Considering a Move to Canada?

Moving to Canada from the UK

Planning a move to Canada from the UK? Abels Moving Services has offered discreet export packing and shipping for over 50 years. Our team manages every stage of your UK to Canada removal, from your first enquiry through to delivery at your new home.

About Canada

Canada is a North American country with ten provinces and three territories. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and northward into the Arctic. Canada is the second-largest country in the world by total area, and it shares the longest land border in the world with the United States.

Around 33.5 million people live in Canada, across more than 3.85 million square miles. That gives Canada one of the lowest population densities of any major country, worth bearing in mind when you’re choosing where to settle.

The climate varies significantly by region. Average summer highs sit in the low 20s°C on the east and west coasts, and can exceed 25°C further inland. Winters can be harsh. Average temperatures sit around -15°C and can drop to -40°C, so pack warm clothing and plan your housing accordingly.

Canada’s key exports include machinery and equipment, automotive products, metals and plastics, forestry products, agricultural and fishing goods, and energy products.

Once you’ve settled in, British Columbia’s coastline offers whale watching and film-location tourism. The Vancouver Maritime Museum, Cypress Provincial Park, Fort Gibraltar and the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology are also worth exploring. Canada combines a strong sense of national pride with an openness that continues to draw UK and other Western movers each year.

Planning Your Move

Talk your move through with a specialist international removal company early on. Every move is different. Think through access at both properties, your packing requirements, and your preferred shipping method before you request a formal quote.

Call or email our international advisor for more information specific to your move. We’ll talk you through the regulations involved and explain our approach to a thorough, premium end-to-end moving service.

Once you book with Abels, you’ll meet your Customer Liaison Move Coordinator. They manage the booking, organisation and day-to-day details of your move to Canada.

Export Packing

Export packing is essential for your belongings when moving to Canada. Our expert packing services give you bespoke guidance for exporting and shipping goods safely across the Atlantic.

Export packing protects your items against environmental impacts in transit, using water-resistant materials and extra packaging suited to a long sea or air journey. A domestic move by road needs less protection than a journey of thousands of miles in a 20ft or 40ft container. Your Abels advisor will explain exactly how we handle and monitor your possessions throughout the journey to Canada.

We use the highest quality export materials throughout. Our team makes sure your belongings stay correctly preserved for the whole move.

Fine Art & Specialist Packing Services

Fine art needs particular care. Valuable or delicate pieces, paintings, grandfather clocks, barometers, chandeliers, call for enhanced export packing. In many cases, we build bespoke cases specifically for the item. Find out more about moving antiques, fine art and valuables.

Our team trains specifically to handle specialist goods abroad, with the care and precision these items need. Explore our moving advice for further reassurance ahead of your move.

Airfreight

Canada has a wide network of international airports. Major hubs include Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver International (YVR), Montreal–Trudeau (YUL), Calgary International (YYC), Edmonton International (YEG), Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier (YOW), Halifax Stanfield (YHZ), Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson (YWG), Quebec City Jean Lesage (YQB) and Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker (YXE). Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International are the two busiest, handling over 33 million and 17 million passengers a year respectively.

Sea transit typically takes 6 to 7 weeks door to door, so consider airfreight for anything you need sooner. Security restrictions mean airfreighted goods need professional packing rather than owner-packed cartons. We load them into heat-treated modules with waterproof covering for extra protection. Allow around 2 weeks door to door for airfreight, to account for UK and Canadian security and customs checks before delivery.

See more on shipping options when moving abroad.

Customs Information

Import and export regulations govern personal items and household goods entering Canada. Your Abels Move Manager will give you tailored guidance through this part of the process.

You’ll need specific documentation for customs clearance. The exact requirements depend on your personal circumstances, and our team will talk you through these ahead of your move. For further background, explore the FIDI Customs Guide for Canada before your move consultation with the Abels team.

Shipping Services

We ship larger volumes and full house moves in a 20ft or 40ft container. Where access allows, we load the container outside your residence, so you can see our team’s care and skill first-hand. We seal the container with our uniquely numbered bolt seals. Where access doesn’t suit a container of this size, we load goods at our warehouse, you’re welcome to attend, or use a shuttle truck between your home and the container.

Some shipping lines offer low-cost freight at the expense of container quality and transit time. Abels sources containers through an organisation that secures A1-class containers on our behalf. These arrive without fractures, dry, clean, odour-free, and with a reliably consistent transit time. An odour in the container will transfer to your goods, and any fractures risk water damage.

Smaller volumes travel as LCL (less than container load). We take these to our warehouse and load them into heat-treated wooden crates for shipping.

Transit from port to port in Canada typically takes 14 to 28 days by sea. Vessels depart the UK weekly to Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver, with onward rail links to Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Winnipeg. Door to door, allow around 6 to 7 weeks, depending on weather, strikes, re-routing, vessel availability and customs inspections.

Read more about shipping options when moving abroad.

Destination Services

We choose our destination partners for their accreditations. Most hold the FIDI-FAIM quality award, so the standard you experience with Abels continues right through customs clearance and delivery in Canada.

We notify our destination partner as soon as your container departs the UK. They’ll contact you as delivery approaches and manage customs clearance on your behalf. Once cleared, they’ll arrange your delivery date. This normally includes delivery, unpacking, set-up of standard furniture (excluding flat-pack items unless agreed), removal of packaging waste, and return of the container to the wharf. Talk to your Abels Customs Liaison if you’d like additional services such as a put-away service, cleaning, or settling-in support.

Our destination agents bring local knowledge of import documents, customs clearance and delivery. This keeps your arrival in Canada as smooth as possible.

Wherever your move takes you, we’d like to be the removal company you think of for this move, and the next one. If you’re moving to Canada, or anywhere else in the world, get in touch for a removal quotation.