US PR Living in USA commuting daily to work in Canada

[CaliforniaRN 0]

Hello Everyone:

Need advice and kind of scared of all the Green Cards being revoked by USCIS Agents at border.

I'm Canadian Citizen have US Green Card. I will be living in Blaine, USA and commuting daily to work in Canada returning pretty much every evening to US.

Is this legal? Can my Green Card be seized? Does this work against time for Naturalization and becoming a Citizen? Does a reentry permit need to be filed despite the fact that I come back every night?

appreciate any advice

[Danu 19]

I haven't heard of this, but what I imagine might be happening (if it is) is people who aren't fulfilling their residency requirements? I know you are suppose to be in the county a certain number of days a year to keep your residency, and I suppose that if they decide that you haven't been meeting those requirements (abandoning residency) that they might do something. When it comes time to naturalize you need to account for every day you have been out of the country, and it could go against you as well. Not sure if a reentry permit would help nullify the abandoning residency, but i believe (someone will correct me if I'm wrong) that even a reentry permit does not make that time county as your required time for citizenship.

Do you have a link to where you were reading about this?

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Hello Everyone:

Need advice and kind of scared of all the Green Cards being revoked by USCIS Agents at border.

I'm Canadian Citizen have US Green Card. I will be living in Blaine, USA and commuting daily to work in Canada returning pretty much every evening to US.

Is this legal? Can my Green Card be seized? Does this work against time for Naturalization and becoming a Citizen? Does a reentry permit need to be filed despite the fact that I come back every night?

appreciate any advice

I think if it wasn't legal they would have taken your's away by now, how long have you been a PR? Do you have to present your GC everyday when returning home? Working across the border is very common for folks living in border towns. I don't know the circumstances of the news you've heard about GC's being revoked - do you think for some reason it sounds similar to your own circumstances?

[warlord 72]

I haven't heard of this, but what I imagine might be happening (if it is) is people who aren't fulfilling their residency requirements? I know you are suppose to be in the county a certain number of days a year to keep your residency, and I suppose that if they decide that you haven't been meeting those requirements (abandoning residency) that they might do something. When it comes time to naturalize you need to account for every day you have been out of the country, and it could go against you as well. Not sure if a reentry permit would help nullify the abandoning residency, but i believe (someone will correct me if I'm wrong) that even a reentry permit does not make that time county as your required time for citizenship.

Do you have a link to where you were reading about this?

Yes you can live in the US and work in Canada on PR status. You just can't live and reside in Canada and work at a Canadian job while having a US PR Status. As long as you come back to the US each night you are fine. Yeah you also may be delayed if you are going for citizenship, since this one is a bit tricky (you'd have to check the exact conditions they classify as being out of the county. Usually though day trips like that won't count against you).

Either way if you are still living in the US and just crossing over each day you are fine and nothing to worry about with residency status or losing your Green Card. Now your job on the other hand could raise questions if you are working for the government or military etc. Then you might need to check that out to see if those types of jobs will be grounds for breaking the GC...

[Flames9_RN 358]

There are a few that do exactly that--live in the USA, and work in Canada! 1 even work for Canadian Customs!!

[neiks 19]

Nothing illegal about commuting to Canada to work on a daily basis. I do it (I'm the Canadian Customs Officer) I also know a lady that is married to a US Customs officer and she commutes daily to work too in Canada. That is a big reason that there are NEXUS lanes at bigger ports for the daily commuters going back and forth to work in on country while living in the other.

Working for government or military in Canada shouldn't be any grounds for revoking a GC either. Both myself and the other lady work for the Federal Governement of Canada.

[warlord 72]

Working for government or military in Canada shouldn't be any grounds for revoking a GC either. Both myself and the other lady work for the Federal Governement of Canada.

I think this is dependent on the country that one is working for and not as 'any country's government'. Not 100% sure on this, but I know some people had issues working for the governments in India while on a Green Card. Plus working for any hostile nation's military and government to the US can cause some big issues too...

[CDAgirlMI 51]

This subject has been on my mind as well.

For those of you who cross back & forth....is just telling the US border guard you're coming home from work ok? Or do you need some kinda paperwork to show you're working?

And (this may be dumb)...even though we're Canadian, do we need any kind of legal paperwork to work in Canada, while being PR's of the US? Or can we just go back & work?

Thanks

[Flames9_RN 358]

ur still a cdn citizen, so it is not a problem!!

[neiks 19]

As a Canadian citizen it is a legal "right" for you to be able to work in Canada. Doesn't matter where in the world you choose to take up residency as a Canadian citizen it will always be your "right" to enter Canada, live in Canada, and work or attend school in Canada.

Only thing that you need to work will be a Canadian SIN #.

As for US Customs, you just tell them you are coming from work. They may ask what you do but that probably is more to make sure it's a legit job and your not a drug dealer, organized crime, etc...

[truckerbob 0]

How do you handle income tax stuff if working in Canada and living in the U.S.? What about contributing to US Social Security?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

How do you handle income tax stuff if working in Canada and living in the U.S.? What about contributing to US Social Security?

You file tax returns in both countries. As you are working in Canada you do not contribute to US Social Security but you do contribute to CPP. There is a tax treaty between US and Canada that generally prevents double taxation. You would file your Canadian return and then declare your Canadian income on your US return and take a Foreign Tax Credit backing out the amount that was taxed in Canada. That is a simplistic statement as you can appreciate there will be individual details that need to be addressed, but that is the general approach.

[truckerbob 0]

Thanks Kathryn41, you simplfied very well!!