To move from the U.S. to Canada as a permanent resident, you choose an immigration pathway that fits your situation — most Americans go through Express Entry, a Provincial Nominee Program, or family sponsorship — gather your documents, submit and pay for the application, and then plan for the practical side: dual-country taxes, importing your belongings, and meeting Canada’s residency rule once you land. The application itself typically takes six months to over a year depending on the stream.
Choose Your Immigration Pathway
Three routes cover most Americans applying for permanent residence.
Express Entry
Express Entry is the online system Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses to manage applications for three federal programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (for qualifying work experience gained inside or outside Canada), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (for electricians, plumbers, welders, and other trades), and the Canadian Experience Class (for people with at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada).1Canada.ca. Express Entry: Who Can Apply
When you create a profile, IRCC scores it under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on age, education, language ability, and work experience. IRCC holds regular draws inviting candidates above a cut-off score to apply for permanent residence. Cut-offs vary by draw and by any category the draw targets, such as French-language proficiency.2Canada.ca. Express Entry: Rounds of Invitations
Provincial Nominee Programs
Every Canadian province and territory runs its own Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), aimed at workers, international graduates, and entrepreneurs whose skills match regional labor needs. A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points to an Express Entry profile, which effectively guarantees an invitation in the next draw.3Government of Canada. Immigrate as a Provincial Nominee Some PNP streams run entirely outside Express Entry with their own applications. Eligibility varies widely: some streams require a job offer in the province, others target shortage occupations. If you have a prior work, education, or family connection to a specific province, start there.
Family Sponsorship
If your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or parent is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident aged 18 or older and living in Canada, they can sponsor you.4Government of Canada. Sponsor Your Spouse, Partner or Child: Check if You’re Eligible The sponsor signs an undertaking to financially support you. Spousal and partner sponsorship has no minimum income requirement.
Documents You’ll Need Before You Apply
Nearly every permanent residence pathway requires proof of English or French proficiency through an approved language test. For English, IRCC accepts the IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core. For French, the TEF Canada or TCF Canada.5Government of Canada. Express Entry: Language Test Results One detail that trips people up: IRCC does not accept the IELTS Academic version — you need IELTS General Training specifically.
If you were educated outside Canada, you’ll likely need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) showing your degree is equivalent to a Canadian credential.6Canada.ca. Educational Credential Assessment It’s mandatory for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and needed to earn education points in Express Entry under other streams. Designated organizations such as World Education Services (WES) perform the assessment, and it takes several weeks.
You’ll need police certificates from every country where you’ve lived for six consecutive months or more since age 18.7Canada.ca. Police Certificate: When to Get a Police Certificate For most Americans, that means an FBI identity history summary. Some countries take months to issue their certificates, so start early.
You’ll also need a medical exam by an IRCC-approved panel physician. You cannot use your own doctor; Canada maintains a designated list. The exam screens for conditions that could pose a public health risk or create excessive demand on Canadian health services.
Round out the package with a valid passport (renew it if it expires within six months of your application date), reference letters from employers detailing your job title, duties, and dates of employment, and marriage or birth certificates for any dependents.8Canada.ca. Immigrate Through Express Entry: Documents
What It Costs and the Money You Need to Show
For an Express Entry application, the principal applicant pays a $950 processing fee plus a $575 right of permanent residence fee, totaling CAD $1,525. A spouse or partner included in the application pays the same amount. Dependent children pay a reduced processing fee and are exempt from the right of permanent residence fee.9IRCC. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees: Fee List Add $85 per person for biometrics.
Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants must also show settlement funds. As of July 2025, a single applicant needs at least CAD $15,263, a family of two needs $19,001, a family of three needs $23,360, and a family of four needs $28,362.10Government of Canada. Documents for Express Entry: Proof of Funds You count your spouse and dependent children in the family size even if they aren’t moving with you. Canadian Experience Class applicants with a valid Canadian job offer are exempt from the proof-of-funds requirement.
Submitting Your Application
Applications are submitted through the IRCC online portal. You create an account, complete the forms, upload digital copies of your documents, and pay the fees. After submission you’ll get a confirmation email with an application number for tracking.
Within a few days you’ll typically receive a biometrics instruction letter telling you to provide fingerprints and a photo at a designated collection site.11Government of Canada. Biometrics: How to Give Your Fingerprints and Photo In the U.S., biometrics are collected at application support centers by appointment. Some applicants get requests for additional documents or an interview, but interviews are not routine for most Express Entry cases.
Crossing the Border and Your First Weeks
At the Canadian port of entry, present your valid passport and your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) to a border services officer, who reviews your documents and formally confirms your permanent resident status.12Government of Canada. Immigration Category on the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) This is also when you declare the personal goods and household items you’re importing.
Once through the border, a handful of tasks are urgent. Apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN); you need it to work legally and access government programs.13Government of Canada. Social Insurance Number – Overview Open a Canadian bank account so you can receive wages and pay rent; many banks let you start the process before you arrive.
Register for provincial health insurance immediately, but expect a waiting period — in many provinces the remainder of the month you arrive plus two additional months — before coverage begins.14Province of British Columbia. Coverage Wait Period During that gap you’re responsible for your own medical costs, so private bridging insurance is worth the money. Each province runs its own plan and issues its own health card.15Government of Canada. Health Cards
Bringing Your Belongings and Your Car
If you’re arriving as a settler — someone intending to establish residence in Canada for at least 12 months — you can bring used personal and household goods duty-free, provided you owned and used them before moving.16Canada Border Services Agency. Settlers’ Effects – Tariff Item No. 9807.00.00 There’s no dollar cap on used household goods, but you must prepare a detailed list separated into goods you’re carrying with you and “goods to follow.” Present this list to the border officer at your first entry point, even if nothing is with you yet.17Canada Border Services Agency. Moving or Returning to Canada Only items on that original list qualify for duty-free treatment when they arrive later. Sell or dispose of any duty-free imported goods within 12 months and you’ll owe the duties and taxes that would have applied at import.
Importing a vehicle adds paperwork. The car must meet Canadian safety and emissions standards, and you register it through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) program, which charges about CAD $325 plus applicable sales tax.18Canada Border Services Agency. Fee Increase – Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) Program Vehicles with air conditioning face a CAD $100 excise tax, and vehicles with poor fuel economy may trigger a green levy.19Canada Border Services Agency. Importing Vehicles Into Canada As a settler you can import a vehicle you already own duty-free, but selling it within 12 months triggers duties and taxes retroactively. After import you’ll need a Canadian safety inspection and provincial registration within a set window.
Taxes After You Move
This is the part most people don’t plan for. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live.20Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad Moving to Canada does not end your obligation to file a U.S. federal tax return every year. You’ll also owe Canadian income tax as a resident of Canada. You file with both countries.
The U.S.–Canada tax treaty and two IRS provisions prevent most people from being taxed twice on the same income. The foreign earned income exclusion lets you exclude up to $132,900 of earned income for tax year 2026.21Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 The foreign tax credit lets you offset your U.S. tax liability by Canadian tax already paid on that income.22IRS. United States – Canada Income Tax Convention Together these tools mean most middle-income earners won’t owe additional U.S. tax beyond what they pay Canada, but you still have to file to claim them.
Then there’s reporting on your Canadian accounts. If the combined value of your foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year, you must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) with FinCEN.23Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Under FATCA, U.S. citizens abroad holding foreign financial assets exceeding $200,000 at year-end (or $300,000 at any point during the year for single filers) must file Form 8938 with their tax return.24Internal Revenue Service. Do I Need to File Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets Penalties are steep, up to $10,000 per violation for Form 8938 alone. Budget for a cross-border tax professional, especially in year one.
U.S. citizens abroad get an automatic two-month filing extension, to June 15 instead of April 15, but interest on any unpaid tax still runs from April 15.20Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad
Keeping Your Permanent Resident Status
Canadian permanent residence carries a residency obligation that trips up people who travel a lot or keep strong ties in the U.S. You must be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days within every five-year period, roughly two years out of every five.25Justice Laws Website. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act SC 2001, c. 27 – Section 28 Time spent outside Canada accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, or working abroad for a Canadian employer, can count. Casual visits back to the U.S. do not.
Fall short and you risk losing your status when you next try to renew your PR card or re-enter Canada. People who split time between the two countries need to track days carefully. Canadian citizenship, if you eventually want it, has its own separate and higher physical-presence requirement.