Hello, everyone...

[KarenCee 3]

Having the case transferred to CSC means there won't be a GC interview. Doesn't mean it will get approved any sooner, just means no interivew. As for the other question, we filed married jointly but only because Joel had one months wages for that year. Not sure what to tell you about the Vac Sup. We took the vac record from Joel's family doctor to a CS and he filled it out (plus giving him the Tetanus shot he needed) for $50. The only RFE was for the Affidavit of Support...I had already sent it but wound up sending it again. Thank god I had made two sets of copies of the complete package!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Regarding taxes - it has been a few years since we filed our first joint taxes but I can share what we did as I was in a similar position - I only had income from Canada.

First, get the Emigrants' Tax Booklet from Canada Revenue Agency - http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/nonresidents/.../leaving-e.html - it will help explain some of the things to consider for ReJean's Canadian taxes - he needs to complete his first before you do your joint American taxes. Since he only worked in Canada he is eligible to claim a full year's tax credits against his total Canadian income so he should get a very nice tax return. Once he knows how much tax he paid in Canada, you need to convert the Canadian dollars for his total income and his paid taxes to US dollars. You claim both his income and your income on your US return, taking the spousal deductions for which you are eligible, then filling out a Foreign Tax Credit form for the tax ReJean paid in Canada. It basically cancels out double taxation problem - he gets a rebate from Canada, and you get to claim the better deductions for filing jointly.

We also purchased one of the big written tax guide books that you can find at Barnes & Noble and Borders and used that to gain a better understanding of paying taxes for non-citizen residents. It was a BIG book, but it helped a lot. The IRS also has a help line where you can type a specific question and get a response from an agent. That was also useful. ( http://www.irs.gov/help/article/0,,id=97185,00.html ).

I do remember, because of the Foreign Tax Credit form, we could not file electronically and had to use the paper forms. It was worth it - we both received substantial refunds.

Good luck.

Edited December 30, 2007 by Kathryn41

[Allie 5]

Did Rejean apply for hos Employment Insurance?

No. He got the paper that he needed from his old employer too late.

I think it should still be valid. They'll just penalize weeks for late filing. I lost 12 weeks for filing late. Give it a try nothing to lose by filing it

[Flames9_RN 358]

I would give EI a call, al they can do is say no!! They are a nice bunch (or they were,lol)