# Am I a subject for income tax declaration?



## torontoeu (Jan 13, 2014)

Hi all.
I and my family became permanent residents in May 2012 (1.5+ years from today). 
Upon arrival I got my SIN, opened a bank account (deposited 200 cad) and got driver's license, no residential ties, no car, no health card, no clames for child benefits etc.... We stayed in Canada for 1 week and returned to our home country.

In June 2014 we plan to move to live and work in Canada permanently.

I have three questions:
1) Do I need to declare&pay taxes for period May 2012 - June 2014? (This is the period I was permanent resident but I did not live or work in Canada)

2) During period May 2012 - June 2014 I earned extra money in my home/native country. Can I legally transfer my money (without having to pay additional taxes) to Canada since upon landing in 2012 I declared I have only 25.000 CAD (and today I have 70.000 CAD in possession)

3) If I carry some money with me (i.e. 11000 CAD) when arriving in Canada will I be a subject of customs fee?

I would appreciate if you can share any government internet link with additional info.

I thank you for your comments.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/nnrsdnts/ndvdls/nwcmr-eng.html

There is no customs fee to bring money into Canada but you will need to declare it.


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## Guban (Jul 5, 2011)

1) no. You don't need to file a return if you are not resident in Canada.

Please excuse my ignorance, but how did you get permanent residence if you were not resident in Canada? If you were resident before May 2012, you'd have to file an exit return to show that you left the country. 

My understanding of your other questions is the same as Spudd's.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Guban said:


> Please excuse my ignorance, but how did you get permanent residence if you were not resident in Canada? If you were resident before May 2012, you'd have to file an exit return to show that you left the country.


Off-topic but a sore point with me. Seems people can 'buy' permanent residency to some degree. Remember the huge taxpayer cost to rescue all those Lebanese when the heat was on in Lebanon, i.e. all those who had obtained Canadian permanent residency (for convenience) but chose to live back in their home country... until it was inconvenient? That was a low point in taking advantage of the system. The fodder for another thread.....


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

AltaRed said:


> Off-topic but a sore point with me.
> 
> Seems people can 'buy' permanent residency to some degree. Remember the huge taxpayer cost to rescue all those Lebanese when the heat was on in Lebanon, i.e. all those who had obtained Canadian permanent residency (for convenience) but chose to live back in their home country... until it was inconvenient? That was a low point in taking advantage of the system. The fodder for another thread.....


Maybe ... but my co-worker who lived in Canada at the time & was visiting relatives on vacation appreciated being evacuated. I recall he said he was on the second ship.


Cheers


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Eclectic12 said:


> Maybe ... but my co-worker who lived in Canada at the time & was visiting relatives on vacation appreciated being evacuated. I recall he said he was on the second ship.


That is the way it should be. At the time, I seem to recall there was some discussion on minimum Canadian residency time to qualify for free evacuation but the gov't probably wisely shelved that when countries like Britain and USA did not differentiate.


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## Cdnwife (Sep 10, 2013)

AltaRed said:


> Off-topic but a sore point with me. Seems people can 'buy' permanent residency to some degree. Remember the huge taxpayer cost to rescue all those Lebanese when the heat was on in Lebanon, i.e. all those who had obtained Canadian permanent residency (for convenience) but chose to live back in their home country... until it was inconvenient? That was a low point in taking advantage of the system. The fodder for another thread.....


Despite returning to their home country, there are still requirements to maintain their residency. So yes, they may go back 'home', but they must spend 730 days every 5 years on Canadian soil to keep that PR card. I get more miffed at those Canadians abroad who no longer contribute to our tax base yet collect benefits. I question if they are truly entitled to saying the are residents if they spend less than 5 months on Canadian soil.

In terms of the OP, even if you are not in Canada, I believe you need to file for 2012 indicating the day you came to Canada (I.e. The day you landed) and the day you left. Not sure about 2013. I am not an accountant, but once you land I suspect you have a responsibility to file for the time until you exit. You may want to see if there is any reciprocal tax agreements with your other home country.


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## Guban (Jul 5, 2011)

AltaRed said:


> That is the way it should be. At the time, I seem to recall there was some discussion on minimum Canadian residency time to qualify for free evacuation but the gov't probably wisely shelved that when countries like Britain and USA did not differentiate.


I generally agree with you too about Canadians of convenience. Not sure how things are in the UK, but the US requires all of its citizens and green card holders to file tax returns. If nothing else, it further ties these people to the country. A pain yes, but that's just one cost of being American. I'm sure that it contributes to the US tax base too. I bet that we'd lose a lot of "Canadians" if we demanded the same, just like many "Americans" are renouncing.


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## Zeeshanbmerchant (Jan 4, 2014)

No

You are not a resident for Tax purposes, nor are you a non resident earning Canadian Income

P.S. Permanent resident cards and Drivers License are residential ties. However the two alone are not enough to make you a resident


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