Losing medical after getting green card?

[Flames9_RN 358]

Flames9_RN, you mean the bill from canadian medical?

My situation is my parents retiring in canada. (they only have old age and a little cpp). They are planning to move to US since Im the only child. My aunt is in nursing home and they alao want to take care my aunt in canada here there. I called USCIS, talked to a representative and he suggested I should submit I130 anyway since my parents only need to come in US once a yr to maintain green card. So I did.

Their plan is to stay in US 6 months exact and Canada 6 months exact. (3 months per stay). Of course maybe I shouldnt trust representative but now the process already started, I just want to see what options we have. My dad on medication that they have to stay in canadian medical.

Worst come to worst I will withdraw my application. I dont want to cheat the system but just want to see if its ok if they do 6 months each country out of a yr is possible so they can help us out with kids and take care my aunt as well.

Thanks everybody for reading and helping.

One best look into it more.....as I'm pretty certain once they get their green card..they are no longer entitled to Cdn health care..........Resident means a lot of different meanings for each situation......Can't always have your cake and eat it too.

Another source to inquire may be ur provincial health care, explain the whole situation..

[NikLR 13,227]

We had another member inquire because she activated her green card and those of her children but wasn't planning on moving to the USA yet. She was told that her family no longer met the requirements for OHIP because they were US residents even though they still lived in Canada for a few more months for the children to finish school.

Also if your parents are not going to be in the USA any longer than 6 months a year, why bother going through the time and expense of a green card. They can do that as a visitor.

Eventually the CBP and CBSA will catch up with fraudulant plans. "How will they know?" is a question people ask when they want to cheat the system IMHO. That means you don't mind doing something wrong, as long as you won't get caught.

BTW when your parents have a US green card, they must present that green card to enter the USA. Also because the visa will be in their passports, the CBSA can easily flip through and see their endorsed visas until they aquire new passports. Their taxes will also show they live in both countries.

If you want to listen to the misinformation line, or ask how will they know, or not listen to people who have called and made these inquiries already, then by all means, do whatever you would like to do. It's against TOS for this website for anyone to suggest anything other than a legal route for you and your family.

[sbm7 0]

Let me update what my finding is. I called to canadian medical department. I explained the situation. They said as long as my parents stay 183 days in canada they would be considered primary resident. And they can keep their canadian medical. My parents have to notify medical department if their trip is longer than 30 days. Also they said immigration cannot take away their medical card. Its two seperate department. Hope it helps other people looking for same topic.

[sbm7 0]

I did specify green card situation and she said they called them snowbird. I would call again for different representative to confirm that though. On the other side, I called a lawyer specialized in Canadian US immigration, she said as long as my parents satify both side residency requirement they can keep resident status for both countries.

[belinda63 3,038]

Why the green card if they aren't going to live here. BTW a snowbird refers to someone who comes to visit the US for six months, not have permanent residency here. Just as someone from say NYC might have a home in Florida they go to in the winter. They are still only a resident of one of the states.

[NikLR 13,227]

Yes a snowbird is someone who visits the USA for up to 6 months a year, normally in the winter, and generally owns a home down here (mostly in warm and cheap places like Arizona.)

There is no "Canadian" medical department. Each province runs their own system. Like I said before, someone else already has done that and I gave you the information she was told.

From OHIP website:

Your eligibility for Ontario health insurance coverage is based solely on:

• you having one of the above OHIP-eligible citizenship or immigration statuses, and
• you making your primary place of residence in Ontario, and
• meeting the physical presence requirements.

Just about every province I looked up said that you had to be present in the province (physically) for 6 months a year and make that province your permanent home.

However the green card requirements means that you make your permanent residence in the USA. So how does one have a permanent residence in a Canadian province but yet a permanent residence in the USA?

[aaron2020 11,651]

Let me update what my finding is. I called to canadian medical department. I explained the situation. They said as long as my parents stay 183 days in canada they would be considered primary resident. And they can keep their canadian medical. My parents have to notify medical department if their trip is longer than 30 days. Also they said immigration cannot take away their medical card. Its two seperate department. Hope it helps other people looking for same topic.

So the "Canadian Medical Department" are experts on maintaining US LPR status?

Super, they can keep Canadian health benefits as PRIMARY RESIDENTS OF CANADA. This will have zero effect on the fact that US LPRs ARE REQUIRES TO BE PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF THE US.

Please have the "Canadian medical department" tell you how your parents can be permanent residents required to live in the US can also be at the same time primary residents of Canada. If Canada is primary, then the US is secondary - oops a violation of maintaing US residency.