Is there a law in place in Canada and USA which requires free shipping of dead immigrants ?

Question

When a foreigner dies in USA or Canada , is there a law or system that requires the free shipping or shipping of the dead corpse back to the native country ?

Answer 1

No in the USA.  If you don't pay, most states will cremate or bury the remains.  Then they will try to collect for the cost of that from the next of kin.

Answer 2

Humm... I would try FedEx'n a deceased illegal alien but the police usually come and scoop up their body for evidence during the trial of the illegal alien who did it.

Answer 3

It is up to the family of a deceased person to make funeral and burial/cremation arrangements.  Generally the family would pay for the costs involved, either from their own funds or from a life insurance policy.  There is no law that dictates what country the remains have to be buried in.  If the deceased person was in the country as member of a military or for diplomatic purposes, then the sponsoring military or government would likely pay for any repatriation costs.  Similarly, if the person was on a business trip, it's possible that the business would pay for at least part of the repatriation costs.  A landed immigrant, however, would likely desire to be buried in his or her chosen country of residence rather than country of birth, but it is really up to the individual to decided, or to the family if the individual's wishes were unknown.