Moving to the states

hey everyone!
I had just recieved news from my university that i have been accepted to go to school in the states and they are sending me my f-1 visa. i was just wondering if anyone has ANY advice for me about well anything really. banking and exchange rates, schools, bringing my cat, advice on how NOT to get denied, or anything else they think would be helpful to a young canuck movin to a big city.
thank you all!

Various threads on here if you do a search.

You're Canadian so you don't need a visa, you just need to pay the fee and show up with your receipt and the I-20 the university gives you at the POE.

To transfer money over, DO NOT USE A BANK their exchange rates are useless, use a currency broker unless the amounts are tiny.

Once you enter you need to get a social security number, students can get one because they can be authorized to work, go to the SSA office with your passport and I-20. This will help with banks and so on.

Tell the bank you're a foreign student and get a W-8BEN from them and fill it in.

The university counselor will hopefully tell you about the tax situation, you must file a 1040NR and an 8843 with the IRS every year to report your income, this is so you don't taxed on any money your parents or anyone else sends you from Canada.

If you get a job (read the instructions for I-765, this will give you an idea of what kind of employment you can do, basically part-time jobs on campus until you graduate, then you can get a work permit for a year or perhaps longer depending on the course of study) you must state on the W-4 that you are a "non-resident alien student" so they know not to withhold social security taxes and to withhold non-resident alien taxes. Read IRS publication 519 for more information. Bear in mind that even if you fall under the income limit for filing a 1040NR, you MUST file the 8843 every year.

You can only file five 8843s, after that you become subject to social security withholding if you get a job there. You either file 8840 with your 1040NR every year after that or become a resident tax payer. (Bear in mind none of this exempts you from carrying on filing a Canadian return every year also, unless you become a resident tax payer in the US).

To bring in your cat you need proof it's had a rabies shot, IIRC. Not too sure on pets.

If you've got a car you can take it in for up to a year as a Canadian registered vehicle, after that you have to formally import it, how to do this is explained on the CBP website.

Bear in mind there is NO DUTY on any personal effects (including vehicles) you take in as long as you've possessed them for at least a year (how they determine you've had them less than that is an interesting question). If anyone at CBP says otherwise they are wrong, beware of dodgy "import consultants" and the like who advise you otherwise.