{"id":1769,"date":"2023-02-10T22:49:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-11T03:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aucanadavisa.com\/?page_id=1769"},"modified":"2023-02-21T14:53:32","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T19:53:32","slug":"leaving-your-home-country","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aucanadavisa.com\/fr\/useful-infos\/moving-to-canada-2\/leaving-your-home-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Quitter son pays d'origine"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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One area that\u2019s often overlooked is how to round off, however temporarily, your existing life in your home country before starting your new life in Canada.<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div>

From finding work, to paying bills, there are lots of things you can do to make that part of the process easier. The last thing you want is to be chasing things from many time zones away, or getting up in the middle of the night to ring a call centre during their office hours.<\/p>

Here are our tips to help you wrap\u00a0up your life back home before your new life in Canada. You should also take a look at\u00a0this essential checklist<\/a>\u00a0for things you can do pre-departure that will\u00a0give you a head-start in your new life in Canada.<\/p>

We also\u00a0highly recommend<\/strong>\u00a0you keep up-to-date with latest immigration developments \u2013 as anyone will tell you, changes happen regularly that can affect your move.<\/p>

1. Selling your car? Put the wheels in motion early<\/strong><\/h2>

\"Winter<\/p>

Up to four months before leaving<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

You\u2019re probably going to want to sell your car for the highest price possible.\u00a0Every extra dollar is another opportunity to have fun when you\u2019re travelling.<\/p>

To do this, you\u2019re going to need to\u00a0attempt to sell it as early as possible. Allow a few months if you can, to give yourself every opportunity to get a good price for it. You can always slowly lower it as your departure becomes closer.<\/p>

Remember: the only way you\u2019ll sell\u00a0it quickly is by selling it for way less than it\u2019s worth. Try to avoid putting yourself in this situation.<\/p>

2. Get rid of your things gradually to avoid stress<\/strong><\/h2>

Up to three months before leaving<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Have lots of clothes you won\u2019t be taking with you? Can\u2019t find a family member to mind your 42-inch TV? No longer have a need for your PS4?<\/p>

Don\u2019t leave getting rid of all of this until the last minute.\u00a0It can sometimes take a few attempts to get a stall at a flea market to sell your clothes, accessories and DVDs. It can also take time to find a genuine buyer for your goods online.<\/p>

Ignacio, on our Facebook page, writes:<\/p>

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to get rid of tons of useless stuff \u2013 95pc of what we own is disposable. The rest can be given to friends or put in a storeroom. When I came back, I realised most of what I kept was just as useless as what I had thrown away. I blame nostalgia.\u201d<\/p>

Put aside some time each weekend to tend to all of this. Not only will it ease the number of cars you\u2019ll fill\u00a0when you eventually have to pack up\u00a0and move out of your home, but your bank balance will hopefully be much better off for it too.<\/p>

3. Ask for your tax forms<\/b><\/h2>

30 days before leaving<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Gather any tax forms relating to the termination of your employment (e.g. a P45 in the UK and Ireland). You can request these from your employer.<\/p>

This will prove useful if you\u2019ve overpaid income tax and need to claim this back at the end of the tax year.<\/p>

For example, an employee who\u2019s paid monthly may have had their annual tax credit divided by 12 and had this amount deducted from their tax liability each month.<\/p>

So if this employee left their job in July, they may have overpaid tax as five months of their tax credits were never applied.<\/p>

Having these tax forms organised and in your luggage will make claiming back over-payments much easier, when the end of the tax year comes around.<\/p>

You should also call your local tax authority, or consult a professional accountant, before your departure to discuss any questions you might have relating to your specific circumstance. It\u2019s easier to do this while at home than from Canada.<\/p>

4. Cancel subscriptions \u2013 all of them!<\/strong><\/h2>

\"Tips<\/p>

30 days before leaving<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

You\u2019ll likely cancel the obvious utilities, like electricity and gas, and your\u00a0internet and TV subscriptions. That part is easy.\u00a0Do bear in mind though that some of these will require advance notice,<\/strong>\u00a0such as 30 days.<\/p>

Are you as likely to remember\u00a0the smaller\u00a0subscriptions, like the annual charge for your\u00a0local public bike scheme, or Netflix? Possibly not.<\/p>

It\u2019s a good idea to go through your bank statements and look carefully for any subscriptions you may have overlooked.<\/p>

If you\u2019re keeping your home bank account open, the last thing you want is\u00a0to check in out of curiosity six months into your trip, and discover you\u2019ve been running a costly overdraft for services you haven\u2019t been using.<\/p>

5. Sort out your mobile phone for your new life in Canada<\/strong><\/h2>

\"Tips<\/p>

20 days before leaving<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

If you\u2019re on contract with your mobile phone operator, you may need to give them 30 days of notice that you intend to cancel.<\/p>

Consider\u00a0allowing ten days or so to get yourself set up in Canada with a bank account and a mobile phone, as you may need to have a bank account sorted to set up a direct debit to get\u00a0the phone.<\/p>

Look into what roaming offers your home provider can give you for your new life in Canada. For example, Vodafone in Ireland have a plan whereby \u20ac2.99 a day gets you access to\u00a0unlimited\u00a0minutes and texts, and 200MB of data.<\/p>

So call them 20 days or so before you leave, and tell them you\u2019d like to switch to pay as you go.\u00a0This means you can keep your number at home, bearing in mind that you may need a nominal top-up every six months just to keep the number active.<\/p>

Also \u2013 if your phone needs to be unblocked by your network, bear in mind that this can take around ten days. To save yourself the hassle of potential follow-up calls from abroad, arrange this while you\u2019re calling them 20 days before you leave.<\/p>

If you\u2019ve an old phone lying around, bring this with you so you can put your home\u00a0SIM into it and check for messages periodically without having to take SIMs in and out of your main phone. Alternatively, you\u2019ll get cheap dual SIM ones on Amazon.ca for around CA$20.<\/p>

6. Redirect your post\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>

\"Tips<\/p>

Seven days before leaving<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Make arrangements so that essential mail isn\u2019t missed. If you\u2019ve overlooked some utilities, if there are issues with your tax, or if your bank needs to contact you, it\u2019s likely they\u2019ll use the postal service\u00a0to\u00a0do so.<\/p>

If friends or family are taking over your rented accommodation, ask them to keep an eye out for any letters that may arrive for you.<\/p>

Alternatively, you may want to consider postal redirection. Your local postal service can arrange this for you, usually for a fee.<\/p>

For any utilities that you\u2019ll be keeping while you\u2019re abroad, for example your home bank account, make sure you update your address to one of a trusted friend or family member.<\/p>

Other advice from Au Canada Visa community<\/strong><\/h2>

We asked the Au Canada Visa community\u00a0 to share their advice. Here are some of the tips they told us.<\/p>

Aboulaye:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cLeave all your paper work in a file with mother! Bills, banks, car insurance, certificates, medical info, insurance, employment history, tax info etc.\u201d<\/p>

Ezra:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cTell the Student Loans Company and Inland Revenue too.\u201d<\/p>

Lucas:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cKeep very good records of your superannuation.\u201d<\/p>

Eilidh:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cDefinitely sort out financial things, such as transferring pensions you have paid into or student loans you are still paying off.\u201d<\/p>

Blanaid:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI left everything last minute and it was the most stressful experience ever! Start a few months before \u2013 not weeks!\u201d<\/p>

Siobhan:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t bring anyone to the airport.\u201d<\/p>

Remember:<\/strong>\u00a0these are guidelines \u2013\u00a0all information, including time-frames, will depend on your individual circumstance. We encourage you to contact relevant third-parties for specific, individual advice.<\/p>