future retirment

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chris
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:12 pm

future retirment

Post by chris »

I was born in Canada and hold a green card,but lived in the USA most of my life.Im now married to an american women who wants to sell one of our homes and buy one in ontario CA.Vacation in CA for 5 or 6 years until the children are old enough and then start living in canada half the year.Leaving a big posibility of retiring in canada.Question; what obstacules might we find,and are there any money smart paths you might suggest? Thank You.
nelsona
Posts: 18346
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

Not really amy obstacles. Your Cdn citizenship will make it easy for your wife to immigrate to Canad (your kids are already Cdn -- automatically).
Tax-wise, the Cdn house will slightly complicate matters, but only at the time of sale.

Having this house on its own will not be enough to make your US income taxable, as it would simply be like having a cottage.

Your medical expenses will drop of course (if things remain as is).




<i>nelsona non grata</i>
chris
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:12 pm

Post by chris »

im not sure what is meant by medical expences dropping ,since we will be considered living in the U.S.
nelsona
Posts: 18346
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

If you live in Canada half the year you will be entitled to Provincial Healthcare (in exchange for having to file Cdn tax return probably).

This will drop your medical expenses.

<i>nelsona non grata</i>
nelsona
Posts: 18346
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

Geez, you just like to complicate EVERYTHING don't you?

OHIP is governed by the FEDERAL Health Act, and as such are required to pay for health care of all Cdn citizens and legal residents living in the province.

All other provinces (except NB) grant coverages IMMEDIATELY to returning citizens, as this is required by Health Act. All other provinces buy into this, because this is the law.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/medicare/chaover.htm
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/medicare/prov-e.htm

One could push their case against Ontario and NB and likely win. I'm surprised you aren't in court over this right now!

Let me make that clear: that's DAY ONE, no waiting period, no time limit. OHIP is skirting Federal law when they make these stipulations. You had no idea what the future held for you and your family, and nor did OHIP, and NOR DID THEY CARE!!

In fact OHIP even has a provision for covering Ontario 'residents' idf they temporarily leave the province for several years!

You likely pi**ed off the OHIP flunky, so he made life difficult for you. I'm beginning to understand him.

Your son <b>is Cdn </b> there is no option to be made in the matter, and was entitled from day one in Canada for free heathcare.


I get the sense, rh, that you you are the A-type, that probably spent all of 1999 (and 2000 ... and 2001) arguing that the Millenium didn't start on Jan 1, 2000 too.



<i>nelsona non grata</i>
nelsona
Posts: 18346
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

Like I said, ONLY ON and NB deny 'day-one' coverage to their returning citizens.

This is no doubt illegal, but no one has bothered to fight it yet (or maybe they have fought it on case by case basis and kept it quiet -- it's not like anyone is flocking to NB, eh?)

But you'll note at the descriptions for the other provinces: day one coverage is there for retuirning citizens.

Believe me I looked into this one, as I was one-step away from moving back for my son's birth 2 months ago....

The various returning poilicies on prov health plans was all discussed on the now-defunct grasmick.com tax forum.

There is lots of valuable info still there, although posting has ended.

In your case... Obviously you were getting pushed around, and the flunky earned his salary that day, by saving the prov lots of money (and costing you a bundle too). People go back to ON all the time and have no problem. Renounce US citizenship ... c'mon ... you bought that?!

Judging from your report on this experience, I fully expect to here about a Cdn national landing in Federal Prison after an armed stand-off at a Local IRS bureau as a result of an audit-gone-bad. Cdn gov't tries to step in to get death penalty commuted, but because this would mean having to sign a document stating that he may at some time in the past have been in Ontario, Cdn refuses and wastes away in Texas Death Row cell.

Years later, son -- avoiding the US draft for the war in Korea -- flees to Canada, renounces US citizenship, and gets a job at OHIP.



<i>nelsona non grata</i>
chris
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:12 pm

Post by chris »

rhollan,since I started this topic with a simple question and you turned it into a canada bash,I feel I have to inject..My mother died an unnessesary death in the hands of very incompitant american doctors(hindu's)and know for sure they are not THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
I can tell you are a george bush suck-up and will keep believing all the garbage you are fed because you dont open your mind.Well stop trying to push that crap here Texas is where it belongs,sincerly you should read(natural cures they dont want you to know about)it is easy reading and tells what the american medical system is about.P.S maybe they should just close the door to canada,from what I hear all people want to do is reap any benefits it offers and aviod any taxes it expects,how can that ever work.Bush Hater.
MaggieA
Posts: 150
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 4:06 pm

Post by MaggieA »

Fellows, I don't have such strong feelings (or extreme views) on this topic as either of you, but there's something about Rhollan's screeds that calls out for a response.

According to the C.I.A. world factbook (presumably a source RH would consider trustworthy?) at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html, average life expectancy at birth is 77.43 years in the USA, 79.96 years in Canada. So apparently the dreadful (accordng to you) Canadian medical system is doing a better job of keeping Canadians alive than the glorious liberty of the US system accomplishes for Americans.
nelsona
Posts: 18346
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

Nah, I thinks it's simply the cold that preserves better up there.[xx(]

<i>nelsona non grata</i>
Carson
Posts: 182
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 1:00 pm
Location: Toronto

Post by Carson »

LOL Nelson. With the current temperatures, I certainly do feel preserved.

Maggie: I think that attributing a "longer average lifespan" simply to the healthcare system is a gross oversimplification.

I'm sorry, but this politically charged sniping is completely off topic and more than a little immature.

Can we just get back to the boring, but complicated "Canada/United States Tax & Accounting Issues"??

[:)]


---------
Regards,

Carson Hirner
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