Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Hmm, so as I plan my immigration out of the US, I learned that I can actually become a Canadian Citizen (rather easily) due to one of my parents being Canadian.

A bit on the extreme side but would I rather have a Canadian Passport or my current US Passport? Where I am going I think being a Canadian would be better. Also, I do plan on travelling through the Middle East for work so being a Canuck might be a good thing there too.

Bonus: As I understand it, Canada does not tax the worldwide income of its "non-resident citizens".

Bonus 2: Ocean front homes in Nova Scotia are dirt freaking cheap!

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

You mean "emigration".

I do not have an answer to your question.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Ya but trust me, there aint nothing there. I spent a week there one night and I'm Canadian.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Go for it man. My 3 girls were born in the US but have NZ and Australian "citizenship by decent". Gives you more options.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

You may have a point. My niece lives out there. The people are very down home and friendly. Very poor, not much going on. When I worked for Mitel corp our Switching people were based out there and I went out on a few training courses. They could all drink me under the table.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

the problem is, if SHTF here or we go into depression, wouldnt canada still be rather affected by that?

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Anywhere in NS or NB where the housing is cheap, it's because there's no work to be had in the area. I looked into it myself a few years back. $80k for a 2 storey, 5 bedroom house with oodles of land about it, and bugger all else. Soil was useless for anything more than grass and the only work to be had was phone sales or whale tours.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Wow it was dead like that ?? who would have thunk it ??



T

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

if your coming to france they prefer the canadian passport and more of the red carpet treatment comes with it

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

That particular area was pretty well wiped out when the fishing restrictions landed. No fish, no money, no supporting businesses. Another area I looked at in NB took a similar hammering when they stopped the ferry from quebec that landed there.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

That is biggest reaon why I wont buy ANYTHING nowadays....... you dont know which areas are still going to viable after the dollars takes a serious dive and you could be holding a house or appartment building in the middle of fricken nowhere.



T

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Good question. The old line used to be: when the U.S. sneezed, Canada caught a cold.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

I looked into this when my wife and I were entertaining the idea of moving to Canada but as others have pointed out there is not much work there. Perhaps you should think about buying some reserve property in Canada for when things become unbearable. Perhaps if you do move to NS then you could always open a brew pub in Halifax or something. People always want to drink nd have a good time. Just a thought.

Just wait out things here. There are still free states with like minded people. Perhaps your chick won't want to go there like mine but perhaps down the line she will see the light. Good Luck DF

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Um ... no. One more pub in Halifax isn't going to make any money. As for brewing your own ... About 10 years back, I was down there, and visited a new brewery called New Scotland Brewery. They had local support, shipped to PEI and NB too. And their beer was heaven sent. They had a heavy ale called Caber.... I swear, it had the colour and constancy of 5w20 motor oil. You'd swirl the glass, and the beer would have to catch up. Went down like ambrosia. I was hoping to help get them into Quebec, but they didn't have the production at the time ... and the Quebec beer import laws were a nightmare. Two years later, I was horrified to discover they were gone. Out of business. How could anyone making beer like that not make money? Simple. Saturated market, and little cash in the pockets of it's patrons.

I might not kill for a fresh bottle of Caber today ... but grevious bodily harm isn't out of the question.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

I live in Ontario on Lake Huron. Many lakefront homes have been bought up by folks from Michigan in the past 10 years, but in the last couple a lot of them have put up For Sale signs as the easy money in the USA has dried up. Prices in this area haven't really declined yet though.

As to beer, Prof - you ought to pick up "Notes On A Beermat" by Nicholas Pashley - a humorous but informative book on beer drinking throughout Canada & beyond.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

OK, this is a long one!!
Im from the Uk, got overdue on my Visa got married and annulled and found my self stuck without a green card.
Yeah i know time to write a book! LOL
Not smart planning I know.
During my six years of being here found it problematic on tax payment.

I now have a checking account with Commerce bank of which they want me to supply new passport and file a W 8BEN, as they have to submit it every 3 years to US Gov.

On doing this im going to get hit with heavy taxes im sure.
Does anyone have a better idea as to any advice?

Canada Maybe???
But this is the stressful side of being off the radar and getting caught!
Would hate to give up my shiny stuff to IRS!


:banghead:

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

I recently spent 2 weeks in NS--Truro--and I can tell you what would be a money maker: Tasty organic vegetables. Or skip the "organic" and just go "tasty". I don't think I've ever seen a more woeful tomato wedge in my life. The problem is still the poor soil--it will take a few years to build up. But if you think obesity is bad in the United States, it's worse up there.

You'd need to have some greenhouses going to extend the seasons, but fresh, locally-grown produce would command a premium.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

I think you would be wise, but make sure you go into the tax thoroughly with a Canadian accountant. I live in Nova Scotia. It is true that there are few jobs, except in the service industry and so on and presumably you would not wish to live in a major city like Halifax. If you can devise a way of making a livelihood with a business run off the internet you would be OK.

Nova Scotia is lovely, but the winters are harsh and the growing season is short.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

funny, i was expecting some hate messages from people here.....not the reviews of :beer:

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

I hate anyone getting out of this freakin' zoo. BTW, unless you are a Labrador Retriever, you may experience some discrimination up in the maritime provinces.:D

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Actually, at the moment, at least as a tourist in NS I think Americans would be welcomed with open arms right now. I was in Mahone Bay last weekend, a popular tourist spot, and it was dead. There used to be lots of American cars there in the summer and at Easter and so on. Not any more. There were very few last year too.

Dog Farm might get some discrimination if he moved here, but I doubt it would be overt. Where it would show up is in trying to rip him off on the price of the property he was trying to buy, which they do to all 'foreigners' including Canadians from Out West and Ontario. Also the tradesmen here can scam people badly something which has to be watched.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

I think that people who keep citizenship in another country, when they have US citizenship, are not real US citizens and should be treated that way. On the other hand, I have a Turkish friend that just had to do his military service in Turkey so that he could keep his valid citizenship there. Evidently, if he would have refused, then the next time he visited Turkey to see his parents, they would put him in jail.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Don't be silly! No governments can be trusted. If a person can keep the options open for himself and his family, all the better.

Sadly, Americans, however individually nice, genuine and well meaning etc are not that internationally popular these days. Thank you Mr Bush and puppet masters. I think Dog Farm might be wise to explore this option at the least.

Dog Farm, please feel free to PM me if you decide that a move to Nova Scotia is something you and your wife really do wish to explore. If I can assist you both at all I am quite happy to do so. I do not say or know if it is the right answer, but it could be worth checking out since it is an option to you.

But if you want to grow food, forget water front in this province. NO CHANCE! If you want to do a Keef and keep a bug out boat on, the other hand ...! Perfect!

Maxine

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Another bonus is that almost every small town has a curling club! :D

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Too funny!:clap2:

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

The easiest way to immigrate to Canada is to wait for NAU.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

God Bless the Canadian Immigration Office. I think Uncle Sam is going to have one less nephew to molest behind the woodshed.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/citizenship....


A new law will come into effect no later than April 17, 2009, which amends the Citizenship Act. The new law will give Canadian citizenship to certain individuals who lost it and to others who will be recognized as citizens for the first time. Citizenship will be automatic and retroactive to the date of loss or date of birth, depending on the situation. Also, all individuals who are Canadian citizens at the time the law comes into effect will keep their citizenship.


Who will become a citizen
The law restores citizenship to the following individuals who lost it due to rules in previous laws:

People who became citizens when the first citizenship act took effect on January 1, 1947, including people born in Canada prior to 1947, war brides, and other British subjects who had lived in Canada for at least five years before 1947;
People who were born in Canada or became a Canadian citizen on or after January 1, 1947, and who then lost citizenship; and
People who were born outside Canada, on or after January 1, 1947, in the first generation born abroad, to a parent who was a Canadian citizen at the time of the birth.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

Wow, I kind of feel like I just joined the 'Lucky Sperm' club.

Re: Turning in US Citizenship for Maple Leaf?
 

If you can fit that bill, do it, Dog Farm. Though do not think that Canadians look like any shinning lights any more either, we do not. Too far in bed with US on the war support. NAU in the pipeline.

Move to Europe? Lord are you kidding? I just shipped out.

Nova Scotia is mainly insignificant, one can hope and cringe here, re TSHTF and in meantime it is a nice spot. Anyone starts a real nuclear war though you can sure be forgetting Halifax Harbour, fast. Very, very good natural harbour, international naval items will be in or it, or be wanting to use it, it will be wiped. Just in case, if for no other reason.