Views: 4166
Submissions: 124
Favs: 412

Fursuiter | Registered: Apr 11, 2006 08:23
Just a striped skunk, making his way through life, always wanting to make new friends, and endeavoring to become his true self.
I also endeavor to not be judgmental of others. We all have our quirks and idiosyncrasies, and should be accepting of each other's. If you are one of those uptight individuals who is easily offended about the littlest of things or is so shallow that you'd not be friends with someone just because they are odd in some way, then I want nothing to do with you. I have no respect for fair-weather friends.
Remember. Skunks do not stink. It is the targets of their ire that end up smelling bad.
I also endeavor to not be judgmental of others. We all have our quirks and idiosyncrasies, and should be accepting of each other's. If you are one of those uptight individuals who is easily offended about the littlest of things or is so shallow that you'd not be friends with someone just because they are odd in some way, then I want nothing to do with you. I have no respect for fair-weather friends.
Remember. Skunks do not stink. It is the targets of their ire that end up smelling bad.
Featured Submission
Stats
Comments Earned: 297
Comments Made: 210
Journals: 24
Comments Made: 210
Journals: 24
Recent Journal
Repatriaton to Canada (conclusion)
5 months ago
It took two months after crossing back into Canada to complete the process. It's incredible how much paperwork and due diligence is required to return to your own home country. This is what I had to do:
Months before departing for Canada
• Obtain Canadian Passport (applied for in person at a Canadian Passport Service Center in Laval which included showing my original Canadian birth certificate as proof of citizenship).
• Interview potential movers (only two were recommended for international moves)
• Call Social Insurance Registry to reactivate Social Insurance Number
• Create a My Service Canada Account
• Phone online financial service, government, etc. that uses 2FA and to continue to get access once back in Canada.
• Get a letter from State Farm that indicates the length of time with no "at fault" claims for me.
• Get a letter from Colorado Motor Vehicle department indicating driver's license history with them (length of time licensed, clean record, class of license, etc.)
• Obtain all health records for myself and my dog
• Obtain rabies certificate for my dog
• Get extra supply of prescription medicine from doctor
• Fill BSF186 customs declaration form for all my possessions that I'd bring with me for the long drive to Montreal and also what the movers would deliver (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publica.....bsf186-eng.pdf
• Fill Registry for Imported Vehicles (RIV) form for importing my personal car into Canada (https://www.riv.ca/OnlineForms/Home/Landing )
At the border crossing (11 February 2025), I showed my Nexus Card and Passport and declared my intention to repatriate myself upon which I was directed to park my car and go inside the customs office where I presented all my forms. I was required to pay 5% duty on the value beyond 10 000$ for any individual item I was declaring. Fortunately, there was only my car, whose kbb.ca estimated value was about 11 200$. So I paid 5% tax on 1200$.
After that, I drove on to Longueuil, QC where I had booked AirBnB accommodations through the end of March.
Then the next phase of my repatriation began. With my Canadian passport being my only valid Canadian piece of identity, I went through the following steps:
• Opened a Canadian dollar checking account at the local bank, and applied for a Canadian dollar credit card
• Set up an account with OFX.com and WISE.com for converting my IRA distributions from US dollars into Canadian dollars (at near market rate and much better than any bank or credit union).
• Registered with the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) to qualify for the provincial universal health care (coverage will become effective 1 May, after three months residency in Québec)
• Took my car to a Canadian Tire automotive center to submit it for federal vehicle inspection to certify it as compliant to Canadian vehicle laws
• Took my car to different place for submit it for provincial vehicle inspection to certify it as compliant to Québec vehicle laws
• Went to the SAAQ (Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec) to register my car and get my Québec license plate
• Applied for auto insurance in Québec (and cancelled my auto insurance in the United States).
• Met with my realtor in the Montréal area to begin house hunting while also keeping tabs with my other realtor in Littleton, Colorado who was selling my old home there
• Found a house to buy in Pointe-des-Cascades just as I accepted an above-asking-price offer from a buyer in Colorado
• Applied for a mortgage for the new house (this was tricky as my credit profile in Canada was a complete blank), and secured the loan
• Went to the Canadian Border Services Agency main office in downtown Montréal with Form BSF186 to clear my possessions that were at the mover's warehouse in Montréal. Delivered the CBSA form clearing my possessions to the movers.
• Made arrangements for the movers to deliver my things on 31 March, three days after officially finalizing the purchase of my new home with the notary.
• With a new permanent address, I went back to the SAAQ office with my official Colorado driving record as proof of experience that would allow me to exchange my Colorado drivers license for a Québec drivers license.
I received my new driver's license in the mail this past week, two months after crossing the border, and thus completing my repatriation. I'm still unpacking things and setting up my new home, and still have much to do, though I did register myself as an elector for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
But to any other fellow Canadians out there looking to return to Canada, I highly recommend reviewing the information on this website: https://kurucz.ca/expatrepat/index.html
The information provided proved to be invaluable in preparing me for transitioning to this new phase in my life.
Months before departing for Canada
• Obtain Canadian Passport (applied for in person at a Canadian Passport Service Center in Laval which included showing my original Canadian birth certificate as proof of citizenship).
• Interview potential movers (only two were recommended for international moves)
• Call Social Insurance Registry to reactivate Social Insurance Number
• Create a My Service Canada Account
• Phone online financial service, government, etc. that uses 2FA and to continue to get access once back in Canada.
• Get a letter from State Farm that indicates the length of time with no "at fault" claims for me.
• Get a letter from Colorado Motor Vehicle department indicating driver's license history with them (length of time licensed, clean record, class of license, etc.)
• Obtain all health records for myself and my dog
• Obtain rabies certificate for my dog
• Get extra supply of prescription medicine from doctor
• Fill BSF186 customs declaration form for all my possessions that I'd bring with me for the long drive to Montreal and also what the movers would deliver (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publica.....bsf186-eng.pdf
• Fill Registry for Imported Vehicles (RIV) form for importing my personal car into Canada (https://www.riv.ca/OnlineForms/Home/Landing )
At the border crossing (11 February 2025), I showed my Nexus Card and Passport and declared my intention to repatriate myself upon which I was directed to park my car and go inside the customs office where I presented all my forms. I was required to pay 5% duty on the value beyond 10 000$ for any individual item I was declaring. Fortunately, there was only my car, whose kbb.ca estimated value was about 11 200$. So I paid 5% tax on 1200$.
After that, I drove on to Longueuil, QC where I had booked AirBnB accommodations through the end of March.
Then the next phase of my repatriation began. With my Canadian passport being my only valid Canadian piece of identity, I went through the following steps:
• Opened a Canadian dollar checking account at the local bank, and applied for a Canadian dollar credit card
• Set up an account with OFX.com and WISE.com for converting my IRA distributions from US dollars into Canadian dollars (at near market rate and much better than any bank or credit union).
• Registered with the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) to qualify for the provincial universal health care (coverage will become effective 1 May, after three months residency in Québec)
• Took my car to a Canadian Tire automotive center to submit it for federal vehicle inspection to certify it as compliant to Canadian vehicle laws
• Took my car to different place for submit it for provincial vehicle inspection to certify it as compliant to Québec vehicle laws
• Went to the SAAQ (Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec) to register my car and get my Québec license plate
• Applied for auto insurance in Québec (and cancelled my auto insurance in the United States).
• Met with my realtor in the Montréal area to begin house hunting while also keeping tabs with my other realtor in Littleton, Colorado who was selling my old home there
• Found a house to buy in Pointe-des-Cascades just as I accepted an above-asking-price offer from a buyer in Colorado
• Applied for a mortgage for the new house (this was tricky as my credit profile in Canada was a complete blank), and secured the loan
• Went to the Canadian Border Services Agency main office in downtown Montréal with Form BSF186 to clear my possessions that were at the mover's warehouse in Montréal. Delivered the CBSA form clearing my possessions to the movers.
• Made arrangements for the movers to deliver my things on 31 March, three days after officially finalizing the purchase of my new home with the notary.
• With a new permanent address, I went back to the SAAQ office with my official Colorado driving record as proof of experience that would allow me to exchange my Colorado drivers license for a Québec drivers license.
I received my new driver's license in the mail this past week, two months after crossing the border, and thus completing my repatriation. I'm still unpacking things and setting up my new home, and still have much to do, though I did register myself as an elector for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
But to any other fellow Canadians out there looking to return to Canada, I highly recommend reviewing the information on this website: https://kurucz.ca/expatrepat/index.html
The information provided proved to be invaluable in preparing me for transitioning to this new phase in my life.
User Profile
Accepting Trades
No Accepting Commissions
No Character Species
Striped Skunk
Favorite Animals
striped skunk
Contact Information



BirdTho
~birdtho