Keeping US-listed ETFs at a Canadian broker during a "soft landing" gap before final move

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Taxxat
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Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2026 8:04 pm

Keeping US-listed ETFs at a Canadian broker during a "soft landing" gap before final move

Post by Taxxat »

Hello,

I'm a Canadian citizen moving to the US on a green card. Here's my timeline:

Mid-November 2026: I'll cross the border to activate my green card, then return to Canada the same day (a "soft landing").
Mid-December 2026: I'll make my final move and permanently relocate to the US.

Before mid-November, I plan to:

Close all my TFSA accounts and move the holdings to my non-registered account.
Sell my Canadian-listed ETFs and buy equivalent US-listed ETFs, all within my non-registered account at my Canadian broker.

My question: for the roughly 4–5 weeks between my initial border crossing and my final move, should I keep holding those US-listed ETFs at my Canadian broker to stay invested, or would it be preferable to hold cash during that window and only buy back in once I've opened a US brokerage account after the final move?

Trying to weigh staying fully invested (avoiding a gap in market exposure) against any downsides of holding US-listed securities at a Canadian brokerage while I'm already a US tax resident but not yet physically settled.
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