Return to Canada every 6 months?????

[JLH]

hey!
To be honest I have been back and forth to Sweden in the last year. I have not completely moved to Sweden (meaning giving up all ties to Canada-but could happen one day and you have provided me with some useful information indeed-thank you!) . I have a residency permit for Sweden and due for renewal this December and I hope to renew that forsure! We just haven't decided if I will go back for good or my boyfriend will come here one day!

[JLH]

Back again!
I have a question about declaring to be a non-resident? You were born and raised in Canada right? So you must have known that you were going to be away from Canada for more than 2 years when you decided to leave and declare that? How did you go about doing that as well? What are your rights as a non-resident? Red tape, red tape huh!

I was told by my accountant that I would have to pay taxes on money made overseas if I came back to Canada for good within 2 years.

[expatmich]

[quote="JLH"]Back again!
I have a question about declaring to be a non-resident? You were born and raised in Canada right? So you must have known that you were going to be away from Canada for more than 2 years when you decided to leave and declare that? How did you go about doing that as well? What are your rights as a non-resident? Red tape, red tape huh!

I was told by my accountant that I would have to pay taxes on money made overseas if I came back to Canada for good within 2 years.[/quote]

Hi there, well it's been a while since I did declare. I remember leaving Canada knowing I'd be gone for almost one year. I left the day after I defended my Masters, joining my then boyfriend in Hong Kong until the summer time, then we were going to head back to Canada. I just didn't leave, well, for 6 years anyway.....I got a form from the Canadian government sent to me in Hong Kong the second to declare non-residency. At that time, it was a one page form that asked you if you had any property, bank accounts, assets in the country. Just having left as a poor student, I had nothing, so I ended up getting processed rather easily. I have a form somewhere in my stuff saying that I've been granted non-residency status, but I haven't seen it in years, so am not sure where it actually is!

I think there's some magic formula now for being declared non-resident. I think if you are resident outside of Canada for less than two years you really have to show that you have cut off all your links, and hopefully there's some kind of tax treaty between Canada and your country of residence. Establishing residence in Sweden will help your case. It's best to find all this out though directly from the government. Check online at the Canadian Embassy websites regarding expatriate status though.....

As a non-resident, I am not even sure what my rights are. I am not worried. I don't try to play the system. I don't vote (I am not up on recent politics), and I don't use the health care system. I have been long term enough in the countries that I've chosen to live in that I have spent more time getting to know my rights as an expat in those countries. It will be weird to move back to Canada and have to sort things out again, if that happens. Right now, we're not really looking at moving back.

Wish you good luck in sorting everything out!!!
expatmicih

[Reba]

to the original post...you can't lose Canadian citizenship by being away, as others have stated, but as you are a Permanent resident, you *can* lose your status if you are out of the country for extended periods, or too often according to CIC (and interpretation of "too often" is up to the official). If you're going back and forth from Mexico, you may want to check with a CIC official to find out what the rules are about keeping your status.

You will lose your provincial health care if you are out of the country for more than 7 months I think it is.

To those who want to cut financial ties, Revenue Canada has a tax filing form that you would include with your next income tax stuff, you have to specifically request for them to send it to you. You cannot have any bank accounts or Canadian investments or a residential mailing address if you cut ties. For some states in the US, you can't even keep your RRSP. Check with a financial advisor for information before you leave if possible. If not, find a financial advisor where you are who may be familiar with Canadian tax rules and if there is a tax treaty with Canada and the country you are moving to.