K-1's, are you keeping your citizenships?

[jd. 10]

Hey all!

 

My fiance and I were just questioning if it would be good for me to keep my Canadian citizenship..and having to eventually file for a dual citizenship..

I'm not quite knowledgable in this area which is why my questions are:

How would I keep my Canadian citizenship?

How hard is it to apply for a dual citizenship, what's the process like?

What did you guys do, keep or leave?

...And honestly any information would be good because I do not know what questions to ask and where I would start in regards to research.

 

Please and Thank you ❤️

[ThomasNC1988 762]

Just follow the path to US citizenship. Your Candian citizenship will be unaffected. The US will not recognize your Canadian citizenship afterwards, but you are not required to give it up.

[Ontarkie 14,143]

~~Moved to US Citizenship General Discussion, from K1 P&P - the topic is about citizenship~~

[Cryssiekins 976]

I believe it’s harder to actually renounce Canadian citizenship than it is to just obtain US citizenship.  US only recognizes 1 citizenship officially, but obtaining it doesn’t negate your Canadian citizenship.

 

There’s no harm in applying for it once you qualify.  The biggest factor, for me, is the ability to vote where I reside, since right now I can’t vote in the US or in Canada (must be a resident in a province).

 

The only real hassle is having to carry two passports for trips home (you have to enter Canada as a Canadian citizen if you are one, and you would have to enter the US as a US citizen when you are one), but that’s pretty trivial.  
 

At the end of it all, it’s a personal choice to apply or just stay as a permanent resident.

[geowrian 22,337]

Like others said, getting US citizenship does not impact your Canadian citizenship. There is nothing special to do for dual citizenship.

Citizenship has benefits (i.e. voting, immigration, etc.), but also has responsibilities (i.e. worldwide taxes). It's a personal preference, but usually the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Note that this is specific to Canada - other countries have their own rules for citizenship where it may not be so easy or even impossible to hold both.

[patrick33 19]

21 minutes ago, Cryssiekins said:

I believe it’s harder to actually renounce Canadian citizenship than it is to just obtain US citizenship.  US only recognizes 1 citizenship officially, but obtaining it doesn’t negate your Canadian citizenship.

 

There’s no harm in applying for it once you qualify.  The biggest factor, for me, is the ability to vote where I reside, since right now I can’t vote in the US or in Canada (must be a resident in a province).

 

The only real hassle is having to carry two passports for trips home (you have to enter Canada as a Canadian citizen if you are one, and you would have to enter the US as a US citizen when you are one), but that’s pretty trivial.  
 

At the end of it all, it’s a personal choice to apply or just stay as a permanent resident.

Canada changed the rules for voting abroad, you can now vote in federal Canadian elections!!

 

I was going to vote in this past one but applied too late. I am registered to vote now though in any upcoming elections! They mail you a ballot. I think you can even vote in local elections too. 

[Cryssiekins 976]

10 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Like others said, getting US citizenship does not impact your Canadian citizenship. There is nothing special to do for dual citizenship.

Citizenship has benefits (i.e. voting, immigration, etc.), but also has responsibilities (i.e. worldwide taxes). It's a personal preference, but usually the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Note that this is specific to Canada - other countries have their own rules for citizenship where it may not be so easy or even impossible to hold both.

Important distinction I forgot to mention.  There are many countries that do not allow for dual citizenship.

 

5 minutes ago, patrick33 said:

Canada changed the rules for voting abroad, you can now vote in federal Canadian elections!!

 

I was going to vote in this past one but applied too late. I am registered to vote now though in any upcoming elections! They mail you a ballot. I think you can even vote in local elections too. 

I did NOT know that.  Interesting.  It seems sort of weird to me to be able to have a voice there when it does impact me.  

[jd. 10]

27 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Like others said, getting US citizenship does not impact your Canadian citizenship. There is nothing special to do for dual citizenship.

Citizenship has benefits (i.e. voting, immigration, etc.), but also has responsibilities (i.e. worldwide taxes). It's a personal preference, but usually the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Note that this is specific to Canada - other countries have their own rules for citizenship where it may not be so easy or even impossible to hold both.

Okay so the tax part, to my understanding I have to keep filing for taxes even after I get the US citizenship? Will not doing it affect my Canadian citizenship? Sorry I'm very clueless when it comes to this part =S

[jd. 10]

25 minutes ago, patrick33 said:

Canada changed the rules for voting abroad, you can now vote in federal Canadian elections!!

 

I was going to vote in this past one but applied too late. I am registered to vote now though in any upcoming elections! They mail you a ballot. I think you can even vote in local elections too. 

Did they mail you the ballot at your new address in the states?

[jd. 10]

49 minutes ago, Cryssiekins said:

I believe it’s harder to actually renounce Canadian citizenship than it is to just obtain US citizenship.  US only recognizes 1 citizenship officially, but obtaining it doesn’t negate your Canadian citizenship.

 

There’s no harm in applying for it once you qualify.  The biggest factor, for me, is the ability to vote where I reside, since right now I can’t vote in the US or in Canada (must be a resident in a province).

 

The only real hassle is having to carry two passports for trips home (you have to enter Canada as a Canadian citizen if you are one, and you would have to enter the US as a US citizen when you are one), but that’s pretty trivial.  
 

At the end of it all, it’s a personal choice to apply or just stay as a permanent resident.

Okay, I see...I was also wondering about OHIP, how do I make sure to keep that? Lol 

Also, thank you so much for your responses all, I really appreciate it 🤗

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,085]

I know I'm advising my wife to pursue citizenship, but it's more obvious this is a good idea from Russia than from Canada (there's almost no difference between where you can travel visa-free on a US vs Canadian passport, for one).

[patrick33 19]

1 minute ago, donjamie said:

Did they mail you the ballot at your new address in the states?

No, found out too late and registered too late for this past Canadian federal election. But I did get an email from Elections Canada that said, and I quote, "However, your application will be processed and your name will be added to the International Register of Electors. At the call of the next general election or by-election in your riding, a voting kit will be sent to you automatically." You have to enter your previous Canadian address and it uses that for the local elections I guess.

[jd. 10]

1 minute ago, patrick33 said:

No, found out too late and registered too late for this past Canadian federal election. But I did get an email from Elections Canada that said, and I quote, "However, your application will be processed and your name will be added to the International Register of Electors. At the call of the next general election or by-election in your riding, a voting kit will be sent to you automatically." You have to enter your previous Canadian address and it uses that for the local elections I guess.

Okay that makes sense, great to know that my future votes will still count!

[geowrian 22,337]

14 minutes ago, donjamie said:

Okay so the tax part, to my understanding I have to keep filing for taxes even after I get the US citizenship? Will not doing it affect my Canadian citizenship? Sorry I'm very clueless when it comes to this part =S

Yes, you are responsible for filing taxes as a USC even if you decide to live abroad. Usually it's a reporting issue more than tax liability issue due to the FEIE, but there are some situations where you could owe US taxes still.

It has nothing to do with Canadian taxes.

[Cryssiekins 976]

1 hour ago, donjamie said:

Okay, I see...I was also wondering about OHIP, how do I make sure to keep that? Lol 

Also, thank you so much for your responses all, I really appreciate it 🤗

You don’t get to keep OHIP, unfortunately.  The day you leave the province with the intention of living somewhere else, you forego health insurance.  For that, you do have to live there.  Your partner can add you to their insurance, even without a SSN. It’s a bit of a pain in the butt to deal with insurance and banks while you don’t have a SSN, but they have to.  My calls usually involved supervisors and higher, as it’s not a common thing they do, but it can be done.  (I had massive issues with SSA when I got here, so my advice double check the details on your i94 [spelling of your name especially] before you leave customs).
 

Also, for taxes:  the first time you file while in the US, I found it easier to use a service to assist as I had a mix of Canadian and US income, and there was an additional form to be declared a US resident for tax purposes.  After that, you just file with the US.  CRA, to my knowledge, does not require you to file a nil report, unless you have income (from a rental property, etc).