Help: Moving from U.S. to Canada (or vice versa)
 

has anyone here moved from the U.S. to Canada, or from Canada to the U.S.? I'm planning on doing so and have a couple questions.....

GETTING A MORTGAGE.... Can this be done through phone/fax/mail? I'm living in the U.S. and want to buy a house in Canada...could I get approved without being there in-person at the bank in Canada where I'm moving?


SETTING UP A CHECKING ACCOUNT.....can this also be done over the phone so it's there for when I move up? and I can just wire some money into the account up there so its ready and leave some down here to be wired up later

I had a friend that did it. You can't just pick up and do it, You have to apply for a visa first, and then see if you can get a work permit. and then apply for a resident visa. That took about 2 years when she did it.
Another site I found said you must also provide a valid passport, two copies of a detailed list of all personal items brought into the country and two copies of a list of all items on the way, and proof of enough funds to cover expenses for the first six months.

I think she had found a bank that allowed her to have residency in the US or Canada, but it has been a while.
I really don't know about the mortgage side of things.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-how.asp