Move to Canada

rg1495 · Post by **rg1495** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:53 pm

Hello,
I am a US Green Card holder but moved to Canada early last year. I worked in Canada for the entire year.

1) I am trying to figure out if I should file US taxes - as none of my income was from US last year ?

2) Is there anyway I can still preseve my Green Card in case I choose to move back to US in the future (3-5 years).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

JGCA · Post by **JGCA** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:38 am

As a Green Card holder or permanent resident of the US you are required to file annually your 1040 reporting world income with offesetting 2555 and foreign tax credits. you could put your green card into inactive status but if you state your intention to return to the US this may not be teh best alternative. Just file your 1040 you really should have no US tax owing anyhow.

rg1495 · Post by **rg1495** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:19 pm

Thanks for your reply JGCA. Eventhough I have been working in Canada I haven't yet replaced by US license plates. I know I should have done it in the first few months but I just didn't know how to handle this complex situation. Should I formally import my Car into Canada at this point and change to Ontario license plates or should I keep driving my US license plates with the intention of moving back to US some day?

nelsona · Post by **nelsona** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:59 pm

You should be importing your car to canada and plating and insuring it there. To do anything else will invalidate your insuarnce.

rg1495 · Post by **rg1495** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:13 pm

Thanks nelsona. Do I need to inform US Immigration about my move or should I continue to just file US taxes on my Canadian income?....Once I change my plates to Ontario, I doubt I'll ever be able to cross the border by land. Will US Immigration also take my green card away at that time?...As indicated in my first post, I would like to preserve my green card if possible.

Thanks for your help.

nelsona · Post by **nelsona** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:15 pm

Top keep your GC, you need to file for a re-entry permit while in US, otherwise you will soon be considerd to have abandonned your GC.

Off-topic. look for info on maintaining GC when out of US, at multiple other websites.

rg1495 · Post by **rg1495** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:20 pm

Thanks. I bought the car when I was living in US. Will I need to pay HST when I import my car (It is manufactured in US) to Canada....can I tell Canada customs that I am formally moving back to Canada?

nelsona · Post by **nelsona** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:32 pm

That will depend on how longa ago you bought it. RIV.ca has all this info, happy surfing.