US outland applicants' thread :)

[JayPinNC]

Yes the US almighty dollar is looks better & better! I wonder how long the price of oil will stay down?

Q1: Do you provide us clients with a W9? If not, do you have troubles securing US clients without it? Or are they happy to pay international contractors?

Q2: Do you have a cross border accountant? Or do you do your own taxes?

Until the Saudis get a new prince, apparently.

I should clarify - I'm not quite in Canada yet. We're on the cusp...

Q1: I supply one to those who ask. Typically, if I do over a certain amount of work, they ask. I think there IS a threshold that if you pay a contractor a certain amount (I think it's now a mere $600) or over, the IRS requires it. Some clients who don't pay me a lot just like to have it for peace of mind, I guess.

Q2: Here in the U.S. I do my own taxes. However, unless TurboTax comes out with a "Used to Live in Canada, Moved to U.S., has now Moved BACK to Canada" version, I may end up hiring someone.

Google this and the first link should help: "form-1099-for-payments-to-foreign-contractors-for-services"

If you are a U.S. person, or have U.S. indicia, you should probably just fill out the W-9 if they ask you for it. Maybe even offer it up anyway. If your client withholds taxes, which they can even if the suspect you are a U.S. person, you can always claim that on your income taxes as they should be sending that withholding to the IRS.

Please (this is a general comment to everyone on the forum who reads this) do your research to determine if you are considered a U.S. person living in Canada. The criteria for being a U.S. person and owing returns (not necessarily taxes) to the IRS is not as logical, or straightforward, as one might think. I'm already getting IRS forms from CIBC in Canada stating that I have U.S. indicia on my account and that I must report my account(s) to the IRS. The onus is ENTIRELY on you - there is no "I didn't know" defense.

 

[EvaCaryll]

are you the one applying for pr or are you sponsoring your family to become pr? if you are the one applying through a program that's not family sponsorship, then cic will make a decision based on your residency/citizenship. if your family is applying for pr and you are sponsoring them, it will be based on their residency alone, and your residency will have no impact of where it is processed. no one can tell you for sure where your applicaiton will be processed since the decision is for cic to make.

I am the one applying for pr through family stream. I am the principal applicant with dependents - wife and 2 kids. My wife and the 2 kids are in the Philippines. CIO still has our papers and it's been almost 6 months since we had done our medical. They have in receipt of our application in May 2014. :-(.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I am the one applying for pr through family stream. I am the principal applicant with dependents - wife and 2 kids. My wife and the 2 kids are in the Philippines. CIO still has our papers and it's been almost 6 months since we had done our medical. They have in receipt of our application in May 2014. :-(.

if you are the principal applicant, then who is sponsoring YOU? or are you applying through work related stream? it doesn't make sense for you to be applying through spousal pr if you are the principal applicant are not the sponsor. not all pr streams have the same processing time or is processed exactly the same way, so without clarifying through which "family" program you are applying for, we won't be able to guide you toward the right info.

 

[EvaCaryll]

if you are the principal applicant, then who is sponsoring YOU? or are you applying through work related stream? it doesn't make sense for you to be applying through spousal pr if you are the principal applicant are not the sponsor. not all pr streams have the same processing time or is processed exactly the same way, so without clarifying through which "family" program you are applying for, we won't be able to guide you toward the right info.

I got the family sponsorship through my sister-inlaw in Manitoba. Is Provincial Nominee different from Family Sponsorship? My apologies... am just confused... I think it's a Provincial Nominee Class through family sponsorship... am I making sense? :-(

 

[rhcohen2014]

I got the family sponsorship through my sister-inlaw in Manitoba. Is Provincial Nominee different from Family Sponsorship? My apologies... am just confused... I think it's a Provincial Nominee Class through family sponsorship... am I making sense? :-(

yes. that makes sense. you did not apply through "family" sponsorship, you applied through the "provincial nominee program". to get an accurate picture of the processing for the PNP program, you will want to go to the main page of this forum, and go to the board about the Provincial Nominee Program and direct your questions there. That is a completely different process, and people on this board are being sponsored through spousal or parent sponsorship, so you will not get much help here.

 

[EvaCaryll]

yes. that makes sense. you did not apply through "family" sponsorship, you applied through the "provincial nominee program". to get an accurate picture of the processing for the PNP program, you will want to go to the main page of this forum, and go to the board about the Provincial Nominee Program and direct your questions there. That is a completely different process, and people on this board are being sponsored through spousal or parent sponsorship, so you will not get much help here.

Thanks a lot...'appreciate the replies-great help

 

[JayPinNC]

More about importing your used vehicle to Canada...

So, I'm putting together my B4 + Goods to Follow and it came to the part where I have to place a value on my vehicle for export from the U.S. into Canada. During my research, I came across a CBSA memo (Memorandum D13-10-2) from April of last year and found this paragraph:

"Neutral Sources – Country of Exportation
12. For imported used vehicles which are not “sold for export to Canada,” importers may declare a value for duty
by referencing used vehicle valuation guides published in the country of export, which list retail sales values for
vehicles in average condition. These values indicate the amount any purchaser can expect to pay for the vehicle,
whether purchased for use in the country of export or for export to Canada. Examples of such publications are the
U.S. Automobile Red Book – Official Used Car Valuations and Parker’s Used, New and Trade, Car Price Guide
published in the United Kingdom. The value of any options included in the vehicle being valued which are not
included in the basic price of the vehicle as listed in the guide, must be added in order to determine the value for
duty."

Values for used cars vary by region in the U.S. My research shows that these variances can reach around 6%. It may pay to do your research and find a valuation that's a little easier on your wallet, as the USD-CAD conversion may really bump up the amount of duty/tax you could potentially be paying on a car (depending on your individual situation). My advice, if you're valuing your car, get a value based in your ZIP code...and THEN get a value using a Miami ZIP code and a NYC ZIP code. See which one you like best (read: use the lowest value). From my interpretation, this method is still within the guidelines of the above CBSA memo.

 

[ifear]

Just wondering if I can get anyones help really quickly. My husband and I decided to fill out the outland application form and with it i'd like to include an application for an open work permit. Im just wondering if it would be a quicker processing time to do the 2nd option and send it to the local office here in Alberta, instead of all together to missuaga.. It says to send it to that specific office if I didnt send one in with the sponsorship application. I also can't find anywhere for processing times for that specific office. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks so much!

 

[MilesAway]

Just wondering if I can get anyones help really quickly. My husband and I decided to fill out the outland application form and with it i'd like to include an application for an open work permit. Im just wondering if it would be a quicker processing time to do the 2nd option and send it to the local office here in Alberta, instead of all together to missuaga.. It says to send it to that specific office if I didnt send one in with the sponsorship application. I also can't find anywhere for processing times for that specific office. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks so much!

Open work permits are only available to inland applicants.

 

[ifear]

Open work permits are only available to inland applicants.

where does it say that?

 

[MilesAway]

where does it say that?

Taken directly from the CIC site:
You may be eligible to apply for an open work permit if you are in one of the following situations:

You are already working in Canada and your application for permanent residence has been approved under one of the following :
Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada class
Live-in Caregiver Program
Federal Skilled Worker Program
Canadian Experience Class
Provincial Nominee Program
Federal Skilled Trades Program
humanitarian and compassionate grounds
You may also be eligible if you are a family member of someone whose application for permanent residence has been approved under one of the above.

 

[ifear]

Taken directly from the CIC site:
You may be eligible to apply for an open work permit if you are in one of the following situations:

You are already working in Canada and your application for permanent residence has been approved under one of the following :
Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada class
Live-in Caregiver Program
Federal Skilled Worker Program
Canadian Experience Class
Provincial Nominee Program
Federal Skilled Trades Program
humanitarian and compassionate grounds
You may also be eligible if you are a family member of someone whose application for permanent residence has been approved under one of the above.

can you provide a link please?

 

[MilesAway]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=177&t=17

 

[ifear]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=177&t=17

oh i see why I thought I could. I'm currently here with a visa longer then 6 months. I figured id be able to send in my application for a work permit with my application because of this. Did I assume wrong? :c

 

[MilesAway]

That's referring to temporary resident permits, which are not visas. So yes, that does not apply to you.