Submitted 1 week ago by Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world to [deleted]
Hey all, my partner and I have decided to tie the knot, so I’m going to be on my way from the US to Canada.
I’ve been looking all around the .gov websites, but I am looking for other helpful sites, or maybe even ‘baby’s guide to Canadian stuff’. I’ve been up there a lot so I know how every day life feels, but have no realistic idea about taxes or insurance or voting, etc etc. So yeah, any help would be appreciated.
Don’t mind me, I’m just going to hang around and read the suggestions just in case things get much worse.
Fingers crossed it doesn’t, friend. But yeah… Oof
I’ve only given it a relatively cursory look in the past, but it seems like Canada doesn’t give a quick pathway to citizenship via marriage. I think you can get a residency status somewhat quickly and easily, but it seemed like you’d need to live in Canada for a decade before you could apply for citizenship, whereas for my wife we could apply for US citizenship after 3 years or after she’d had her green card for 3 years, I can’t remember which exactly.
If you have the money, a lawyer can make the process a lot easier for the US, so I’d guess the same might be true for Canada.
Also, double-check how Canada views things, but if there’s any chance you might want to get your spouse a green card in the future, the US government strongly prefers that you get married in the United States. They seem very suspicious that marriages conducted in another country might not be real and that it’s just a scam to try to get a green card. The longer you’re married the less of an issue it is, but if you decide to get a green card in the first few years it could be a problem. If Canada is not as strict about that then you may want to have the legal wedding ceremony in the United States, even if you’ll be living in Canada.
And overall, I feel like it’s most valuable to try to get both parties some sort of citizenship or permanent resident status in both countries. You never know when a family medical emergency might lead to you moving to another country, and that’s not when you want to try to establish residency permission. Canada seems to require you to actually live there for more than half the year to apply for residency, so we haven’t done that for me, but since you will be living there you should be able to. I think you can also apply for a green card without immediate plans to live in the US (but double check that) so you may want to start that process sooner than later.
Yeah I’ll have residency and access to most social programs until I become a citizen, but it’s 3 years of residency and then passing the test for citizenship. I figure there’s likely courses offered by universities or libraries or whatnot for the test. Or at least workbooks.
But we’re not entirely sure if my partner will get a green card. She’s rather uncomfortable with the US in general right now and doesn’t think her opinion will change unless something drastic happens and we swing vastly the other way politically. Fingers crossed, but I am running out of any glimmer of hope.
For taxes, you need a Social Insurance Number, which you can get from Service Canada. When you get hired someplace, you will be given TD1 forms to fill out (one Federal, one Provincial). If you know you’re getting certain tax credits, you can write them on this form so less tax is withheld from your pay. Most people just claim the basic amount (it’s on the form already, don’t worry), fill in personal details like name, address, Social Insurance Number, then sign and return to the employer.
Before tax time, you will have some tax forms mailed to you. The most important of these is your T4, which is your record of employment income for the tax year. You use any slips you receive to fill in your tax return and submit it to the Canada Revenue Agency by the April 30th deadline. Most people receive a modest refund. If you owe any taxes, they must be received by April 30 as well.
If you have a simple tax return, it’s easy to fill it out yourself using free online tools or TurboTax or whatever. If you have a more complex tax situation like out of country investments, you’ll probably want to hire an accountant.
The Government of Canada’s website is probably going to be the most useful resource for you when it comes to taxes: www.canada.ca/…/important-dates-individuals.html
For voting, once you’re a citizen, just check the checkbox that gives CRA permission to share your address with Elections Canada and you’ll be registered to vote automatically. At election time, they’ll mail you a voter information card with the poll locations and times on it. If there’s an election after you have citizenship but before you submit your taxes for the year, you’ll have to register, which you can do on the Elections Canada website: www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=reg…
To actually vote, you need two pieces of ID with proof of identity and / or proof of address. A voter card counts as proof of address but if you don’t have one, you can bring almost anything with your name and address on it, like a bank statement or utility bill. For proof of identity, a driver’s license is most common but basically it has to have your full name and photo on it, so passport, age of majority card, health card, etc. There is a complete list of accepted forms of ID on the Elections Canada site.
Most insurance related things are Provincial areas if responsibility (healthcare, transportation), so that will vary a bit. The Province’s website should have info on that stuff for you. In Ontario, you’d visit Service Ontario for vehicle or driver registration and to get a health card. For car insurance, you’d likely want to visit an insurance broker. Car insurance is mandatory here and if you’re ever stopped by police while driving, you will be expected to have your driver’s license and proof of insurance.
Huzzah, thank you for the full breakdown, I really appreciate it!
Hmmm, I’ve been looking at jobs in the hope I can make my transition easier, but it sounds like I’ll need the social insurance number before I can really be hired. Catch 22.
But still, thanks a bunch!
Happy to help!
Assuming you already have your PR documents, you should be able to apply for a Social Insurance Number in advance online: www.canada.ca/en/…/apply.html
otter@lemmy.ca 1 week ago
By
.govdid you mean the Canadian government sites? If not, these links might help (in order of how helpful it might be):www.canada.ca/en/…/settle-canada.html
www.canada.ca/en/…/publications-manuals.html
www.canada.ca/en/…/discover-canada.html
Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Ohh good to know about the AI gen. Ugh. That’s just bullshit.
But yeah, been looking at the canada.gov ones and am aware of BCs slightly different healthcare things - ie medications aren’t covered except maybe sometimes. It’s weird.
But thanks for the rest!
otter@lemmy.ca 1 week ago
In Canada, healthcare is a provincial responsibility and so it might be different across the country. With medications especially, we have a patchwork of overlapping rules and support systems. The new national pharmacare system was supposed to be the first step towards fixing that mess, but unfortunately with the new government:
thetyee.ca/…/Canada-National-Pharmacare-What-Happ…
Also no problem and welcome to Canada! :)
Feel free to ask questions in !canada@lemmy.ca or !askacanadian@lemmy.ca