for my trip across the border - that will help with crossing the border quickly & easily?

Thank you so much for your help

Thanks for

[AllYouCanEat 3]

2) No, you won't have to break down what clothing it is. For electronics I would break it up and mention the kind of electronics. Can't hurt to guesstimate a price for each item, just to show that you're not trying to smuggle thousands of dollars worth of equipment across the border with the intention to sell it for profit.

4) I would leave the cleaning supplies or any kind of chemical. Why jeopardize your immigration over that stuff. You can buy all that in the States. Hair products is fine, as long as it's not a truck load full of the same item

5) There should be a website from the border control that mentions certain plants that shouldn't be imported. Just google it.

Just make sure you have your complete visa documentation and valid passports when you cross the border, just in case they want to see stuff, and they will.

Good luck!

[TBoneTX 46,151]

You can look in the Canada regional forum for insiders' advice -- there are probably many threads about exactly this. In addition, do an advanced search (link in far upper right of VJ screens) for "moving from Canada" to see what comes up.

[NikLR 13,232]

I have been approved for the K-1 visa, so now I will be moving to the US to live there permanently (I move on August 31, 2013).

My fiance (who's an American Citizen) & I will both be driving across the US Boarder from Canada - with all my furniture & stuff (using a U-Haul) i.e. a truck full of my stuff.

I have 6 main questions:

1) What do I need at the border (for Border crossing into the States) - to be able to get through the border? - Your visa packet and passport

2) I have read that I will need to present an inventory list of my things. - a basic list is fine, sometimes they don't even look (didn't for me). I put box 1 - books, box 2 - movies, box 3 - kitchen appliances etc... They didn't even look at the list or open the uhaul.

But how detailed does this list need to be?

Should this inventory list just say: Clothing, books, electronics etc.? or do I have to break the clothing down (e.g. dresses, skirts, coats) & the electronics down (laptop, TV, DVD, etc)?

3) What else do I need to bring through the border (besides the unopened package that immigration told me to hand over & my passport with my K-1 visa approval)? Any forms I need to fill out & give to them? - nope! They will have it if they need it. Make sure you get your I-94 when you get to your destination.

4) Is there anything that I am not allowed to take across with me (e.g. chemicals - cleaning supplies, hair products etc)? - I brought cleaning supplies, aerosols, food, (I left opened food and anything perishable except a few apples for snacks which we declared and they didn't care) I think animals need a rabies, not sure about fish, and live plants are a no-no.

5) I have a plant (an orchard). Am I allowed to take it across with me? - likely not... check the CBP website.

6) Anything else that I should look out for or do to prepare for my trip across the border - that will help with crossing the border quickly & easily? -Just be polite, answer questions as asked, and pretend not to know too much. My husband gave the "play dumb" advice... he works for the govt. LOL

Thank you so much for your help

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You can import houseplants if they have a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. I brought in 6 houseplants and had their certificates. It was not a problem. Basically, it is ensuring that the plants are healthy and will not be bringing in any sort of disease or bugs that would cause a problem in the US.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/exports/phytosanitary-certificates/eng/1299872808479/1299872974262

[NikLR 13,232]

You can import houseplants if they have a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. I brought in 6 houseplants and had their certificates. It was not a problem. Basically, it is ensuring that the plants are healthy and will not be bringing in any sort of disease or bugs that would cause a problem in the US.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/exports/phytosanitary-certificates/eng/1299872808479/1299872974262

Good to know!!! Thanks Kathryn!!