Canada to USA, Moving Belongings (K-1 Visa)

[Isabel&Will 113]

23 hours ago, KaeAlexandria said:

Hey there! I just got my approval for my K-1 visa so me and my fiance were just planning the same thing and it sounds like we may have a similar amount of stuff (I have kitchen stuff, a lot of collectibles and games, and 2 books shelves + 2 carts).

 

Our distance is a LOT shorter than yours (Nova Scotia --> NYC) however what my fiance is doing is renting a cargo van in NYC, driving to Nova Scotia, loading me up and driving back. The reason he's renting it in NYC is that UHaul only rents cargo vans locally (no long distance drop offs) but it STILL ends up being cheaper for us then renting a 10' Uhaul. For your distance however, it may be cheaper to rent the 10' Uhaul and drop it at your final destination.

 

When you go to cross the border we have seen MANY websites say that you need a full inventory of all of your stuff. What I did when I packed my stuff up (I was staying with family because my lease went up, so the majority of my stuff is already packed and in storage waiting for the move) was write everything that was in the box down in a notebook (like "Hair / Make-up, Over the counter medicine, bathroom shelves, shampoo / body wash -- Bathroom Box #1") and also wrote that on the outside of the box itself. This will apparently really help facilitate a quick border crossing.

 

Good luck, and I hope your process goes quick!

Oh nice, that sounds pretty much exactly like what I have, give or take a few things! 😯 Unfortunately, the van would not be an option for us, as you said, because of the distance (I also double checked if they'd allow for Washington to Virginia and they do not). At this point, we're thinking about the option of getting a hitch installed on my car and pulling one of their 4x8' trailers as that would be the most cost-effective option, as long as they would allow me to import my car (which I would need to do anyway). I need to go and see one in person though to make sure it's big enough, haha. 

Thanks for the heads up, I have been trying to figure out what the best system would be to take inventory. Were you very specific about the exact contents and quantities (e.g. 1 bottle Herbal Essences Shampoo, 1 bar Dove soap etc.) or were they ok with the more general info?

[KaeAlexandria 3]

1 hour ago, Isabel&Will said:

Thanks for the heads up, I have been trying to figure out what the best system would be to take inventory. Were you very specific about the exact contents and quantities (e.g. 1 bottle Herbal Essences Shampoo, 1 bar Dove soap etc.) or were they ok with the more general info?

So as I mentioned I'm crossing October 20th so I haven't actually made it yet, but I can come back and let you know when I do.

For now, I haven't been very specific. I just said "Hair products, make-up" etc etc, not "2 x shampoo, 2 x conditioner, 15 x eyeshadow..." and most places online seem to say that's fine. They will most likely ask to have a look at a couple things, as they do for the majority of people.

[Isabel&Will 113]

11 minutes ago, KaeAlexandria said:

So as I mentioned I'm crossing October 20th so I haven't actually made it yet, but I can come back and let you know when I do.

For now, I haven't been very specific. I just said "Hair products, make-up" etc etc, not "2 x shampoo, 2 x conditioner, 15 x eyeshadow..." and most places online seem to say that's fine. They will most likely ask to have a look at a couple things, as they do for the majority of people.

Ah woops, sorry I didn't realize. If you could come let me know how it goes that would be fantastic and greatly appreciated!

And yeah that makes sense, I suppose they could probably tell from the more general descriptions as to where they would want to investigate. Thanks again and best of luck! 😊

Edited October 10, 2018 by Isabel&Will

[KaeAlexandria 3]

On 10/10/2018 at 11:59 AM, Isabel&Will said:

Ah woops, sorry I didn't realize. If you could come let me know how it goes that would be fantastic and greatly appreciated!

And yeah that makes sense, I suppose they could probably tell from the more general descriptions as to where they would want to investigate. Thanks again and best of luck! 😊

Hey there! So I crossed and am officially a resident of the USA now (yay!!!).

 

I crossed at the Calais/International Avenue border crossing. When we got to the window my fiance just said; "We're activating a K1 visa, and he have all of her belongings and a cat here in the van.", so the officer had us pull over into the waiting area into a specifically marked little car port.

 

We got out and went inside, and the first person we spoke to was the very nice female officer who was going to check the van. She was VERY HAPPY we had a full inventory; the way I formatted it as I mentioned was I put "Bathroom Box #1 - Makeup, hair products, hair brushes, misc jewelry." on my inventory sheet, and then labelled the outside of the box with that as well.

 

She asked us what prescriptions we had and if they were in their proper containers, if we had any fresh produce, if we were carrying cash over $10,000, and if my cat had his vet papers and updated rabies shot (though that was only because she knew we were going to NY state which requires it, they don't require it technically at the border for cats). She then went outside to have a look inside the van; she took a dog, and only opened one thing (a bag I forgot to put on my inventory that had my laptop in it). Then she came back inside and said we were good to go!

 

The officer inside activated my visa package, stamped everything, took my finger prints and photo and got the package ready to send to USCIS. MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GIVE IT BACK TO YOU. They joked that a few agents had done that. They asked me some standard questions ("Do you intend to work?" -- No, because I can't yet. "Do you know your US address?" -- Yup, it's blah blah blah blah NYC, NY, USA.) and then cooed over my cute kitty for a minute, and sent us on our way!

 

In total we spent about 30 minutes at the border and it was a breeze.

 

Hope this helped!

[NikLR 13,227]

You really dont need very specific lists when you move by land by yourself.  A moving company needs a lot more detail.  CBP didnt even look AT my uhaul let alone inside it.  They didn't even leave their building.  Didn't ask to see my list either.  I crossed in Sweet Grass MT from Alberta. 

[Isabel&Will 113]

2 hours ago, KaeAlexandria said:

Hey there! So I crossed and am officially a resident of the USA now (yay!!!).

 

I crossed at the Calais/International Avenue border crossing. When we got to the window my fiance just said; "We're activating a K1 visa, and he have all of her belongings and a cat here in the van.", so the officer had us pull over into the waiting area into a specifically marked little car port.

 

We got out and went inside, and the first person we spoke to was the very nice female officer who was going to check the van. She was VERY HAPPY we had a full inventory; the way I formatted it as I mentioned was I put "Bathroom Box #1 - Makeup, hair products, hair brushes, misc jewelry." on my inventory sheet, and then labelled the outside of the box with that as well.

 

She asked us what prescriptions we had and if they were in their proper containers, if we had any fresh produce, if we were carrying cash over $10,000, and if my cat had his vet papers and updated rabies shot (though that was only because she knew we were going to NY state which requires it, they don't require it technically at the border for cats). She then went outside to have a look inside the van; she took a dog, and only opened one thing (a bag I forgot to put on my inventory that had my laptop in it). Then she came back inside and said we were good to go!

 

The officer inside activated my visa package, stamped everything, took my finger prints and photo and got the package ready to send to USCIS. MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GIVE IT BACK TO YOU. They joked that a few agents had done that. They asked me some standard questions ("Do you intend to work?" -- No, because I can't yet. "Do you know your US address?" -- Yup, it's blah blah blah blah NYC, NY, USA.) and then cooed over my cute kitty for a minute, and sent us on our way!

 

In total we spent about 30 minutes at the border and it was a breeze.

 

Hope this helped!

Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know, I feel a lot more at ease now! Congratulations on the successful move, I hope everything goes well for you! 😊

[C32 46]

On 10/24/2018 at 10:49 AM, KaeAlexandria said:

Hey there! So I crossed and am officially a resident of the USA now (yay!!!).

 

I crossed at the Calais/International Avenue border crossing. When we got to the window my fiance just said; "We're activating a K1 visa, and he have all of her belongings and a cat here in the van.", so the officer had us pull over into the waiting area into a specifically marked little car port.

 

We got out and went inside, and the first person we spoke to was the very nice female officer who was going to check the van. She was VERY HAPPY we had a full inventory; the way I formatted it as I mentioned was I put "Bathroom Box #1 - Makeup, hair products, hair brushes, misc jewelry." on my inventory sheet, and then labelled the outside of the box with that as well.

 

She asked us what prescriptions we had and if they were in their proper containers, if we had any fresh produce, if we were carrying cash over $10,000, and if my cat had his vet papers and updated rabies shot (though that was only because she knew we were going to NY state which requires it, they don't require it technically at the border for cats). She then went outside to have a look inside the van; she took a dog, and only opened one thing (a bag I forgot to put on my inventory that had my laptop in it). Then she came back inside and said we were good to go!

 

The officer inside activated my visa package, stamped everything, took my finger prints and photo and got the package ready to send to USCIS. MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GIVE IT BACK TO YOU. They joked that a few agents had done that. They asked me some standard questions ("Do you intend to work?" -- No, because I can't yet. "Do you know your US address?" -- Yup, it's blah blah blah blah NYC, NY, USA.) and then cooed over my cute kitty for a minute, and sent us on our way!

 

In total we spent about 30 minutes at the border and it was a breeze.

 

Hope this helped!

This is so helpful! I’ve been wondering what to expect driving across the border with my things. 

 

Thank you! 

[NikLR 13,227]

There as are border reviews here:

https://www.visajourney.com/reviews/poereviews.php?poe=CDN-USA+Border&dfilter=0