# How does CRA know the date of my departure



## sohel32 (Mar 25, 2017)

How does CRA know the date of my departure? Can CRA ask airport authority about my departure. or can they ask the photocopy of my passport where they can find my departure date. 
How does CRA know what is my total amount of my world income unless there is a treaty between two continues.


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

The CRA sees all, knows all. It is omnipresent and omnipotent. It is infallible. It is able to bring the lamp of scrutiny to otherwise dark places. It is a force to be reckoned with and not underestimated.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

sohel32 said:


> How does CRA know the date of my departure?


If you mean for someone trying to get rid of their Canadian tax residency as they emigrate - one tells CRA on the final tax return for the tax year one left. For example, emigrate on Nov 7th, 2017 - then report that date on the 2017 tax return. This final tax return should also include the departure tax.
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/nnrsdnts/ndvdls/lvng-eng.html




sohel32 said:


> ... Can CRA ask airport authority about my departure. or can they ask the photocopy of my passport where they can find my departure date.


In an era where Canada and US border officials are sharing crossing info, you are thinking it would be difficult to get info from other Canadian agencies?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/0...ayed-border-info-sharing-plans_n_9429292.html




sohel32 said:


> ... How does CRA know what is my total amount of my world income unless there is a treaty between two continues.


Don't know ... but where one is paying what is owed - why would it matter as one is going to do it anyway?


Cheers


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Those are kind of leading questions. The CRA snoops on these forums may be asking Management for the OP's identity :chuncky: teasing


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

AltaRed said:


> Those are kind of leading questions. The CRA snoops on these forums may be asking Management for the OP's identity :chuncky: teasing


My comment was not altogether in jest. I would guess the CRA can easily identify anyone here without having to ask management or anyone else.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> If you mean for someone trying to get rid of their Canadian tax residency as they emigrate - one tells CRA on the final tax return for the tax year one left. For example, emigrate on Nov 7th, 2017 - then report that date on the 2017 tax return. This final tax return should also include the departure tax.


 This is only if CRA will agree to move you "tax country" to another country.... In order to get rid of CRA, you need to fill out a pretty big form and CRA will be checking yoir ties to Canadaand if they will allow you to move "tax country" to other country.



> How does CRA know what is my total amount of my world income unless there is a treaty between two continues


 Not sure if your income in US, but don't believe that CRA can get this info fro any other country, but in any case I wouldn't risk it if I had any income outside


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

The recent exposures of Canadians holding accounts in tax havens offshore reinforces that the CRA relies on transactions to collect information. Even enforcing the 212 day medicare coverage limit and the 183 day US presence test requires a lot of cooperation that is not currently in place. OTOH both Canada and the US have the luxury of demanding that you prove that you are compliant.

Make no mistake that enhanced border security cooperation will make the window close eventually.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

For the US, it is not "eventually" as information sharing started in 2013.
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/16/canada-us-to-share-real-time-border-crossing-details

The US has made a database available online.
http://blog.tugo.com/en/blog/database-tracks-your-border-crossing-history-for-you/


I am not finding it right now but I seem to recall that provincial health care plans were interested in the border crossing info to find those who were out of province longer than the limits to either charge them extra or drop coverage.


Cheers


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Yes, CRA is known to snoop in forums and social media:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/taxes-cra-facebook-big-data-1.3941416
http://business.financialpost.com/personal-finance/taxes/is-the-cra-creeping-your-facebook-page

As Eclectic mentioned, there is a lot of information sharing between US and Canada. This is a move in government/law enforcement that started post 9/11 because, ya know, terrorists. Each jurisdiction collects information for the other's citizen and then shares the data, sometimes resulting in data gathering that would not otherwise be permissible unilaterally.

Entries & exits are a great example. Neither Canada nor the US have exit stamping. Citizens would not respond well if they forced this upon the public. But each country certainly tracks the entries from the other. Once the two governments share this data, they effectively have entry & exit reporting. In my case (a business traveller between US & CA), I can pull up my logs through a government web page. It shows *every entry and exit*, the airport, and date. Example attached:


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

It cannot be difficult to track. Our passport gets read every time we enter most countries and I have little doubt that they are checked against Canadian records. The electronic trail begins. We were recently in Panama. They took our prints electronically coming and going. Thailand does the same on entry. I think we had this done when entering the US on one or two occasions. Plus, many countries take a digital photograph on entry, some on exit as well. If you watch the screen, it is is compared with the passport image on their screen ( I have watched from behind and could see the screen as DW was processed).

Passports are not secure. Finger prints or retina scans seem to be the future. 

The computers do the rest. We are going for our Nexus interviews next month. I have no doubt that the interviewer will have a complete list of our travels over the past five years, perhaps more. Right down to dates, times, and places of entry.

Besides, we have no reason to misrepresent ourselves to CRA.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Those fingerprints can also be shared between countries. This is a mechanism that countries use to get around laws that prevent unlawful search and fingerprinting of their own citizens.

When US gets your fingerprints & iris scan, it's safe to assume that the RCMP gets them as well.

For example Caribbean Canadians will often get fingerprinted at the US border. Through this mechanism, the Canadian government also gains fingerprint knowledge of its own citizens -- without warrants or lawful search.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Panama surprised us. Usually they ask for a digital thumb print. Panama insisted on a thumb print, then the other fingers-both hands, on entry and exit. We entered from US flight, and then again a few weeks later from Costa Rica.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

james4beach said:


> ... Entries & exits are a great example. Neither Canada nor the US have exit stamping.


I will have to check my old passport. I seem to recall that for tourist type purposes, only when transiting from Mexico through Miami to Canada or Italy to Newark to Canada did I get a stamp.

For TN visa work, I seem to recall a stamp for each entry and exit.


Crossing the border for a conference or vacation where there was a US destination meant no stamp either way.


Cheers


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## fstamand (Mar 24, 2015)

Big brother is watching.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Eclectic12 said:


> For TN visa work, I seem to recall a stamp for each entry and exit.


This is now electronic. Usually, nobody touches my passport but perhaps once or twice a year a US border guard feels like stamping it. But my passport is mostly empty and unstamped.

Otherwise all entry and exits show up electronically through the DHS I-94 portal.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I can't help but think that OP is thinking about being clever and lying about their time outside of the country. My advice: don't. It is not worth it.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

andrewf said:


> I can't help but think that OP is thinking about being clever and lying about their time outside of the country. My advice: don't. It is not worth it.


But what the point to lie CRA "about their time outside of the country"?! It's important for EI or OHIP... but CRA cares about yout income , not where did you earn it ...

OP actually in last sentence asks another question about World income....I've heard that some people who gets foreign pension don't report it to CRA... I don't understand why, as those pensions usually pretty small and don't affect taxes to much , but if CRA somehow will figure out, there will be a big problem.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

The OP wasn't talking about "time outside the country", in the question though. The question was about "date of departure" .... which I can think of a couple of ways moving that date will change what CRA will apply to income.


Cheers


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