repatriation check list

[republican]

Hey guys,
as I have written on other boards I am hoping to be repatriated to Canada by November. I there some sort of checklist I should make of things to do before heading back?
I have a rough one of things like tell the tax office in the UK I am going, sort out an apartment, get a SIN, register to vote.
Anything else I am missing?

[CanuckAbroad]

Look into health care for the province you're going to!

[republican]

Yeah something tell me I am not registered with OHIP anymore-thanks!

[expat1fr]

Hi Ben - I was wondering the same thing. My partner and I are reclocating back to Canada in January after being away 12 years. I was wondering about transferring any money we have in banks here to a Canadian bank. Will we be taxed for this if it is over £5000? Does anyone know?

[agnelson]

There is no taxation of wealth in canada, nor any transfer tax, so no transfer of existing funds will result in any tax. There is no limit and no reporting of large transfers done thru the banking system(s).

There is a requirement to report (as you cross border or land in canada) if you are carrying cash/travellers checks or other similarly untraceable monetary instruments which total C$10K or more.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/security-sec ... u-eng.html

UK no doubt has similar, perhaps more restrictive measures in place, and these likely also apply only to physically transporting monies in/out of country.

[Steven]

On the UK end the most important things to do are file a P85 with HMRC to declare non-residency and file an R105 with your bank so they stop withholding income tax from your bank interest (you have to declare this on your T1 and pay Canadian income tax).

In addition I highly recommend making voluntary National Insurance contributions if you qualify (three years minimum of contributions). If you work in Canada, you qualify for Class 2 contributions which are only around £9 a month (HMRC do it by direct debit). When you turn 65, you qualify for a full UK pension, which at the moment is around £6,700 a year. The only problem is that you don't qualify for cost of living adjustments if you reside in Canada. You have to have 30 years worth of contributions to get the full pension, but 9x12x30 = £3,240 so essentially you get all your money back in the first six months of being on a pension! It's a bit of a loophole in the NI system because Class 2 is usually for self-employed people and Class 3 is for non-residents, but employed non-residents are treated as Class 2.

On the Canadian end the most important things you need are your passport and complete CBSA forms B4 and B4A. Go to the Federal building when you get here and apply for a SIN. In most Provinces you can swap a UK DL for a provincial one and register for healthcare. That's pretty much it.

[agnelson]

If you had SIN # before you left canada, the same number is still valid, of course.