Canadians working abroad | GTAMotorcycle.com

Canadians working abroad

nobbie48

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In his inaugural address JFK said "Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country."

How does a person who moves to the USA benefit Canada?

I'm sure there are several good reasons.

Do you feel it's fair that a person who leaves Canada for years can return when their health fails and they need our medical system?

Were CPP and OAS thought of as money that would be spent in Canada, supporting our businesses and how does it affect our economy when it instead gets spent in a cheap-to-live-in country of retirement?

I know there are claw backs but are Canadians all that true to the flag or just Americans with a maple syrup topping?

I hope there are checks and balances.
 
How much is it costing us to keep said person,
or did they just win our 16 mil lottery and want to move the whole show back to the old country?
and the correct answer to that last one is who cares, you win the money you get to spend it.

... & at least you didn't say: 'is just a Yank with maple syrup topping' because to a true Canadian that would have been offensive eh.
 
if you've worked for awhile, paid your tax, CPP etc
and want later in life to avoid cold winters, that's fine

CPP is a government managed insurance policy
if you've paid premiums, you're entitled to the payout regardless where your hang your hat

as for health care, again, if you've paid your share of taxes
nothing wrong with coming home and use the universal care system

younger generation is supposed to support the older one

living as an expat with no health insurance is really dumb
so the little stuff and initial care if it's not little are taken care of with your private policy
then fly home for the important stuff

there are dozens of places within a day's travel that are miles better than the US for retirement
and you can get affordable health care coverage
 
:I just found out if you buy land in St.Lucia you are automatically a citizen of the country, how cool is that if you have nowhere else to go.
 
^ really nice island, expensive to live though

Ecuador is very expat-friendly
25,000 USD investment - real estate or business, to get citizenship

or resident visa if you can show 1,000 month pension income
after a few years you're eligible for citizenship

great climate and affordable living
possible to live very well on less than 1,000/month
plus a few hundred for excellent private health care coverage

and you can ride all year round :)
 
if you've worked for awhile, paid your tax, CPP etc
and want later in life to avoid cold winters, that's fine

CPP is a government managed insurance policy
if you've paid premiums, you're entitled to the payout regardless where your hang your hat

as for health care, again, if you've paid your share of taxes
nothing wrong with coming home and use the universal care system

younger generation is supposed to support the older one

living as an expat with no health insurance is really dumb
so the little stuff and initial care if it's not little are taken care of with your private policy
then fly home for the important stuff

there are dozens of places within a day's travel that are miles better than the US for retirement
and you can get affordable health care coverage
If you leave Ontario (more than 183 days epr year or to the point where you no longer file taxes as a resident), you don't get to suck at the public teat for health care unless you return permanently. To requalify, you have to live in the province for 5 months.
 
If you leave Ontario (more than 183 days epr year or to the point where you no longer file taxes as a resident), you don't get to suck at the public teat for health care unless you return permanently. To requalify, you have to live in the province for 5 months.
That's ok, other places are fun to visit, would be great to do business in some foreign country, but I sure wouldn't want to live there, only an idiot would leave a nice home in Canada.
 
If you leave Ontario (more than 183 days epr year or to the point where you no longer file taxes as a resident), you don't get to suck at the public teat for health care unless you return permanently. To requalify, you have to live in the province for 5 months.

Most snowbirds are mid November to April for that exact reason.
 
My sister and brother-in-law are snowbirds (currently in Florida) and their stay is limited to less than 3 months by insurance considerations. They left at the end of December ... they're coming back at the end of March.
 
when i was working out of country, and rented out my CDN house, I had to, to be legal, appoint a Canadian agent to collect the rent and file appropriate taxes. So how was I benefiting Canada? I was paying an estate agent , and could have payed tax. And when i sold my US house, it was subject to capital gains tax in Canada, (considered foriegn investment) and the gain on the exchange rate was considered in the capital gain. And the accountant I hired that did IRS filings and RevCan was based in Canada.
Lots of people working outside of Canada, pay tax in Canada.

for the snowbirds , the US gives you one less day to be in the US than the CDN govt gives you to be outside of Canada. Dont get the arithmetic wrong ever. You get on the list and dont get back in next year, they are that kookoo about it.
 
I’ve not lived in the country for almost 4 years. My OHIP expired six months after I left and if/when I move back I will have to requalify. I think it’s 5 months. Even for those 6 months I theoretically was covered, OHIP will not pay for treatment in the US that is available in Canada, which is pretty much everything.

Similar with EI. I can’t just show up in Toronto and go on Pogy tomorrow.

I’m not paying Canadian taxes, but I’m also not consuming any municipal, provincial or federal government services. So that’s a wash. I work for a LLP here. There is no such corporate vehicle in Canada but it’s very tax efficient.

I did pay into to the CPP for for many years so would be entitled to get some of that back, but I doubt there will be much left when it’s my turn to collect. I’m not depending on it anyway

There are some tax advantages went withdrawing Canadian RRSP contributions and living in another country. That’s the only perk I can think off.
 
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It works both ways. I know a Canadianized American that wants to drop the US citizenship but they don't want to let go of him because they get a chunk of his income tax.
 
It works both ways. I know a Canadianized American that wants to drop the US citizenship but they don't want to let go of him because they get a chunk of his income tax.
No they don't. US and Canada have a tax treaty, there are no conceivable circumstances where a US citizen working in Canada would owe the IRS after paying Canadian taxes. First, the only taxes due for expats in the USA are federal, second there are no US federal tax brackets that are lower than Canadian taxes -- once you declare you paid Canadian tax, you would be well over any treaty collections in the USA.
 
A overly simplistic version of what happens. A US citizen living in Canada, technically should be filing 2 tax returns. One for Canada and one for the US. They generally can use their Canadian tax paid as a foreign tax credit to offset their American taxes. But, it is not that simple. There are things a Canadian can use as a tax credit that the Americans don't recognize. One of the most used is a TFSA. Capital gains are dealt with completely different in the US. There are other circumstances that also effect things. It can get complicated very quickly. The Americans I know who live in Canada either don't file an American return or make use of good accountants who deal with these situations...

No they don't. US and Canada have a tax treaty, there are no conceivable circumstances where a US citizen working in Canada would owe the IRS after paying Canadian taxes. First, the only taxes due for expats in the USA are federal, second there are no US federal tax brackets that are lower than Canadian taxes -- once you declare you paid Canadian tax, you would be well over any treaty collections in the USA.
 
How do you guys find work in US as Canadians? I have been trying with no luck. Btw, Ecuador does sound nice.
Be better at doing something worth being paid for that most people can't even do.
 
How do you guys find work in US as Canadians? I have been trying with no luck. Btw, Ecuador does sound nice.

I don't know if they still have lotteries but if you don't have exceptional skills it's one of your few options

Marry an American

If your parents become Americans and you're young enough you can work your way into the system.

If you have exceptional skills and someone down there wants to hire you it can work. Bonus if they want you bad enough to do the pushing.

Most countries have an express lane for people starting a business.
 

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