US Citizen coming to Canada

[carslo 0]

My fiance (56) is thinking about retiring and then moving here to Canada to marry and live with me (48) until I retire; then we will most likely go to retire in Virginia. Can anyone give me any information on US citizens coming to Canada, then getting married, and then applying for landed immigrant status in Canada? I know this is not a usual question for this site. I did go look at the yahoo site, but it is cumbersome to find actual info there.

Thanks in advance.

[Flames9_RN 358]

http://forums.serbinski.com/index.php?sid=...69e26b292b2d1cc

Has USA to Canada info

[Jersey Girl 2]

US citizens coming to Canada, then getting married, and then applying for landed immigrant status in Canada?

Wish I'd never done it. It has complicated my life considerably. But at the time, I thought I'd live in Canada forever. I even became a citizen. For starters, she'll have to do two tax returns every year, one for Canada and one for the U.S. It's a headache, even if you can find a knowledgable tax preparer in Canada who's reasonably priced.

Next, there's health insurance. You'll pay through the nose in Canada with high taxes but it may not be there when you need it. If she's used to the U.S. system, where healthcare is a competitive industry, there's no waiting for tests or treatments, you choose your level of health insurance, and you can sue if something goes wrong, she's in for a shock. Especially in her 50s when things start to go wrong.

Coming back to the States, as an American, is no day at the beach either. It was a nightmare to re-apply for a driver's license because I had to prove my identity every which way to Sunday. Next, there's credit cards. My good credit score in Canada did not follow me to the States. Credit bureaus here refuse to check the ones in Canada. I had to get a secured credit card (where you deposit money) as if I were a student or someone who'd gone bankrupt.

Beyond all that, when you leave Canada, you'll still be on the hook for outrageous income taxes there until you can prove you're no longer a resident. This means cutting all financial ties. If you own property, you have to sell. Bank accounts, credit cards, RRSPs, all have to be closed down. This can take some time.

Then there's the question of retirement income and how it will be taxed, whether it's coming from the U.S. or Canada. But let's not go there.

If she's in her 50s, why not maintain her U.S. residency (at a family member's U.S. address?) and simply come to Canada as a tourist? I'm assuming she'll be retired (not working) and could cover herself with private medical insurance. Unorthodox, but perhaps an option?

[zyggy 9]

US citizens coming to Canada, then getting married, and then applying for landed immigrant status in Canada?

Wish I'd never done it. It has complicated my life considerably. But at the time, I thought I'd live in Canada forever. I even became a citizen. For starters, she'll have to do two tax returns every year, one for Canada and one for the U.S. It's a headache, even if you can find a knowledgable tax preparer in Canada who's reasonably priced.

Next, there's health insurance. You'll pay through the nose in Canada with high taxes but it may not be there when you need it. If she's used to the U.S. system, where healthcare is a competitive industry, there's no waiting for tests or treatments, you choose your level of health insurance, and you can sue if something goes wrong, she's in for a shock. Especially in her 50s when things start to go wrong.

Coming back to the States, as an American, is no day at the beach either. It was a nightmare to re-apply for a driver's license because I had to prove my identity every which way to Sunday. Next, there's credit cards. My good credit score in Canada did not follow me to the States. Credit bureaus here refuse to check the ones in Canada. I had to get a secured credit card (where you deposit money) as if I were a student or someone who'd gone bankrupt.

Beyond all that, when you leave Canada, you'll still be on the hook for outrageous income taxes there until you can prove you're no longer a resident. This means cutting all financial ties. If you own property, you have to sell. Bank accounts, credit cards, RRSPs, all have to be closed down. This can take some time.

Then there's the question of retirement income and how it will be taxed, whether it's coming from the U.S. or Canada. But let's not go there.

If she's in her 50s, why not maintain her U.S. residency (at a family member's U.S. address?) and simply come to Canada as a tourist? I'm assuming she'll be retired (not working) and could cover herself with private medical insurance. Unorthodox, but perhaps an option?

Besides all the tax stuff mantioned above...

If you want to do it go to www.cic.gc.ca. Go to the Immigrate to Canada link. There is no fiancee visa in Canada. To apply for permanent residency, you must be married or in a Common-law relationship (lived together for more than 1 year). You have two choices.. you can

1) Enter Canada as a tourist and then apply for Permanent Residency in Canada. This takes about a year and they don't recommend that you leave Canada until you get your PR status (which is taking more than a year). In the interim, you have to apply to extend your visitor status.

2) Apply for a Immigrant Visa outside of Canada. This takes about 6 to 9 months. Unlike the US, there generally is no interview. The directions and forms are all on the CIC website.

The one important tip is to do the medical last. after you get every else done and ready to send to CIC.

[Married_my_love 0]

gosh I am glad I am so in love with my husband.

Anyway, I am doing US to Canada and have been getting great help at

www.roadtocanada.com

you have to sign up and get approved because they had a troll problem, but it is really a great site with lots of people helping me.

and of course, everyone here at VJ has helped me, even though it isn't a us to canada site!!

[Flames9_RN 358]

Good and bad things about both countres. At least in canada if your poor you stil lhave access to medical help!! If you dont have medical insurance in the States, your screwed or will be when the bill comes due!!

One can keep their RRSP's in canada. One just has to notify there fininacial institution to treat them as a non resident! I had no problems being deemed a non-resident, was very simple.

I would move back in a flash!! My quality of life was much higher than it is now! Of course I resided for the msot part in smaller centres in canada, Biggest was Victoria BC. Housing is crazy in the DC area. $350,000 does not get much here, maybe a small 1 bedroom condo. Just my 2 cents!!

[carslo 0]

Thank you for guiding me in some direction in regards to web sites to contact. I have looked at them all so far. As Flames9 states no matter what your income you have access to health care in Canada. I have 100% medical/dental benefits at my job in Vancouver and live in one of the most expensive cities in Canada. My fiance lives in Los Angeles - another expensive city in the USA, and has to pay for his medical and dental benefits. The income taxes for both countries will most likely be the deciding factor. I am sure he will not sever all ties with USA as he has children there.

I just wanted a place to start looking and I believe that an Inland Sponsorship is the route to go. He moves here, we get married and then I start to sponsor him. As he will be retired there will be no urgency, if any, for him to work.

Thanks again,

Carslo

[Jersey Girl 2]

has to pay for his medical and dental benefits.

Perhaps the biggest myth about Canada is that health care is free. It's not. You pay for it with extremely high taxes. It's easy for a middle class person to be in the 46% bracket. On top of that there's GST (Goods and Services Tax) on just about everything. In Ontario, there's also PST (Provincial Sales Tax). These two taxes put an extra 15% on everything you buy.

With all these taxes, you'd think the health care would be first class. But many people are turned away from hospitals for lack of beds. I know, I was one of them and I was lucky because I lived. But a kid with asthma didn't.

Need knee surgury? The wait for orthopedic operations in British Columbia is 2 years. Some people can't take the pain and pay tens of thousands to go to India or Europe. They're are the lucky ones. People in Ontario die of cancer because they can't hold on for 9 months to get the diagnostic tests and treatments. Need more? Dental is not covered by government health plans. You pay out of pocket if you're not covered by an employer and even those plans rarely cover 100%.

In the States, you keep more of your own money and decide which level of medical coverage to buy. You see the insurance premiums coming directly out of your bank account. In Canada, you have no say in your level of coverage and you can't sue if something goes wrong. You imagine it's free because you don't write checks for premiums. But when you do your income taxes every year, and see that over 50% of all your money is going for some tax or another, you wonder what you're getting in return, and whether government should be running health care in the first place.

[happyimmigrant 0]

has to pay for his medical and dental benefits.

Perhaps the biggest myth about Canada is that health care is free. It's not. You pay for it with extremely high taxes. It's easy for a middle class person to be in the 46% bracket. On top of that there's GST (Goods and Services Tax) on just about everything. In Ontario, there's also PST (Provincial Sales Tax). These two taxes put an extra 15% on everything you buy.

With all these taxes, you'd think the health care would be first class. But many people are turned away from hospitals for lack of beds. I know, I was one of them and I was lucky because I lived. But a kid with asthma didn't.

Need knee surgury? The wait for orthopedic operations in British Columbia is 2 years. Some people can't take the pain and pay tens of thousands to go to India or Europe. They're are the lucky ones. People in Ontario die of cancer because they can't hold on for 9 months to get the diagnostic tests and treatments. Need more? Dental is not covered by government health plans. You pay out of pocket if you're not covered by an employer and even those plans rarely cover 100%.

In the States, you keep more of your own money and decide which level of medical coverage to buy. You see the insurance premiums coming directly out of your bank account. In Canada, you have no say in your level of coverage and you can't sue if something goes wrong. You imagine it's free because you don't write checks for premiums. But when you do your income taxes every year, and see that over 50% of all your money is going for some tax or another, you wonder what you're getting in return, and whether government should be running health care in the first place.

Whew! What she said!!

I have tried to explain exactly this to so many American friends who think we get the same health care in Canada as they do in the US - except it's "free." I'm going to clip your post and keep it to use the next time it's mentioned to me again.

I waited 7 months for an MRI, missed the appointment, and had to wait another 7 months for another one. Healthcare in Canada is badly broken, and the government has no business running it.

[Jersey Girl 2]

I waited 7 months for an MRI

The MRI labs in border towns like Detroit are doing gangbuster business. They take out full-page ads in Toronto newspapers telling Canadians to " come on down." There's no waiting and they take Canadain money at par, so there's a 15% discount right away. If you go to a U.S. clinic, you'll see lots of familiar faces, because most Canadian politicians go to the States for treatment.

Do you like hockey? I waited 9 months to see the NHL knee surgeon and another 9 months to be scheduled for a simple, 10-minute arthroscopy. (That's where they send a micro camera into your knee and scrape away bad cartilege.) You're supposed to be back at work in 3 days. But for me, it was 3 months. Because no one checked my medication before giving a general anesthetic and the combo with hormone pills was lethal.

I couldn't breathe when I woke up but they sent me home anyway because they needed the bed. I kept passing out for 2 days and called the hospital. They said, "Get back here in an ambulance right away!" But when I got there, I was turned away because there were no beds. Like many people in Toronto, I found myself listening to the ambulance driver cursing as we made the rounds of various emergency departments. Finally, I wound up on a Psyche Ward far far away. They were not equipped for orthopedics and my NHL doctor never showed up because he wasn't part of their staff.

It was a two-week nightmare, during which I was presented with a bill for the ambulance. When I finally got home, I needed 3 hours of physio a day. That's $180 a day, out-of-pocket, because it's not covered by government health insurance. Nor were the anti-inflammatory drugs I took for a year and a half waiting for surgery. They'll put a hole in your stomach as well as your wallet.

I was fairly healthy for the 38 years I lived in Canada and never needed anything more than flu shots and yearly GYN exams. But when I needed a routine, 10-minute operation, it nearly killed me. After surgery by "hockey's star doctor," I had so many blood clots to the lungs, they couldn't count them all. He may have been good with goalies, but middle-aged women were a mystery to him. My brother, a nurse in New Jersey, said they take women off hormonal replacement therapy a full month before any kind of surgery here, because they know the risk of clotting and death. Not to mention law suits, which are rarely successful in Canada because you can't sue the federal government.

When I tally up the cost of giving 50% of every dollar I made to the Canadian government for 4 decades, it's a huge sum compared to simply paying by the month for health insurance in the U.S. Here, it's a competitive business, hospitals want your business, and the care is world class.

Lousy health care in Canada was part of the reason I moved back to the States, especially since I'm in my 50s and expect to need care as I age. I still love hockey, Canadian beer, and the wilderness. But governments there should leave health care to the doctors.

Edited May 4, 2006 by Jersey Girl

[Flames9_RN 358]

Every one has good and bad experinces, My father has had 3 heart operations. Just came back from another lot of testing (which turned out ok) and he has never had a problem getting in to see the DR. The average cost of a heart operation is around $100,000 usd, thats a simpe one, good luck paying for that inthe USA if you do not have insurance. ya canada taxes are a bit high, but I stil believe I had a higher quality of ife there than in DC. Hopefully we will be moving to Texas in 2 yrs, life should be better there than here, housing is a lot cheaper at least!!

Sounds like your problem weas a misdiagnosis, hospitals would not send out a very sick patient, they wil find room, or send you to a different hospital. Both my sisters are RN's. Hope it works out for you. Best of luck

Edited May 4, 2006 by flames9

[happyimmigrant 0]

Sounds like your problem weas a misdiagnosis, hospitals would not send out a very sick patient, they wil find room, or send you to a different hospital. Both my sisters are RN's. Hope it works out for you. Best of luck

It was not a misdiagnosis, it was incompetence by the anesthesiologist (who is the one responsible for your anesthetic) for not picking up on the HRT medication before the procedure. She should never had undergone that procedure while on the medication she was taking.

The hospitals here can and do send home sick patients. I was sent home after surgery the SAME DAY because they needed the bed. I was unconscious and wheeled to the door in a wheelchair. At the door, a nurse roused me enough for me to stumble to my waiting ride, where I immediately fell unconscious again - because they can't discharge a patient in an unconscious state.

My ex-wife was sent home two days after her C-section because they needed the bed. She was unable to walk at that point. I had to carry her to the car.

The main problem is that instead of the focus being on giving quality care, the focus is on spending the least amount of money. The government allocates a specific amount for health care, and it is up to the hospitals to make sure they don't go above that amount. If that means cutting back on patient care, then so be it.

Multi-million dollar diagnostic imaging machines (such as MRI's) sit idle for many hours a day, because the government doesn't allocate enough money to utilize them fully. Hospitals here are prohibited by law to offer MRI's to patients who want to pay for the procedure - so instead, they offer the use of the unused MRI machines to veterinarians, who gladly make use of them. It's a sad state for healthcare in Canada that people must wait 7 months for an MRI, but your dog can get one tomorrow if needed. The only option for people is to go to the US and pay for one out of their own pocket.

With the cost of healthcare increasing steadily, the government's solution is to continually reduce what is covered. Many procedures that were once fully paid for by government healthcare are now either only partially covered (the patient must pay part) or not covered at all, and the patient must pay all of the cost of the procedure. It is very common for companies in Canada to now offer supplemental healthcare insurance to their employees to pay for all the things that the government system does not.

So not only do we pay ridiculous taxes to pay for a broken healthcare system, we ALSO end up paying health insurance premiums (using our after-tax dollars, of course) to pay for all the things that the government system no longer covers.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Hope it works better for ya in the USA. Not trying to rouse any feathers, as there are good and bad with both. if you have the $$$ in the USA your ok, but if you don't you suffer as well.

And its not always fast in the USA. I work for a lady, they are fairly wealthy, she is having serious thyroid problems and a few others. She isn';t happy with her current DR. She has been phoning around Since March. And the earliest she could see another specialist was Mid July.

One is never going to find a perfect system. I have yet to visit a USA hospital fort myself. Spent over 4 hrs last week with my wife when she serously sparianed her ankle. We have insurance,but will be interesting to see what the bill is!!

[Reba 2]

to the OP, be careful when your soon to be spouse is crossing the border with intent to immigrate, but has not yet completed any paperwork. We were told by CIC that this was perfectly legal and that my (then fiance) husband could cross the border, we get married, THEN we could start the paperwork. Wrong. He was stopped at the border, and told nope, he can't do that Then they decided that because of a juvenile charge he'd be a menace to society, so he's now banned. They didn't know of the charge tho when they first told him he couldn't cross without first completing the application process.

He may not have any problems if he doesn't bring any of his stuff with him, but has it shipped at a later date, after he has some sort of permanent status.

Just be careful, immigration authorities have the power to ruin your plans

[Married_my_love 0]

On the topic of U.S. vs. CA and healthcare...

Just my two cents. I am USC, lived here my whole life.

In 1990 my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had recently been laid off at 55 yrs old, a company he worked for forever sold out and the new young team let him go. He was in between medical insurance but thought he'd be ok since he could get Medicare. Since he was a Veteran they wouldn't allow him to get medicare. They said he was "lucky" because he was qualified for Veteran's coverage.

He died in the veteran's hospital, after some of the worst medical attention you could ever imagine. The VA nurses and doctors were all either "doing time" to work up to work at a real hospital, and the docs were malpractice leftovers. We had to do round the clock surveilance as a family to make sure they wouldn't do something evil to him. The week before he died they accidently radiated his brain. He was a vegetable when I last saw him before he died.

Fast forward to 2001. My beautiful 2 yr old niece was born with a rare brain cancer. At the time my brother and SIL had been looking to buy a house (their first) they had about 30K in savings. They now live in a 1 bedroom apt in the scariest ghetto neighborhood (4 people/1 bdrm). They have not a dime to their name because even with insurance and child care services Cindy's bills, 1.5 million, have left them completely wiped out. Her first brain surgery was $500K, the second $300k, some of her medicines are $100 an ounce. She is still fighting for her life, and they are over $500K in debt. Because she's a kid instead of an adult she's one of the lucky ones, as child care services won't just let her die.

Please don't think that being in the states and having medical coverage means you'll always be ok. My mother was so desperate to get my dad some real (expensive) treatment that she started paying it with credit cards. She lost the house we grew up in and at retirement age had ZERO funds to her name. All to try and get my dad a few more months on the planet, and to see doctors that weren't rejects.

It sounds like both countries have bad and good. I read your stories about how horrible canadian healthcare is, I get scared (since I'm moving there) and all I have to do is think about my dad and my niece. My mother lucked out and married again to someone with some $, so she's ok. My brother & SIL still live in the slums and Cindy is still battling, their debt will be forever and they'll never get out of it.