Hi, I'm Anthony.

The Meticulous US Intern's Guide

May 12, 2017

This guide is a relatively complete to-do list for a happy, well-organized internship abroad. It contains 220+ tasks about everything that needs to be done, from the moment you have an offer to when you’re filing your taxes the year after.

The excellent Unofficial Waterloo USA Intern Guide offers a lot of general advice for students making future plans. Targeting a narrower audience, this guide complements it by giving more specific, in-depth information. Additionally, every task is actionable and has clearly defined completion/failure conditions.

I started writing this in June 2016, originally as a section of my to-do list. It quickly grew unwieldy after the first hundred tasks, so now it’s a separate document. The checklist is organized chronologically, so at any point, you can see at a glance what the next step will be.

Have suggestions, questions, or thrown vegetables? I’d be happy to hear it - contact information is available on my website, or simply email me@anthonyz.ca.

If you have Javascript enabled and a modern browser, this document will save its state. When you return to this page, your progress through the checklist will be restored at where you left off.

Does this apply to me?

This guide assumes that all of the following are true:

• You are a student in a co-op program at the University of Waterloo.
• You are a Canadian citizen, without a US citizenship and not a US permanent resident.
  • If you are a US citizen or permanent resident, you can skip all of the visa-related tasks.
• You are currently a resident of Ontario, and are capable of visiting the University of Waterloo main campus in person.
  • Cultural Vistas will send your visa documents to campus when they’re ready. Also, OHIP coverage is required to use the Feds/GSA health insurance plan.
• You have received an offer for a 4-8 month internship with a company headquartered in the US, starting the next term.
• The company you will be interning at uses Cultural Vistas as its J-1 visa sponsor.
  • The process will generally be easier than described for company-specific sponsors, and more involved for other sponsors like Intrax.
• The company you will be interning at is paying the SEVIS fee and the Cultural Vistas program fee on your behalf.
  • Ask your recruiter or company contact if you don’t know whether this is the case.
• You can choose a flight that is departing from Pearson Airport.
  • If this is not the case, some of the flying-related information may not apply.

This guide is intended for informational use only - use the information within at your own risk, and be sure to ask people or consult other sources if anything seems unclear. I take no responsibility if this advice causes harm or rends the fabric of spacetime apart.

Who to ask for help

In general, who you should ask for help depends on what the question is about:

• Internship application process, background check information, travel arrangements, J-1 visa application procedures: ask your recruiter, generally by email or phone.
• Co-op term advice, co-op evaluation questions, co-op job search process information: ask a CECA Student/Career Advisor, generally by phone, email, or in person at the Tatham Center.
• J-1 visa application advice: ask a CECA International Employment Specialist, generally by phone or email.
• Compensation, orientation upon arrival, job supervision, mentoring, student performance evaluations: ask your employer - by email before you arrive in the US, or in person or phone after.
  • Most questions of this nature can be directed to your supervisor, who can help you direct the question to the right place.
  • Most companies will also assign you an HR contact/HR business partner, who can help you with issues like payroll and other employment-related tasks.
• University program planning/status, scholarships, faculty-specific co-op information: ask your university program advisors, generally via email or their listed office hours.
• J-1 visa processing, SEVIS, J-1 issues, J-1 visa documentation, health insurance: ask your Cultural Vistas contact, generally by emailing train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student” with your question.
• Sun Life Feds/GSA uWaterloo student health insurance plan, medical payment details: call 1-866-369-8794, or check out the Studentcare contact page for more options.
• Emergency medical services while in the US:
  • If it’s extremely urgent, call 911 or otherwise obtain emergency medical services. You will likely be asked for insurance information before starting treatment if you are conscious. If you are unconscious, they will probably read the insurance card in your wallet to set things up.
  • If it’s not extremely urgent, call the emergency number listed on your insurance card (kept in your wallet) and provide the information on it if asked. If you don’t call them first, you might not be covered by the insurance.
• Issues with Canadian passport:
  • Call the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate to explain the situation.
  • Call Cultural Vistas on their emergency line at 1-516-210-8591 (1-212-497-3500 during business hours, or see the Cultural Vistas contact page for more options) to explain the situation.
  • Collect all your other forms of identification to help establish your identity in place of a passport.
• Issues with DS-2019 form:
  • Call Cultural Vistas on their emergency line at 1-516-210-8591 (1-212-497-3500 during business hours, or see the Cultural Vistas contact page for more options) to explain the situation.
  • If you lost the DS-2019 form, Cultural Vistas can mail you a new one for a small processing fee.
• Other immediate emergencies:
  • Call 911 and explain the situation.
  • If possible, call your emergency contact to update them on the situation. From step 2, you should have at least phone number memorized, and contact information stored in a piece of paper in your wallet.
  • If you have time, it may also be helpful to call the uWaterloo Campus Police at 1-519-888-4911 (or see the UW police contact page for more options) so the university knows your status.
• Other non-immediate emergencies:
  • If possible, call your emergency contact to update them on the situation.
  • If necessary, call the local non-emergency police line. This generally depends on where you are, and can easily be looked up online.

Credits

This guide owes its existance to:

• The wonderful recruiters, HR staff, and immigration lawyers at Yelp/Amazon/Facebook.
• Conversations with friends, coworkers, and classmates who have completed internships in a variety of countries.
• Advice from CS advisors, CECA staff, and Cultural Vistas.
• The Unofficial Waterloo USA Intern Guide and its many authors.
• The “Pre-departure Training for Outbound Co-op Students (USA)” online course on LEARN.
• Sponsorship instructions from the Cultural Vistas J-1 visa support documents package.
• Various official online sources, including:
  • Canadian - Entering the U.S. as Student (F-1, M-1, or J-1)
  • Are you eligible to work abroad?
  • USA work permit/J-1 visa
  • Found international job in WaterlooWorks
  • Pearson Departure Guide - To the United States
  • Cultural Vistas - Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cultural Vistas - Participant Orientation
  • J-1 Visa Exchange Programs Orientation Checklist
  • Information About the Two-Year Home-Country Physical Presence Requirement
  • Travellers - Residents Returning to Canada
  • I Declare: A guide for residents returning to Canada
  • Frequently asked questions - Co-operative Education
  • U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens
  • Instructions for Form 1040NR-EZ (2016)
  • Form 8843: Statement for Exempt Individuals and Individuals With a Medical Condition
  • Publication 519 (2016), U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens
  • Travelling Outside of Canada - Ontario Health Insurance (OHIP)

Step 1: Setup

Complete all tasks before starting the paperwork.

• Scan or otherwise obtain electronic copies of all of the following documents. There is a scanner at the Davis Center Library that has no fees, and multiple printers that have pretty reasonable fees.
  • Canadian passport (the page containing your photo). Must be valid for at least 30 days after the end of your internship.
  • Canadian driver’s license (both sides, each side on its own page).
  • Ontario health card (both sides, each side on its own page).
  • Name change certificates, if you have had your name changed (both sides, each side on its own page).
  • Student ID card (both sides, each side on its own page).
  • Canadian citizenship (both sides, each side on its own page).
  • Any previous DS-2019 forms and other US visas.
  • The signed offer letter for your internship in the US.
  • Current, updated resume, which should show that you are a student.
  • Unofficial university transcript. This must be generated by going to “Unofficial Transcript” in Quest, then clicking “Print This Page” and saving the PDF.
• Collect the following information about yourself:
  • Current and past full legal name.
  • Current full legal names of both parents.
  • Birth country, birth date, and birth sex (this is written on your Canadian passport).
  • Date of entry into Canada, if not born in Canada.
  • Date of receiving Canadian citizenship (this is written on your Canadian citizenship document).
  • Phone number and email address.
  • Current permanent address, and the date you moved into that address.
  • Up to two previous addresses, and the dates you were at those addresses (only needed if you were at the current address for less than five years).
  • Internship position name, company name, start/end dates, and city in which you will be working (email your recruiter if you don’t know this yet).
  • Exact salary, including stipends (email your recruiter if you don’t know this yet).
  • Information about previous work terms and part-time/full-time jobs, including company name, company contact information, your role, a short description of your role, start/end dates, and city in which you were working (this should be available on Jobmine/WaterlooWorks, if you have access).
  • Current and previous educational institutions (high school and university), including major (if applicable) and dates present at those institutions.
  • Contact information (address, email, phone) for your emergency contact (generally, your spouse, parent, or close friend), preferably one living in Ontario (so they can easily interact with the government if necessary).
  • Financial information: how much money (USD) will you have at the start of the internship (minimum $3000 USD recommended), what scholarships will you be receiving, how much will you be spending in various categories during the internship.
  • Whether you’re covered under the uWaterloo Feds/GSA health plan (to check this, go to Health Services room 1006 or call 1-866-369-8794 during business hours (see the Studentcare contact page for more options), and ask whether you’re covered; make sure to bring your student ID and photo ID). It is possible to be partially covered by the plan if your internship spans the start of the month between terms (for example, if the internship is from August to December, and you’re not covered by the plan for Spring term, but covered for fall term - the internship spans Spring and Fall terms).
• Leave important information with your emergency contact. I recommend sending these in an encrypted volume on a physical USB.
  • Electronic copy of your Canadian passport, Ontario health card, name change certificates, student ID card, and Canadian citizenship document.
  • Phone number/email address (phone number that works in the US, that is).
  • Your current and previous Canadian permanent addresses.
  • Your address in the US.
  • Your health insurance information - plan numbers, coverage information, etc.
  • Your medical information (medical conditions, prescriptions, drug sensitivities, allergies, etc.)
  • Any other information that might be useful in an emergency.

Whenever you scan something or receive an electronic document, save it in a safe place that is also accessible offline.

As a Canadian interning in the US, you will need a J-1 visa, so you will be under the “Intern” category of the US State Department cultural exchange program, working with a visa sponsor and the host company to obtain training authorization. Here are some important but non-obvious details about J-1 visas for training:

• There are no limits to the number of J-1 visas you can get, as long as you are eligible.
• You usually can’t change host companies without getting a new J-1 visa. For example, if you have two internships back-to-back, you’d generally have to leave the US at the end of the first internship, and re-enter before the second internship to get the other J-1 visa.
• That said, it is possible to get admitted for a single J-1 with two training plans (for two different companies) if both companies use the same visa sponsor and are willing to make it happen. If you have back-to-back internships, this would avoid the need to leave and re-enter the US between them. To start the process, email your recruiters from both companies and ask about combining your two J-1 visas into one.
• The maximum contiguous duration of a J-1 visa is 12 months. It’s possible to extend shorter J-1 visas up to this limit, with at least two weeks notice to Cultural Vistas and support from your host company - email your recruiter to start this process.
• You can enter the US up to 30 days before your internship starts, and leave up to 30 days after your internship ends, but no international travel is allowed during this grace period (this includes Canada). If you leave during the ending grace period, you might not be re-admitted into the US under that same J-1 visa. If you need to enter the US again after the end of your internship, you should get re-admitted under the B visa (for tourists and business).

This list isn’t exhaustive, but covers the most important features of the J-1 visa. If you have questions that this doesn’t cover, email Cultural Vistas or a CECA International Employment Specialist.

Note that you must keep your DS-2019 forms safe indefinitely. It will be needed every time you apply for any US visa in the future, and Cultural Vistas may not be able to replace it after a certain number of years. If you do lose it, however, contact Cultural Vistas immediately and explain the situation.

Step 2: Mountains of Paperwork

This section starts when you receive your job offer letter. I recommend going through all the threads in parallel, since each piece of paperwork will block for at least a few days each. All steps requiring you to physically go anywhere are labelled ERRAND. Complete all tasks before preparing for your flight.

Thread 1: Internship Offer, Health Insurance, Applying for Eligibility for a J-1 Visa, and Flight Tickets

• Fill out your offer letter:
  • If it asks you for a Social Security Number field, and you do not have a US Social Security Number yet, put down “N/A (Canadian Citizen)”.
  • If it asks you for your visa classification, put down “J-1”, even if you don’t have the J-1 visa just yet - it’s asking for what you will have when starting the internship.
  • Make sure the offer is 16 weeks in order to get co-op credit. There are special cases, but 16 weeks is the easiest way to satisfy the work term length requirement. Read more about it at the CECA website.
  • Depending on the company, there may be other steps that you have to take, like filling out questionnaires and other forms. Follow the instructions and email your recruiter if you’re not sure about any details.
• Wait up to a week for someone working with the company to email you a link to the Cultural Vistas initial questionnaire, and for CECA to send you the UW Statement of Insurance Coverage form and the Program Budget Worksheet on WaterlooWorks. If you did not receive the former, email your recruiter. If you did not receive the latter, email CECA or visit the CECA information desk at the Tatham Center.
  • In some cases, you may be asked to provide proof of university enrolment. Simply visit the Registrar’s office and ask for one at the desk, and for 10 dollars, they will write you a letter on official uWaterloo letterhead. This process takes about 10 minutes. You can also get this via the Proof of Enrolment Request form, but that can take several days.
• Fill in the Cultural Vistas initial questionnaire.
  • Note that the host is the company you are interning at, and Cultural Vistas is your sponsor.
  • Your current address is the one where you live at the moment. Your permanent address is an address that you can receive mail at over at least the next few months. Rent a PO box from Canada Post if you do not have a permanent address. Note that certain types of mail can’t be delivered to PO boxes, specifically certain types of government or bank correspondence.
  • The “Field of Study” and “Internship/Practical Training Field” entries are relatively important. Make sure to email your recruiter to clarify which one you should select for each of these if you’re not sure. For example, if you’re in the Computer Science program at uWaterloo and are doing a software engineering internship, you would select “Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services” for both.
  • For the company contact information (name, email, and phone number), if your recruiter didn’t already give you a designated contact for visa inquiries, ask them about who you should put down as the company contact, since many companies will have a dedicated person to handle this sort of thing. Otherwise, put down your designated contact’s information.
  • Always use your uWaterloo email or GMail, since email delivery might not work that well for other providers. In particular, Outlook users might not receive important update emails.
  • The numbers in the FINANCE section are intended to be estimates - you do not need to know exactly what your financial situation, but you do need to make a decent estimate.
  • For “Total Stipend or Scholarship received from Government Sources”, university scholarships don’t count. If you have a non-zero value here, you might be subject to home country physical presence requirements, which means that you must stay in Canada for 2 cumulative years before you can get an H visa, L visa, K visa, or any immigrant visa (green card/permanent resident), though you are free to apply for other kinds of visas during this time, like J-1 visas. This requirement is also triggered automatically if you are working in certain fields. More information is available at the US Department of State website, including the process of waiving this requirement in some cases.
• ERRAND Print out the UW Statement of Insurance Coverage form that you received on WaterlooWorks. Fill it in, sign it, and scan it again (do not use electronic signing).
  • You can check your coverage under the Feds/GSA Sun Life Assurance plan on the uWaterloo student plan site. I used the live chat feature and got an answer within a few minutes.
  • If you’re covered by the Feds/GSA Sun Life Assurance plan for the entirety of the internship and the internship is 4 months long or less, check “Sun Life Assurance” to use the university health insurance plan.
  • If you’re not covered by the Feds/GSA plan at all, check “Envisage Global Insurance” for the Cultural Vistas standard health insurance plan.
  • If you’re covered by the Feds/GSA plan for part of the internship, check “Sun Life Assurance + Envisage Global Insurance” and write a note on the form specifying which months you’re covered by the Feds/GSA plan, and which months you want to buy Envisage Global insurance for. You may get an email from Cultural Vistas a few days after submitting the application, asking you to clarify your note - tell them you want the Cultural Vistas standard plan for only those months you’re not covered by the university plan. Note that the Cultural Vistas standard plan can only be bought with a 1-month granularity - you can’t buy insurance for just a few days or weeks.
  • You may read notices about the PPACA and the Individual Shared Responsibility Provision. In short, you’re generally not affected by this as a non-US-resident unless you will cumulatively have resided in the US for 2 or more years. If you are affected, you simply must either purchase ACA-compliant insurance (note that Feds/GSA insurance and Envisage Global insurance are not ACA-compliant), or pay a penalty fee on your next US tax return.
• Fill out the Budget Worksheet spreadsheet in Microsoft Office Excel or LibreOffice Calc. There are three sheets in the workbook, and the last two contain the actual fields that need to be filled in.
  • Estimates are fine for budget fields where you don’t have an exact value yet.
  • Put 0 down for the SEVIS fee and Cultural Vistas program fee, since the host company is paying it. If you bought health insurance from Cultural Vistas, put down the total cost of Cultural Vistas standard health insurance plan (currently $70/month - multiply by the number of calendar months you need the insurance, including partial months). Otherwise, put down 0.
  • Don’t leave any fields blank, since that causes the spreadsheet formulas to fail.
• Wait up to 3 business days for Cultural Vistas to email you credentials to log in to the actual Cultural Vistas sponsorship application. If you did not receive this, email your recruiter.
• Log in to your Cultural Vistas sponsorship application and fill in the application form.
  • For “SCHOOLS ATTENDED”, this includes universities and high schools. The school type for high schools should be “Other”, and the Major/Concentration should be “Secondary School”.
  • For “EMPLOYMENT HISTORY”, this includes uWaterloo co-op terms and part-time/full-time jobs in any country, even though internships are considered training.
  • For “PREVIOUS UNITED STATES VISA(S)”, only include non-tourist visas (visas that are not the B-2 visa) like previous J-1 visas and so on. If you have had other kinds of visas, or too many J-1 visas to list, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student”, and ask what to do about those.
  • The “FINANCE” section is once again just a best-effort estimate. It should be as accurate as possible, but doesn’t have to be exact.
  • Essays should be several sentences, no bullet points, and about 100-150 words. One paragraph for each is fine. Don’t reuse essays from previous applications.
  • For “Previous Non-Tourist U.S. Visas”, if you have previous J-1 visas, remember to submit the DS-7002 form, SEVIS fee receipt, and DS-2019 for each of them.
• Submit the application. Ensure that you receive an email confirmation from Cultural Vistas. If not, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student” and ask about the issue.
• Wait up to six weeks for Cultural Vistas to email you, saying that your application is processing. If you did not receive this, email your recruiter and ask about the status of your Training/Internship Placement Plan (DS-7002).
  • This email will have the Cultural Vistas Participant Agreement and partially-filled-out Training/Internship Placement Plan (DS-7002) attached.
  • You and your soon-to-be supervisor will be signing and returning the DS-7002 form in the next few steps, and Cultural Vistas will take the individually-signed documents and combine them into a fully signed DS-7002.
• ERRAND Print out the Cultural Vistas Participant Agreement and the DS-7002 Training/Internship Placement Plan, review and check all the boxes in the Cultural Vistas Participant agreement, fill in and sign the Cultural Vistas Participant Agreement and the DS-7002 Training/Internship Placement Plan, then scan it back in (do not sign it electronically).
• Email the scanned Participant Agreement and scanned Training/Internship Placement Plan back to the Cultural Vistas email address that emailed them to you originally.
• Wait up to two weeks days for Cultural Vistas to email you electronic copies of your DS-7002 Training/Internship Placement Plan, SEVIS fee receipt, and Social Security Sponsor Support Letter. If you did not receive this, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student”, and ask whether anything is missing.
  • At the same time you receive this email, Cultural Vistas is also mailing out the original physical copies of your documents. It should take a few days to arrive, and the email should say what the destination is.
• If you bought health insurance from Cultural Vistas, wait up to 5 days for Cultural Vistas to email you details about your health insurance: an electronic copy of the health insurance plan brochure, an electronic copy of your insurance ID card, and a Health Insurance Support Letter (this letter may arrive in another, later email). If you did not receive this, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student”, and ask about your insurance details.
  • It is a good idea to register online at the link provided in the emails to check out the details of your health insurance plan and make sure everything looks correct.
• Wait up to a week for Cultural Vistas to physically mail your Cultural Vistas participant letter, original physical DS-2019 form, original physical Training/Internship Placement Plan, and original physical SEVIS fee receipt. If you did not receive these, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student”, and ask about the status of your documents.
  • If this is done before the end of the final exams period, the original physical copies will get sent to the university, and CECA will email you when the documents are ready to pick up from the CECA information desk in the Tatham Center.
  • If too late to be sent to the university, Cultural Vistas will email you to ask where to physically mail the documents.
  • Always use the original physical copies of these forms at the Port of Entry - copies and printouts are not acceptable.
• ERRAND Pick up your Cultural Vistas participant letter, original physical DS-2019 form, original physical DS-7002 Training/Internship Placement Plan, and original physical SEVIS fee receipt, then scan the DS-2019 form (since Cultural Vistas doesn’t send you an electronic copy).
• Sign your DS-2019 with a blue pen. It must be blue in order to show that it is an original document rather than a photocopy, which would be black and white.
• ERRAND If you will be using the Cultural Vistas standard health insurance plan while in the US, print out the electronic copy of the Health Insurance Support Letter and insurance ID Card, and cut out the insurance ID card on the indicated lines. Always keep this card in your wallet, on your person.
  • Read over the electronic copy of the health insurance plan brochure to see what you’re covered for.
  • Register online with the insurance provider, and log in to make sure you’ll be able to file claims in the future if necessary.
• ERRAND If you will be using the uWaterloo Feds/GSA health insurance plan while in the US, print out the Sun Life Insurance Medi-Passport, cut out the Sun Life Insurance Travel Card on the indicated lines, and fill in your full name under “Member’s name” and your uWaterloo student ID under “Member ID no.”. Always keep this card in your wallet, on your person.
  • See the CECA page about health coverage on international work terms for more information.
  • This plan requires you to be in good standing with OHIP. It should cover all of the important emergency medical expenses while in the US.
• Buy round trip flight tickets at least 3 weeks before you need to fly out, if the company is not arranging travel on your behalf.
  • Make sure to keep your receipt if the company will be reimbursing you for your flight.
  • I highly recommend a direct/nonstop flight - they’re only a little more expensive than multi-leg flights, and can potentially save a lot of headaches.
  • It’s also a good idea to buy access to the flight lounge for those sweet, sweet complimentary snacks.
  • Google Flights is a nice way to compare various options.
  • Remember that your J-1 visa allows you a grace period to enter the US up to 30 days before your internship starts, and leave up to 30 days after your internship ends.
  • If you have time and don’t mind keeping a lot of personal information on file with the US government indefinitely, consider enrolling in the NEXUS program. This will allow you to travel between Canada and the US with significantly less security hassle at the airport.
• Arrange travel from your current residence to Pearson International airport, and from your destination airport to your US residence.
  • Most airports have inexpensive shuttle services that have a decent amount of space for luggage too. Pearson International airport has some additional suggestions for how to get to the airport.
  • Uber/Lyft/Flywheel rides are another option, but you should have a backup plan in case you arrive without any internet connectivity.
• ERRAND Print out or otherwise obtain physical copies of the following documents:
  • Flight itinerary.
  • Internship offer letter.
  • Tickets or receipts for the airport shuttle, if you are taking one.
  • Updated resume (to show the border officers that the internship is relevant to your field and how it fits into your academic plan).
  • Social Security Support Letter, if you don’t already have a US SSN.

Thread 2: Background Check

Many US-based companies will ask you to undergo a background check. Often, this will be done through a third-party company that specializes in this.

Some things to consider:

• “Notarization” expires after several weeks - don’t reuse notarized copies of your ID from previous internships, as they won’t be valid anymore.
• Don’t sign the CPIC form or fill in the ID section until you’re in front of the notary - one of their jobs is to witness your signature and ID, and they can’t do that if you do these in beforehand. Do fill out the rest of the form, however.
• If your background check form requires you to fill in employment, you can leave salary fields blank.
• If asked for a US social security number on forms, and you don’t have one, you can usually just enter 555-55-5555 - email your recruiter if you’re not sure about this one.

Skip this section if you do not have to undergo a background check.

• Wait up to a week for the background check company to email you with login credentials for the background check form. If you did not receive this, email your recruiter.
• Log in and fill out the online background check application form.
• If asked for a signed/notarized CPIC Criminal Record Check Consent form:
  • Download the form, then save the application progress and exit.
  • ERRAND Print out a copy of the scanned Canadian driver’s license and Canadian passport, both sides, making sure that each side is on its own sheet of paper.
  • Check the CECA website and check the “NOTARY ON CAMPUS” section to see how to get your CPIC form notarized. You may need to schedule an appointment via email.
  • ERRAND Go to the notary and get the printed out driver’s license, printed out passport, and the filled-out CPIC general consent form notarized. Bring your original Canadian driver’s license, original Canadian passport, printed out Canadian driver’s license, printed out passport, and the filled out CPIC general consent form. Ask the notary if you have any other questions.
  • ERRAND Scan the notarized printed out Canadian driver’s license, notarized printed out passport, and notarized filled-out CPIC general consent form.
  • Upload any of these documents requested by the background check application.
• Fill out any other necessary fields, then submit the background check application.
• If asked for a signed International Background Verification Consent form:
  • ERRAND Print out the form, fill it in, and scan it.
  • Upload the resulting scan to your background check application.
• After a few weeks, check back on your application make sure that the background check report is completed. If not, email your contact for the background check company if you have one, otherwise email your recruiter.
• Get a copy of your background check verification for your own records.
  • For example, if your background check was conducted by HireRight, you can call the number listed on this page and ask for a paper copy to get sent to your address (HireRight’s online form for this will only work if you live in the US).
  • For example, if your background check was conducted by Accurate Background, this page has information about how to get a free copy of your background check.

Thread 3: Housing

This depends very heavily on the location and what your personal preferences are. Since each housing agreement is different, this section is mostly advice rather than step-by-step instructions.

• It is almost always recommended to take corporate housing if possible - you will save a ton of time, stress, and paperwork, plus the housing units themselves are generally really nice. Often, the entire process involves just completing some forms online, and then meeting your assigned representative at the location when your internship starts.
• If there’s no corporate housing available, find roommates that you know and trust (and if this is your first time, preferably roommates with experience renting as a Canadian intern). Find landlords that you know and trust, if at all possible. It’s generally better overall to take a worse place or pay a bit more with people you trust than taking a better place with total strangers.
• Check out crime heatmaps for each housing option on sites like Trulia (e.g., for San Francisco, CA).
• It’s a lot easier to find a place once you’re settled in the area - it might be worth getting a hotel/AirBnB for a few weeks while you find or close a lease/sublet locally, since you can take tours and talk to landlords yourself.
• If you don’t know the potential landlord, it’s highly recommended to schedule a video call with them to see what the place is like before committing to a lease/sublet. Don’t be afraid to request references from previous tenants, and ask if you have any questions about the agreement terms.
• Don’t pay for anything or sign any forms until you or someone you trust has checked out the place and talked to the landlord in person.
• If you’re looking for the place on your own, make sure to obtain proof that the landlord actually does own the place. Be careful to avoid scams - trust, but verify.
• You will likely need to pay a deposit and first month’s rent, and also possibly the last month’s rent. The deposit is generally equivalent to one month’s rent. Generally, you will pay this by wire transfer or certified cheque. Expect to pay for utilities. It is often good to mention your income in housing applications, as it influences landlord decisions (higher income generally means the landlord is taking on less risk).
• Always obtain and keep deposit/rent payment receipts, signed agreement forms, and so on for your own records. Do not pay your deposit/rent in cash, as it is difficult to obtain legal records of payment this way.
• Take pictures of the place upon moving in, print them, timestamp them, and sign them. This shows the state of the place when you just moved in, which you can compare to the state of the room when you’re moving out to ensure that they’re the same.
• The Unofficial Waterloo USA Intern Guide has a lot of information about where to find housing opportunities as well.
• Good places for housing leads, in order of my personal preference:
  • Housing options from friends or your employer.
  • PadPiper.
  • SF Housing Services (haven’t tried personally, but reliable sources say it’s cheap and legitimate).
  • Area-specific Facebook groups (e.g., Stanford Housing Opportunities).
  • Long-term rentals on AirBnB (there’s often a long-term rental discount too).
  • The “apts/housing” section of CraigsList. CraigsList also has a variety of useful addons such as Cluck and CraigsHunter.
  • CECA housing info.

You should always do the following, however:

• Find a place to live, and finalize any housing agreements that need to be made.
• Figure out your move-in details, especially roughly what time you will arrive and how you will obtain your keys.
• If you’re arriving in the US before your scheduled move-in date, arrange a hotel/AirBnB so you have somewhere to stay in the interim.
  • Make sure the address of the hotel/AirBnB is available to you - you might be asked for it at US Customs and Border Protection, and need it to fill out arrival notification forms.

Thread 4: Random loose ends

• ERRAND If you will be out of the country for over 212 days (around 7 months) in any single 12-month period, find a ServiceOntario center that supports registration of absences from Ontario and go there to extend your OHIP coverage.
  • Bring your Canadian Passport, Ontario Health Card, and internship offer letter (to prove that you’re leaving Ontario for study/work purposes).
  • This is necessary because the Feds/GSA insurance coverage (and many other plans) are only valid while you’re covered under OHIP - if your OHIP coverage stops, so does your Feds/GSA coverage.
• ERRAND Visit your bank and call your credit card providers to tell them you’ll be travelling, so using your credit and debit cards in the US won’t trigger identity theft detection.
• ERRAND If you don’t already have one, get a USD bank account and a USD Visa card from your Canadian bank, so you’ll have money available to use in the US as soon as you arrive, in addition to the cash you’ll be bringing.
  • CIBC has a US Dollar Visa credit card. It took about 10 minutes at a local CIBC branch to apply and be approved, and the card arrived in the mail within a few days. Having the option available is great for peace of mind.
  • TD offers actual cross-border banking with a US-based bank account. Most USD bank account offerings are actually based in Canada, which makes it harder to do things like moving USD between countries. You can open one at any TD branch, and have all the fees waived for a while if you prove that you’re a student.
• ERRAND Schedule a general medical check-up at your local clinic or with your family doctor, if you have one. Go to the check-up.
• Obtain a phone plan that will work in the US:
  • If you’re on Freedom/WIND Mobile and use cellular data regularly, consider adding the “Unlimited US Roaming” addon, which can be done online. Make sure to enable “US Roaming” on your plan.
  • If you’re on Freedom/WIND and use calling or texting regularly, consider adding the “Unlimited US-wide Calling and Text Messaging” addon, which can be done online. Make sure to enable “US Roaming” on your plan.
  • Install Maps.me and download offline maps of your destination and the area around the airport, in case you don’t have a signal upon arrival.
• ERRAND Make sure you are able to keep financial commitments while in the US, like checking to make sure you can pay bills online while out of Canada.
  • If you have legal obligations that require physical presence in Canada, you may want to appoint someone as your power of attorney, which allows them to act on your behalf in financial matters (among other things). Ask a lawyer for more information about doing things.
• If you have ongoing medical treatments (such as prescriptions, physiotherapy, and so on), contact your healthcare professionals to figure out how your treatments will continue when you are in the US.
• Check the Government of Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories.
  • The government also publishes surprisingly interesting general information about the US.
• ERRAND Print out a map of the destination including the airport, the company’s office, and the house you’ll be living in.
• Keep a small piece of paper in your wallet containing contact information for: the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate, phone numbers for Cultural Vistas, one roommate (or friend living close by), your emergency contact, and yourself (in case you lose your wallet).
  • Also memorize one of the phone numbers, just in case you do not have access to this information.
• If you’re looking to connect with other co-ops, join one of the Co-op Connection Facebook groups for meetups and other social events.
• If you possibly have checked luggage, buy a TSA-approved lock. These have a special red symbol on the side, and run about $10 CAD.

Thread 5: School and scholarships

• If you had a 95%+ average in high school and a 80%+ average in first year, and you are currently in your 3rd year or above, you are immediately eligible for up to two President’s International Experience Awards, each valued at $1500 CAD. Limit one per co-op term outside of Canada:
  • ERRAND Print out the International Experience Award application form.
  • Fill out the student information section of the form.
  • ERRAND Go to the CECA info desk at the Tatham Center and drop off the form for approval on a weekday between 8:00AM and 4:30PM. They will email you when the form is done being approved.
  • ERRAND When notified via email, go to the CECA info desk and pick up the approved form on a weekday between 8:00AM and 4:30PM.
  • Look up your faculty’s dean’s office and contact info on the International Experience Award application form. For example, the Mathematics dean is Carolyn Sedore.
  • Email the faculty dean to schedule an appointment to drop off the form. Good times are generally late morning or early afternoon.
  • ERRAND Go to the appointment (likely at the faculty dean’s office) and drop off the form.
  • In about a month, you will receive an email saying the scholarship has been granted. The university will send out a cheque via Canada Post to the address you listed on Quest.
  • ERRAND After receiving the cheque (this takes up to a week), go to your bank and deposit it.
• Update personal contact information and emergency contact information on Quest.
• Complete pre-departure training on LEARN:
  • Review all of the content modules.
  • Complete the Pre-departure Training Assessment.
  • Complete the Acknowledgement of Liability Form.
• Complete the CECA risk assessment form.
• During the course add/drop period, make sure to add a PD course on Quest if you haven’t finished your PD degree requirement. Also make sure you’re enrolled in a WKRPT course if you haven’t finished your WKRPT degree requirement.
  • Mathematics students will need a total of 5 PD courses and 4 work term reports. You will be automatically enrolled in the proper WKRPT course near the beginning of the co-op term, so don’t worry about enrolling manually on Quest.

Step 3: Preparing to leave Canada

Complete all tasks before your flight.

• Register your trip with the Canadian Government to ensure you can get messages in an emergency. Optional, but recommended.
• Sign up for International SOS to get access to expanded medical and security services.
  • On itineraries and other flight documentation, the “Confirmation Number” is often alternatively labelled as a “Booking Reference Number”, “Record Reference Number”, “Booking Locator”, “Record Locator”, “PNR Code”, or just “Reference Number”. It’s usually a six-character alphanumeric code.
  • For the “Flight Number” field, airlines often put an alphabetic prefix in front of a number, like “AC750” (“AC” means “Air Canada” here). In the form, just put the number part.
  • Follow the instructions to set up member services on the university website (this page also has your membership number).
  • Consider writing the International SOS hotline number and your membership number on a piece of paper to keep in your wallet.
• Pack bags with everything needed for the trip, making sure they comply with airline weight/size restrictions.
  • Check the allowed items list to make sure there are no restricted items.
  • Check the airline’s size/weight restrictions for luggage.
  • Fully turn off all electronic devices that use disk encryption.
  • Use a travel-approved lock for checked luggage to avoid getting your locks cut off.
  • Keep a few hundred USD in cash on your person or in carry-on for initial expenses.
  • Bring a portable power bank in your carry-on as a backup battery for your phone.
  • Melatonin, expanding foam earplugs, a small towel, and flip-flops/slippers are highly recommended for carry-on luggage.
  • Plan for your checked luggage being lost; bring enough extra clothes, hygiene items, and other essentials in your carry-on to last until you can recover your luggage or buy everything again.
  • Don’t put any valuables in checked luggage if you can avoid it - they will undergo more rough handling and have a higher risk of being lost.
  • Consider getting someone to send you valuables that are not allowed in carry-on luggage via a insured/trackable courier/postal service like FedEx. Most airlines disclaim liability for lost luggage and have poor facilities for dealing with lost luggage, so it might actually be better to mail certain items.
• ERRAND Within the two weeks before your flight, go to the bank and ask for a receipt showing that you have at least $3000 USD available in your accounts ($7000 if it’s an 8-month internship). Alternatively, obtain a bank statement that is within 2 weeks of your flight and shows the same thing. This document is your proof of financial stability.
• Write up an inventory for everything in your checked luggage, if applicable. This should also include your name and permanent address.
• ERRAND If you have checked luggage, print out the luggage inventory, sign it, and then place it in the luggage.
  • This protects against you forgetting about the existance of your luggage, and makes sure you can detect if anything gets lost in transit.
  • The physical copy is so that the baggage handlers can easily tell what’s in each bag, which is important if you travel with stuff like expensive soldering irons, test equipment, and homemade electronics. If your things aren’t labelled properly, they may be more likely to consider the items suspicious and reject them.
• Put baggage tags on the luggage that include your name and future US address, and secure the baggage with a TSA-approved lock.
  • For safety reasons, if you live alone, use an address that still has other people living there, like the company’s office or a relative’s house.

Step 4: Flying to the US

• Check-in online within 24 hours of the flight if possible.
  • You won’t be able to do this if you’ve been selected for secondary or enhanced screening. If check-in fails after trying it multiple times, it’s probably for this reason. In that case, check in when you get to the airline check-in counter.
  • If you only have carry-on luggage, this allows you to skip the check-in counter entirely and proceed directly to security screening.
  • If asked about the purpose of your travel by some airlines (such as Air Canada), select “Work”. This is the correct option even though you’re technically training rather than working - only the US Department of Homeland Security distinguishes between training and working.
• Make sure to have the following documents and information on hand as paper copies (in carry-on, not checked luggage) and electronically on your fully charged phone. You very likely won’t need most of these, but there is a possibility that you might:
  • Valid (non-expired, undamaged, etc.) Canadian passport. Make sure the passport is valid for the entire duration of your stay in the US, and that the expiry date is preferably at least 6 months after your stay ends (this is especially important if you plan on travelling to other countries during your internship). If necessary, renew your passport - this takes a few weeks or less and can be done even if it hasn’t expired yet.
  • Old, expired Canadian passport, if the current one is less than one year old and you still have the old one.
  • Various other pieces of ID, like an Ontario health card and Canadian driver’s license.
  • Name change certificates, if you’ve changed your name before.
  • Original Cultural Vistas participant letter.
  • Original Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitors (J1) Status (DS-2019) form.
  • Previous original Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitors (J1) Status (DS-2019) forms for past internships, if you have any.
  • Original signed Training/Internship Placement Plan (DS-7002).
  • Original SEVIS fee receipt (I-901).
  • Printed out, updated resume.
  • Printed out airline boarding pass, if you were able to check-in online.
  • Printed out flight itinerary.
  • Proof of financial stability.
  • Printed out offer letter for your internship.
  • Health insurance cards (for the Feds/GSA plan, you should have a Sun Life Insurance Travel Card; if you bought health insurance from Cultural Vistas, you should have two Envisage Global Insurance cards).
  • Health Insurance Support Letter, if you bought health insurance from Cultural Vistas.
  • Social Security Support Letter, if you don’t already have a US SSN.
  • Social Security Number card, if you already have a US SSN.
  • Address where you will be staying (even if it’s just a hotel), preferably something like a lease agreement or AirBnB itinerary.
  • Address and contact information for Cultural Vistas, which can be taken from their contact page.
• Get to Pearson International airport at least 6 hours before the plane leaves.
  • Make sure you have enough time to go through check-in, security, and to the US Customs and Border Patrol hall between 3:30 AM and 9:00 PM EST. If you don’t get there in time, you can generally reschedule your flight at the ticketing counter for a few hundred dollars.
  • Some people are almost always selected for secondary or enhanced screening - it’s not a huge deal, but it’s pretty annoying. This generally delays you between half an hour and three hours, so I usually get to the airport around 8 hours before the flight leaves rather than 6.
  • Usually you go to Terminal 1 for Star Alliance airlines (like Air Canada), or Terminal 3 for SkyTeam/Oneworld airlines and airlines that are unaffliated with any airline alliances.
  • Make sure you’re at the international departures section of the terminal.
  • Make sure to get itemized receipts for everything if you’re going to expense them later.
• If you did not check in online earlier, go to the check-in kiosks and do so.
  • If you couldn’t check in at the kiosks, try the check-in assistance counter instead. This probably means you’ve been selected for secondary screening. If your boarding pass has the letters “SSSS” on it, you’ve definitely been selected for secondary or enhanced screening.
  • If there’s no line-up, this can be done in under two minutes. Expect a line-up of at least an hour during regular hours, however.
• If you have checked luggage, go to the bag drop-off counter and drop off your checked luggage. This is generally located close to the check-in counter, or is combined with the check-in counter.
  • Most airlines will also charge a checked luggage fee at this point, generally around $30 CAD or less per bag.
  • There is likely to be another line-up here. Be prepared to wait up to an hour or two.
• If you will be bringing valuables with you to the US, and you can’t prove those items were obtained in Canada (e.g., using receipts), you may be charged duty/taxes on them upon returning to Canada. To obtain proof you possessed those items while still in Canada, go to the CBSA office at the airport and ask them to document your goods for temporary exportation from Canada.
  • This isn’t really necessary for “normal” amounts of belongings - they will generally not care if you’ve got a laptop or two. For example, you may want to consider doing this if you’re going to be bringing a set of DLSR lenses back into Canada.
  • Basically, this means a CBSA officer will examine your goods and fill out an “Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation” card. The card records uniquely identifying numbers for your goods (e.g., serial numbers). If your goods don’t have any uniquely identifying numbers, they can apply labels to uniquely identify them. See the CBSA page about temporary exportation for more details.
  • Bring the “Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation” card to the US and back. Present this document when re-entering Canada to prove that you didn’t obtain those items during your trip, and therefore shouldn’t be charged duty/taxes on them.
• Go to the security screening area and go through screening.
  • If you’re selected for secondary or enhanced screening, you may get an enhanced pat-down, manual bag searches, sniffer tests, and various other fun things.
  • As of this writing, you always have the option of opting out of the backscatter scan in favor of an enhanced pat-down.
  • If you aren’t selected for secondary screening and there’s no line, this can be done in under 5 minutes. Expect a line-up of at least an hour during regular hours, however.
  • You should receive a US Customs declaration card, which needs to be filled out and handed in at a later checkpoint.
• Go to the US Customs and Border Protection hall between 3:30AM EST and 9:00PM EST to process the J-1 visa at one of the in-person booths.
  • You might be asked questions about your immigration status, employer, trip details, and job information.
  • Do not say that you are going to the US to work. Instead, you are going to the US to train. Recommended wording when asked what the purpose of your travel is: “I am an intern going to the United States to train on a J-1 visa sponsored by Cultural Vistas”. It’s important to make sure they know you’re applying for a J-1 visa rather than a tourist one.
  • Do not go to the automated passport kiosks, or else you will end up with a B visa rather than a J-1, and not be able to do training in the US.
  • As a Canadian citizen, you definitely do not need to have a stamp in your passport from a US consulate - this is only for non-Canadian J-1 visa applicants. If they say that you need that stamp, make sure they know that you are a Canadian citizen.
  • This can take as little as two minutes if there’s no line. Expect a line-up of about an hour during regular hours, however.
  • This is a US Port of Entry - at this hall you actually get the J-1 visa and legally enter the US.
  • The Admission/Departure form (I-94) is now done electronically when travelling by air, contrary to what older sources may say.
  • The DS-2019 form becomes your US visa, and you do not get any markings in your Canadian passport - make sure to keep the DS-2019 form safe. Also, since it acts as your visa, make sure to bring it with you if you leave the US while it’s active.
  • Occasionally, there is a $6 USD fee for crossing, but most airlines include this in the cost of the ticket.
  • If there are any issues with your documents after entering the US, go to the nearest US Customs and Border Protection Deferred Inspection office.
  • If you get denied for a J-1 visa, contact Cultural Vistas immediately on their emergency line, and they will either appeal the denial or withdraw sponsorship.
• Look up the correct boarding gate for your flight, and confirm that the destination/boarding time/departure time/etc. are correct.
  • This information will generally become available a few hours before the flight departs. Delay and cancellation notices will also start to be published around this time.
• Wait around inside the secure area until it is nearly boarding time, then go back the boarding gate and get onto the plane after it’s readied.
  • This is a good time to buy a water bottle (or bring an empty clear plastic one with you through security screening) to store drinking water in for the flight and after landing.
  • Top up the battery on any rechargeable electronics. There are outlets near boarding gates and in some restaurants. Some flights have 120V/220V outlets, but sometimes these are actually DC outlets, which won’t work with transformer-based power adapters.
  • If there’s time, verify that your I-94 entry says “J1” on it. You can get this form from the US Customs and Border Protection I-94 request website, immediately after passing through th US Customs and Border Protection hall. If it’s incorrect, go to the nearest US Customs and Border Protection Deferred Inspection office and ask the people there to look at it.
• Call your emergency contact to let them know that you’re leaving.
• Take the flight to your destination airport.
• Retrieve any checked luggage from the baggage carousels, then leave the secure area of the airport.
• Go to your US residence using the transportation arrangements made in step 2.
• Call your emergency contact to let them know you’ve arrived.

Step 5: The first few days in the US

I recommend going through all the threads in parallel, since there are quite a few tasks that will block. All steps requiring you to physically go anywhere are labelled ERRAND. Complete all tasks before continuing.

Thread 1: Random arrival-related stuff

• Submit your CECA arrival forms on WaterlooWorks within 24 hours of landing.
  • Go to the Dashboard section, go to “View Work Term Record”, and then fill out the “Work-term details” and “My contact and travel info” forms.
  • Some places online state that this is the right form. This is no longer correct - the arrival notice now consists exactly of filling out those two forms on WaterlooWorks.
• Fill out the Cultural Vistas Arrival Validation form with your full name, US address, phone number, email, arrival date in the US, and your SEVIS identification number (from your SEVIS fee receipt) within 5 days of arrival, in order to update your SEVIS record. Make sure you get the confirmation email from validations@culturalvistas.org.
  • If you’re temporarily living in a hotel, put down the hotel’s address and update the form when you begin your actual housing arrangements.
• ERRAND Download your Admission/Departure form (I-94) from the US Customs and Border Protection I-94 request website, then print it out and keep it with your other documents. You’ll likely need to go to somewhere like a UPS Store or CVS Photo if you don’t have a printer handy.
• If you don’t already have a bank account, go to a US bank and open a chequeing account. Bring your Canadian passport, DS-2019 form, offer letter, and proof of address (for example, your lease agreement).
  • I’m using a Chase Total Chequeing Account, which has no monthly fees with certain conditions and has several branches near my residence.
  • You can simply keep this account open for future purposes to conveniently bank in the US. However, to make sure the account never goes dormant, make sure to perform some account activity (such as transfers and payments) every three months or so. You might be able to set up an automatic back-and-forth transfer that can do this.
  • Some factors to consider when choosing where to open a chequeing account: fees, minimum balances, branch locations/hours, online banking functionality, ATM availability.
• Ensure that you know where/when to meet on the first day of your internship, as well as how to get there. Generally, you will have received an email at your personal address with the details by this point. If not, email your company HR contact, recruiter, or manager.
• Keep your DS-2019 form and I-94 form on you at all times.
  • This is the latest advice after the new immigration-related executive orders came out in early 2017.
  • You should also have electronic copies of those documents as well, from steps 2 and 4.
• Go to your office on the first day, or follow any other arrangements made beforehand with your employer.
  • Bring your DS-2019, I-94, and Canadian passport - many companies require you to present proof of authorization via Form I-9, and these documents are always sufficient to complete that form.
• If your J-1 visa wasn’t done through Cultural Vistas or Intrax, or if your J-1 visa wasn’t for an official co-op term, email cecausa@uwaterloo.ca with an electronic copy of your DS-2019 form, in order to ensure you’ll receive co-op credit for the term.

Thread 2: Set up Social Security

Skip this section if you already have a US social security number.

• Wait at least 10 days after arriving in the US, 2 business days after submitting the CECA arrival notice forms, and 5 days after submitting your Cultural Vistas Arrival Validation form, whichever finishes last.
• Go to the nearest Social Security Administration office. Bring your Canadian passport, another piece of photo ID (like a Canadian driver’s license), DS-2019, DS-7002, printed out Admission/Departure form (I-94), Social Security Support Letter, internship offer letter, any name change certificates.
  • These offices will generally only be open a few hours a day while most people are working, so either go before work or during a break.
  • Just bring your documents - you may be searched on the way in.
  • You’ll probably only need your DS-2009, I-94, and Canadian passport, but it is quite possible you will need the other documents as well.
• Get a copy of the Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5) and fill it out in blue/black pen while waiting. Submit your application.
  • Expect to spend at least an hour or two here, depending on the office.
  • The social security card can only be shipped to residental addresses - it probably won’t work if you try to ship it to your office.
  • Some have reported that the card can’t be delivered to a mailbox that doesn’t have your full legal name on it. I received mine without my name on the mailbox, however, at a single-detached house with a mail slot on the door. If you’re worried about the mail service delivering your card properly, stick a post-it note on the mailbox inside and outside with your full legal name on it.
  • On your application and interview, always use your full legal name with hyphens excluded.
  • For the purposes of the application, you are a “legal alien allowed to work”, since you’re on an internship J-1 visa.
  • The application submission involves answering a few basic questions about your status, and waiting around for them to file your form. It takes about 5-15 minutes if you have everything ready.
• If possible, present the SSN application receipt to the company you’re interning at. Most companies will be able to use this to start paying you before your SSN application is fully processed.
  • Ask your supervisor if you do not know where to present this receipt. It is likely to be the company’s Human Resources department, if they have one.
  • Generally, you need an SSN to set up direct deposit for payment. The company will likely be paying you by cheque if you do not have direct deposit set up.
• Wait between 1 to 4 weeks for the application to be processed and for your card to be delivered. If you do not receive this, contact the Social Security Administration.
  • Your SSN will be used to get paid and pay taxes in the US for the rest of your life (you will never have to apply for an SSN in the US ever again).
  • Your card should say “Valid for Work Only with DHS Authorization”, because you’re only allowed to work while under J-1 status.
  • Keep the letter that it’s attached to - you can use this as a government-approved proof of address document in many places.
• Notify your employer that you received your social security number. This allows you to legally get paid for your work.
  • Ask your supervisor if you’re unsure about how to do this. You might need to fill out a Corrected Wage and Tax Statement form (W-2C) form.
  • Usually, they’ll want the original SSN card.
  • A real SSN is required in order to enroll in direct deposit. While you’re waiting for the SSN card to arrive, though, many companies can simply pay you via cheque.
• Notify your US bank that you received your social security number.
  • Generally this is done by going to the branch and asking a teller to update your records. Usually, they’ll want the original SSN card.
  • Your bank needs to know your SSN in order for you to build credit using that account.

Step 6: During your stay in the US

Continue to the next section when you have reached the last few weeks of your internship.

Thread 1: Job stuff

• If applicable, get reimbursed by the company for things like airplane tickets, travel costs, etc. If you’re unsure about how to do this, ask your manager or your HR contact.
• When you get your first paycheque, go over the items and make sure you aren’t paying Medicare, Social Security or Unemployment taxes (as a J-1 intern, you should be excluded from these). If you are, ask your HR contact about how to get it excluded.

Thread 2: Recreation and travel

There are far too many possibilities here, so I won’t attempt to list them all. The Unofficial Waterloo USA Intern Guide, however, has a lot to say on activities and attractions. There’s also a lot of general advice in there for specific locations in the US.

• If you’re travelling, be sure to double check the rules for the J-1 visa outlined in step 1, and ask for clarification if needed (see the “Who to ask for help” section for more details).
  • The main visa-related risk comes from not following the rules and being unable to re-enter the US under that same J-1 visa after travelling - mistakes might not have effects until you try to return to the US.
  • In particular, make sure you get a travel validation signature on your DS-2019 form if you plan to travel outside of North America and wish to be re-admitted to the US under the same J-1 visa. Email validations@culturalvistas.org to request one, making sure to also include your travel plans. You will need to send in your original DS-2019 form and pay about $30 USD, so send the email two weeks before leaving, at the very latest.
• Consider getting an International Student Identification Card to receive discounts at many travel-related businesses. They can be bought from places like Travel Cuts in the Waterloo University plaza.
• If travelling by air domestically within the US (i.e. departure, arrival, and all layovers/transfers are within the US), the TSA technically doesn’t require you to bring documents like passports and visas - you can technically fly domestically with only a Canadian driver’s license. However, certain airlines can and will require you to present your Canadian passport.
  • Spirit Airlines requires a passport, for example.
  • As a bare minimum, I would recommend bringing your passport, insurance information, and enough cash to buy a safe return in case of unforseen circumstances.
• Domestic airplane travel in the US is significantly faster and cheaper than international airplane travel. Still, I would recommend being at the airport at least 3 hours before the plane is scheduled to leave, as waiting times can vary greatly.
• Renting a car/driving in the US:
  • Canadian drivers’ licenses are generally valid drivers’ licenses in the US for visitors, but this can vary by state. You may need to go to a state DMV to exchange your Canadian drivers’ license for a state driving permit.
  • The main issue is getting insurance, and this depends on your specific situation and how you obtain your car. Make sure to ask wherever you’re getting the car from about how to get insurance. For example, Hertz has multiple different coverage options available when you rent from them.
  • I like GetAround for convenience (it has more choice in locations to pick up cars from), Maven for good prices (and good promotions/deals), and Hertz for long-distance trips (since there’s no mileage limit).

Thread 3: Loose ends

• Get a transit pass if the public transit system suits your needs. Many cities have reloadable smart cards (like Clipper) that support monthly passes and are extremely convenient.
  • Also look at Uber/Lyft/Flywheel options for transport. Make sure you know your options before needing them.
• Get a US credit card, even if you don’t need one. Having a good credit history is important for everything from future housing opportunities to phone plans, so it’s important to start building credit as soon as possible.
  • Your bank will usually have options for that. Without existing US credit history, however, it’s often difficult to obtain a credit card.
  • One option is to get a secured credit card, where you put down a certain deposit at the bank in return for a credit card. A good option is the Discover it Secured. There’s a number of other good ones too.
  • If you don’t care about the credit card being accepted everywhere, Discover credit cards have decent perks and are relatively easy to obtain for people with limited credit history, as long as you can prove you have consistent income. Another good option is the BankAmericard Cash Rewards, though it’s a bit harder to get.
  • WalletHub and CreditKarma have tons of good options for credit cards, including cards for people that are just starting to build a credit history. WalletHub seems to have a larger variety of recommendations, while CreditKarma also works for Canada credit. JPMorgan Chase also offers online credit viewing options such as CreditJourney.
  • The Unofficial Waterloo USA Intern Guide also has some good credit history advice.
  • If you have a good credit score in Canada and have had an American Express card for a while, AmEx Global Transfer might be worth looking into - it allows you to apply for an AmEx card using your Canadian credit history in addition to your (possibly non-existant) US credit history. This is the option I personally went with.
• Put your health insurance cards in your wallet, and keep them there - they should always be on your person or in your bag.
• Consider signing up for a couple of useful services:
  • Amazon Prime. There’s a free 1 month trial, remember to cancel it after if you don’t plan to keep using it. I recommend setting a calendar event with a reminder to cancel this after.
  • Uber/Lyft. There are often regular promotions in both apps. In certain cities, it’s about as expensive as public transit and more convenient/faster in many cases.
  • Venmo/Square. Note that you need a US bank account and a phone number capable of sending or receiving SMS. This will often be useful for things like splitting dinners (a lot of US restaurants can’t split bills for credit/debit cards), paying for trips, and so on.
  • Meetup. In some places, very useful for finding local events - especially useful if you don’t know anyone there yet.
• Set up an account with a service like Transferwise (recommended) or XE, so you’re ready to move money back to Canada when you’re returning.
  • These services are legally required to verify your identity before allowing transactions to go through, which can take a few days. For Transferwise, this can be done online by uploading a photo of your ID.
• Prepare for the upcoming school term, if applicable:
  • Select courses during the pre-enrolment period. See Important Dates for pre-enrolment period dates.
  • Enroll in courses during the add/drop period. See Important Dates for add/drop period dates.
  • Pay tuition before the tuition due date. See Due Dates and Late Fees for tuition due dates.
• Prepare housing arrangements for next term - where will you be living? Starting this earlier generally means more choices, possibly better prices, and nicer places.

Thread 4: Event handling

• If you are in an emergency situation, see the “Who to ask for help” section for immediate steps to take.
• If you receive an email from CECA asking you to complete the eCheckin form on WaterlooWorks, complete it.
  • This form asks for basic job details like salary and working hours.
  • The form is usually sent around 5 weeks into the term.
• If you want to extend your internship, contact Cultural Vistas and ask at least two weeks before the end date.
• If you receive an email from CECA asking you to complete an e-Update form, fill in the requested information.
  • This form asks for your phone number and Skype contact info. If you answer “Undecided” for whether you’ll be returning to an employer next co-op term, you must attend a meeting with your student advisor.
  • The form is usually sent near the end of your term.
• If you receive an email from Cultural Vistas asking you to complete an Intermediate Evaluation form, fill in the requested information.
  • The form is sent near the middle of an internship lasting 6 months or more - you will not receive this if you are on a 4-month internship.
• If you need to pass your PD course, keep on top of that every week. Most of them will take less than 20 minutes a week at the very most.
• If your home address or phone number changes, make sure to update your contact info on WaterlooWorks (under “Dashboard”, “View Work Term Record”, “My contact and travel info”), Cultural Vistas, and your employer.
• If your work address, direct supervisor, compensation, or employer company’s name changes, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student”, they may issue you updated documents if necessary.
  • This is also necessary so that Cultural Vistas can update your SEVIS record.
  • This is especially important if you plan to travel outside of the US after the change, as otherwise you may run into problems when re-entering the US.
• If you plan to end your internship early, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student”, and tell them when you are leaving.
  • This is necessary so that Cultural Vistas can update your SEVIS record.
• If Cultural Vistas sends you an email with instructions to complete your half of the Participant Midterm Evaluation, complete it, and make sure your employer completes their half of the evaluation as well.

Step 7: The end is near

These items do not need to be done in order. Complete all tasks before your flight.

• Transfer USD to CAD if you want/need to. You should already have your identity verified with the exchange service from Step 6, so the only thing left is generally to send the service your USD, and wait for them to send you the resulting CAD.
  • If you’re using Transferwise, the service will generally take a few business days. If possible, I recommend selecting the ACH Pull option to allow them to directly withdraw from your US bank account, since other options might incur additional fees.
  • If you’re using XE, the service will generally take a week or two. If possible, I recommend selecting the ACH/EFT option to allow them to directly withdraw from your US bank account, since other options might incur additional fees.
• Make sure your employer submits your uWaterloo Student Performance Evaluation before the official end of work term, in order to get the co-op credit.
  • CECA publishes instructions for submitting student performance evaluations. Your employer should have received instructions via email about how to submit your evaluation.
  • You’ll probably also want to ask for a copy of the evaluation for your own records.
  • For longer internships, one evaluation needs to be submitted for every 4 month period.
• When Cultural Vistas sends you an email with instructions to complete your half of the Participant Final Evaluation, complete it. If the last day of your internship has passed and you still have not received a link, email train@culturalvistas.org with the subject “Waterloo co-op student”, and ask about whether they have sent out their final evaluation emails or not.
  • This is a multiple choice/short answer survey that should take less than 15 minutes.
• Make sure your employer submits their half of the Cultural Vistas Participant Final Evaluation.
  • Your employer should receive an email with instructions for completing the evaluation in the last few days of your internship.
• If applicable, write and submit your uWaterloo co-op work term report, according to the requirements set by your faculty.
  • Here are the Mathematics faculty work term report guidelines.
  • Check on your work report course on LEARN (PD if this is your first work term report, WKRPT otherwise) for details about how to submit the report and how it is graded.
  • Generally, your employer must grade your report and fill out an employer work report evaluation form, which you can prepend to your work term report and submit to a dropbox under your work report LEARN course.
• If you have mail you’re expecting at your US address (e.g. tax return transcripts), set up mail forwarding with USPS to have mail automatically forwarded to your permanent address.
  • There’s an online form, but it doesn’t accept non-US addresses - you’ll have to do this in-person at a US post office by filling in a Change of Address form.
• Leave a valid permanent mailing address with your employer so they can send you your tax documents.
• Double check the details of your return flight to Canada.
• Arrange travel from the destination airport to your Canadian residence.
  • Most airports have inexpensive shuttle services that have a decent amount of space for luggage too. Pearson International airport has some additional suggestions for how to your destination from the airport.
  • Uber/Lyft/Flywheel rides are another option, but you must have a backup plan in case you arrive without any internet connectivity.

Step 8: Flying back to Canada

• Check-in online for your flight within 24 hours of the flight, if possible.
  • You won’t be able to do this if you’ve been selected for secondary or enhanced screening. If check-in fails after trying it multiple times, it’s probably for this reason. Instead, check in when you get to the airline check-in counter.
  • If you only have carry-on luggage, this allows you to skip the check-in counter entirely and proceed directly to security screening.
  • If asked about the purpose of your travel by some airlines (such as Air Canada), select “Leisure”. This is because you are returning to your own country, and the J-1 documents are not relevant to the process of entering Canada.
• Make sure to have the following documents and information on hand as paper copies (in carry-on, not checked luggage) and electronically on your fully charged phone. Since you’re a Canadian citizen going back into your own country, the paperwork is a lot simpler than the trip from Canada to the US:
  • Valid (non-expired, undamaged, etc.) Canadian passport.
  • Various other pieces of ID, like an Ontario health card and Canadian driver’s license.
  • “Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation” cards, if you decided to obtain any before leaving Canada.
  • Printed out airline boarding pass, if you were able to check-in online.
  • Printed out flight itinerary.
  • The address that you’re going to after landing.
• Get to the airport at least 6 hours before the plane leaves.
  • Make sure you have enough time to go through check-in and security. If you don’t get there in time, you can generally reschedule your flight at the ticketing counter for a few hundred dollars.
  • Some people are almost always selected for secondary or enhanced screening - it’s not a huge deal, but it’s pretty annoying. This generally delays you between half an hour and three hours, so I usually get to the airport around 8 hours before the flight leaves.
  • Check beforehand (on your flight itinerary) which terminal to go to beforehand.
  • Make sure you’re at the international departures section of the terminal.
• If you did not check in online earlier, go to the check-in kiosks and do so.
  • If you couldn’t check in at the kiosks, try the check-in assistance counter instead. This probably means you’ve been selected for secondary screening. If your boarding pass has the letters “SSSS” on it, you’ve definitely been selected for secondary or enhanced screening.
  • If there’s no line-up, this can be done in under two minutes. Expect a line-up of at least an hour during regular hours, however.
• If you have checked luggage, go to the bag drop-off counter and drop off your checked luggage. This is generally located close to the check-in counter, or is combined with the check-in counter.
  • Most airlines will also charge a checked luggage fee at this point, generally around $30 CAD or less per bag.
  • There is likely to be another line-up here. Be prepared to wait up to an hour or two.
• Go to the security screening area and go through screening.
  • If you’re selected for secondary or enhanced screening, you may get an enhanced pat-down, manual bag searches, sniffer tests, and various other fun things.
  • As of this writing, you always have the option of opting out of the backscatter scan in favor of an enhanced pat-down.
  • If you aren’t selected for secondary screening and there’s no line, this can be done in under 5 minutes. Expect a line-up of at least an hour during regular hours, however.
• Look up the correct boarding gate for your flight, and confirm that the destination/boarding time/departure time/etc. are correct.
  • This information will generally become available a few hours before the flight departs. Delay and cancellation notices will also start to be published around this time.
• Wait around inside the secure area until it is nearly boarding time, then go back the boarding gate and get onto the plane after it’s readied.
  • This is a good time to buy a water bottle (or bring an empty clear plastic one with you through security screening) to store drinking water in for the flight and after landing.
  • Top up the battery on any rechargeable electronics. There are outlets near boarding gates and in some restaurants. Some flights have 120V/220V outlets, but sometimes these are actually DC outlets, which won’t work with transformer-based power adapters.
• Call your emergency contact to let them know that you’re leaving.
• Take the flight to your destination airport. While on the flight, you will be given a Canadian Customs Declaration card. Fill out the card with the necessary information about the value of the goods you’ve purchased while outside of Canada.
  • Unaccompanied goods are goods that are bought outside of Canada, and sent separately (e.g., by mail) to Canada (so checked luggage does not count as unaccompanied goods).
  • Commercial goods are goods intended for sale or occupational/business use.
  • For more information about the form, see the Canadian government’s guide to customs declarations for residents.
• Upon landing, follow the signs to get to the Canadian border services area in the airport. Go to one of the electronic processing booths and follow the instructions.
  • You will need the customs declaration card you filled out on the plane, as well as your Canadian passport.
  • You will receive a photocopy of the customs declaration card. Hold onto this for the time being.
• Go to one of the Canadian Customs booths, and show your documents and the photocopy of the customs declaration card to the CBSA officer.
  • You will likely be asked a series of questions about where you’re coming from, where you’re going, what you’re bringing into Canada, and so on.
  • The officer will mark your photocopy of your customs declaration card. Hold onto this for the time being.
  • This is a Canadian Port of Entry - this is the point at which you actually legally enter Canada.
  • If you are bringing goods purchased outside of Canada with value greater than your personal exemption amounts, you may be required to pay duty/taxes on them at this point, since they are being imported into Canada. See the Canadian government’s guide to returning to Canada for more information.
• Retrieve any checked luggage from the baggage carousels, then leave the secure area of the airport.
  • At the exit, you show your passport to the officers there and hand in your photocopy of the customs declaration card.
• Call your emergency contact to let them know you’ve arrived.
• Go to your Canadian residence using the transportation arrangements made in step 7.

Step 9: Cleanup

These items do not need to be done in order, and are not particularly time-sensitive.

• If you are paying for a US phone plan, cancel it if you will no longer be using it for the forseeable future.
  • If you’re on Freedom/WIND Mobile and added the “Unlimited US Roaming” addon, remove it online and consider disabling “US Roaming” on your plan if you won’t be using it.
• If you obtained any credit cards or bank accounts for use in the US, and they have periodic fees, and you don’t intend to use them in the forseeable future, cancel/close them.
  • Usually credit cards are cancelled over the phone, and bank accounts are most easily closed in-person at a branch.
  • Make sure to check a few weeks later to ensure it’s actually cancelled properly. For example CIBC’s USD credit card took about 2 months before the card was finally gone in online banking.
• Update your address with services like banking and others that might send out mail.
  • Chase banking allows you to add a new Canadian address and set it as the primary mailing address.
• A day or two after your internship ends, if you receive a link to a survey for free tax software from Cultural Vistas, and you intend to file your taxes by yourself, fill out the survey to obtain access to Glacier Tax Preparation software for US federal tax returns (you will still need to file the US state tax returns yourself).
• Your background check consent form may have included a clause like “We retain authorization to update background check information in the future as needed, unless you submit a revocation via fax/carrier pidgeon”. If this is the case, to prevent your personal information from being used even after the background check, make sure to submit your revocation of consent after the background check is completed.

Step 10: US Tax Returns

I’m not a tax professional, and the following is provided for information purposes only. Something something I’m not liable if this information turns out to be wrong, outdated, etc. Get an accountant with experience with US tax law if you’re unsure about this stuff.

US taxes are due on April 15 of the year after each year you were on your internship. Just like with Canadian taxes, they’re usually automatically deducted from every paycheque as an employee, and then the next year you file a return to get a refund if you paid too much income tax, or pay the missing amount if you paid too little income tax. Usually you get a refund since the amount deducted from your paycheque is calculated assuming you’re working the whole year, whereas most interns are only working for part of the year.

Since you were in the US as an intern, you should only require a W-2 form from your employer, and I will continue under that assumption.

• Wait for your employer to issue you a W-2 form, generally in January of the year after the year you started your internship. If you do not receive your forms by February, email your HR contact at the company and ask about it.
  • Your employer will generally give you your W-2 tax forms via mail to the Canadian permanent address you left with them in Step 7, and electronically (generally on a website that HR will send you credentials for). You’ll want to keep the paper copy of the W-2 form for a minimum of 5 years, to use as proof in case you get audited.
  • You will likely already have had local (i.e., municipal), state, and federal taxes deducted from your pay automatically. That means you’re likely to get money back from the US government, though it is also possible that you will have to pay additional amounts. This is because your internship is usually taxed as if you were there all year long, but you probably weren’t.
  • If your situation is the same as mine (one California W-2 form, no other sources of income), the exact list of forms that need to be submitted are: 1040NR-EZ (federal tax return), Form 8843 (declaration of exempt status, to be submitted with the federal return), W-2 Federal Copy (declaration of income, to be submitted with federal tax return), 540NR Short Form (state tax return), and the W-2 State Copy (declaration of income, to be submitted with state tax return).
• Sign up for Glacier Tax Prep and do your federal tax return. The result should be one 1040NR-EZ form, though you likely also need to additionally fill out a Form 8843 to declare your status as an exempt individual.
  • You’ll need your passport, DS-2019, I-94, SSN, US travel history (dates of entry/exit, visa/immigration status for each visit), and your W-2 form.
  • GW Carter Ltd. has a nice online quiz to determine US residency status for tax purposes.
  • “Country of Citizenship” needs to match the Citizenship Country on your DS-2019 form.
  • “Country of Tax Residence” is generally your country of citizenship. However, if you lived in another country right before going to the US, it might be that country instead, depending on which country it was - ask an accountant to be sure.
  • For your Form 8843, “Current nonimmigrant status and date of change” actually means “Most recent nonimmigrant status and date of change”.
  • For your Form 8843, “the director of the academic or other specialized program you participated in during 2016” is the person who signed your DS-2019 form under “Responsible Officer”. For Cultural Vistas, you can look up their office information and find the corresponding office contact info.
  • The software helped me fill out my 1040NR-EZ, but I still had to fill out Form 8843 myself. I ended up redoing the 1040EZ-NR by hand using the generated 1040NR-EZ as a template. The main thing I did differently from the software is to count my days present under a J-1 visa as exempt days, which means that for tax purposes, the days I was here for my internship don’t count toward the substantial presence test.
  • The Unofficial UWaterloo Intern USA Tax Guide gives a set of example forms with annotations. Quite a few things have changed since it was published, but it may be useful to see what goes where.
• Do your state tax return, if applicable.
  • For California taxes, this consisted of the 540NR Short Form (state tax return) and the W-2 State Copy (declaration of income).
• ERRAND Submit your federal and state tax return by mail. Ideally, plan to finish your US tax return early, and mail it to the relevant tax authorities via Canada Post XpressPost (expensive and fast) or Canada Post Registered Mail (cheaper and slower), both of which offer tracking and proof of delivery.
• Wait up to 6 weeks for the IRS to process your return and ensure that it is processed correctly. If you do not receive your tax return confirmation within 6 weeks, contact the IRS and ask about it.
  • You can check the status of your tax return refund online at the IRS webite, if applicable.
  • My federal and state return both arrived in just three weeks, though my tax situation is considered uncomplicated.

Step 11: Canadian Tax Returns

Again, I’m not a tax professional, and the following is provided for information purposes only. Something something I’m not liable if this information turns out to be wrong, outdated, etc. Really, get an accountant having experience with Canadian tax law if you’re unsure about this stuff.

I’m still assuming that your only source of income in the US was from your US-based employer.

Canadian tax returns are due on first business day on or after April 30 of each year, for the preceding year. Since you’re a Canadian citizen, you probably need to file this every year anyways.

• Do your Canadian tax return.
  • I use StudioTax because it can be run on my offline Windows machine, and shows the actual forms while you’re filling them out. A lot of people also like SimpleTax.
  • The CRA also maintains a list of NETFILE-approved software (electronic filing capabilities).
  • Even though you were physically out of Canada for a while, you almost certainly never stopped being a factual resident. In other words, you should very likely respond “Yes” if asked whether you’re a Canadian resident.

Your Canadian tax return must report all income, inside and outside of Canada. This includes the income received for your internship in the US. Since Canada has a tax treaty with the US as of this writing, you can report the US income taxes you paid as a Canadian income tax deduction.

This is done by filing a T2209 form with your return. Some notes on filling out the form:

• Since you were paid over the course of multiple months, you can just convert your USD values directly to CAD using Average Annual Exchange Rates rather than calculating the CAD value for each day you were paid.
• The “Country or countries for which you are making this claim:” is “United States”.
• For “Non-business income tax paid to a foreign country”, this is the amount of US federal and state taxes you paid (the “total tax” from the 1040NR-EZ plus “Total tax” from the 540NR Short Form for California, for example).

In SimpleTax, just add a “Other Foreign Income & Foreign Tax Credits” entry to your return, enter “Employment (Not reported elsewhere)” for the income type, “W-2” for the description, the total income from your W-2 for foreign income, the sum of US federal and state taxes you paid for foreign tax paid, and the correct currency exchange rate for the FX rate field.

Other things to consider:

• CRA autofill works and works well - it filled in most of the return with just a few clicks!
• Check “Tax Receipts” under Quest for your T2202A and donation receipts. Donation receipts are usually entered with your T1 General Schedule 9 form, and are made to the University of Waterloo registered charity.
• You can claim a public transit deductible for your FEDS UPASS fee (the fee that allows you to use your WatCard as a GRT bus pass). Simply download the tax receipts on the FEDS website for each academic term, and enter the total paid as the Public transit amount in your T1 General Schedule 1 form.
• The Ontario Trillium Benefit, filed using the ON-BEN form, allows you to claim rent you paid during the tax year.
• If you worked in Canada, make sure to include the corresponding T4 forms.
• If you received any scholarships, grants, or other income, make sure to include the corresponding T4A forms.
• Don’t forget the T2202 form for tuition amounts.

Make sure to keep an electronic copy of all the relevant documents (including things like donation receipts) for at least 5 years, in case the CRA requires more proof or clarification during this time. After filing, in just two weeks or so, you’ll receive your completed notice of assessment - download the PDF from the CRA website and keep it safe as well. Around the same time, you should receive your refund either directly in your bank account if you have direct deposit set up, or as a cheque mailed to your address on file.

A Canadian income tax return doesn’t include all of the documents necessary to actually prove the numbers are correct. Sometimes, you’ll get selected for a tax review, where the CRA will ask you for these additional supporting documents. This can occur at any time within a few years of filing your return, and you will find out by mail at the address you’ve listed with the CRA. If you signed up for online CRA access, you can usually update these online.

Usually the most painful part of the tax review process is collecting the IRS part of the documentation, such as your IRS account transcript and account statement from your state tax authority (these can usually only be obtained via mail, and often only to a US address), though in my experiences you can substitute bank account statements that display your US tax payments/refunds instead. I recommend including a letter with your submission, mentioning the tax review’s reference number (which can be found in the original tax review letter) and a list of included files, as well as how those files correspond to the requested items.

Once you submit your documents, the CRA will review everything and get back to you by mail. This process can take between a couple weeks and a couple of months. I received a letter saying the review was completed (and my claim was accepted) about 3.5 months after submitting.