Moving to Canada from the US - starting over on credit?

[lmk94]

Hi all!

I am officially making the move from Buffalo to Toronto for my PhD, with my anticipated move in date being August 1st! It's only a 2 hour move, which isn't too daunting, but the fact that it's an international move is making the situation so much more stressful. My biggest concern right off the bat is the fact that your credit history does not follow you from country to country, so I'm wondering how I'll be able to pass a credit check given that most apartments tend to run them nowadays in order to approve a lease application. I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with this type of thing, especially with moving from the states to Canada. 

[MMicro19]

Since nobody has responded yet I thought I'd jump in! My parents did the opposite about ten years ago (moved from Canada to the US). It's not the best situation, but they ended up getting a copy of their credit report from Canada, and that combined with letters from their employers were enough for them to rent for the first couple years before they could build up their credit. Something like that may work for you as well, especially if you explain the situation! 

They may ask (or you can offer) to have someone co-sign the lease as well. Good luck and enjoy Toronto!