Is there an "Idiot's guide to moving to the US"?

I still live in Canada and went into a Bank of America to open a bank account while I was visiting in Arizona.

The only glitch was they requested a US address. thankfully my brother lives in the US and I gave that.
(I am sure a box address would work)

they are able to send all information, card and pin number upto Canada with no troubles.

[*]do I need a new drivers license & plates for my car?

Obviously, as you would if you moved to another Province in Canada.

[*]how do I get an SSN?

Apply in person at your local Social Security office when you arrive, bring your passport and valid I-94.

[*]what do I need to get a bank account?

SSN helps but is not absolutely necessary. Photo ID.

[*]what are the best banks?

Most US banks imx are rubbish, the interest rates they pay on standard saving accounts are criminal imo. Think more carefully about different investment instruments because Americans are not big on saving.

[*]what do I have to tell the Canadian government?

Depends on many questions, where are you moving, how long you are going to be there, what you are doing, etc.

You really, really need to talk to a specialist accountant because there are so many issues if you are working temporarily in the US to consider.

If you leave Canada permanently, there is an exit tax on people who have resided there for more than 5 years. Plus there is a 10% non-resident tax on investments, e.g. bank interest on your savings account. If on the other hand you maintain any sort of substantial presence in Canada, you are considered resident for tax purposes. The one case I've heard quoted by accountants is a guy who moved to the middle east, still had a valid Ontario DL and his stuff in storage in Ontario and the CRA considered him resident for tax purposes.

There can be major tax benefits moving your tax residency to the United States. If you don't want to, you can file Form 8840 with the IRS, which basically means you carry on paying income tax in Canada, but you will have to file a T1 and 1040NR every year.

Depending on where you move in the US the tax rules are different, for example if you move to Florida and buy property you will get hit with very high property taxes as temporary residents do not qualify for the homestead exemption.

Some States have income tax rates not much lower than Alberta or BC, so if you move from one of those provinces to California for example for a short period, there's no point to moving your tax residency, especially when you factor in your health insurance payments in the US.

If you're on a TN-1 you need to be really careful about this sort of thing because if you ever get refused entry when you reapply every year, you could find yourself in a really sticky situation tax wise.

I've used this company in the past to help me with this sort of thing: http://www.serbinski.com - he seemed reasonably competent but not cheap. There are various other similar companies around the country.

Thanks for all your tips guys! I did get my SSN finally, after a long wait in the SSA office. Yikes! Now I just need to choose a bank, set up an account, then I can get my cell phone etc.etc.
Oh, wait -- I need my US address first!

I wanted to get an ING Electric Orange account -- good interest no fee chequing option, but apparently I still need another US chequing (pardon me--checking!) account. Can't get that until I have my US address. Hard to rent a place when I have no US credit history. This is becoming a circular little adventure.

Honestly, I want to give you my money.why is that so hard?

**sigh**