Canadian citizen with US green card wanting to give birth in Canad

[pika_sil]

Hi everyone,

I am a Canadian born in Canada. I moved to the US at age 24 on a work visa, fell in love with a US citizen and recently got married at age 31. I applied for and received my green card with conditions (can be removed after 2 years when the government can prove our marriage is legit).

We are now planning to have a baby within the next year or so. My family lives in Canada and my mom has cancer and is palliative. She is slowly getting worse and I don't know how much longer she has. I would like for her to meet her grandchild.

My question is, if I want to have the baby in Canada so my mom can meet the baby asap, at what point in my pregnancy
should I return to Alberta in order to qualify for health care in Alberta? How long do I need to stay in Canada to qualify and will my baby have dual citizenship?

I know I need to be in the USA for 6 months of the year to keep my green card. Will there be any issues on the US side if I come back to Canada to have my baby?

Thank you in advance for any input you may have!

 

[Leon]

As a returning resident, you can get health care in AB as soon as you arrive. However, keep in mind that in order to be eligible for health care in any province, you need to reside there for 6 months a year. If you arrive, register, have a baby and leave and do not stay six months, you take the risk that AB may retroactively cancel your health card and send you the bill for your baby. However, I have never heard about AB doing this but BC health has.

Your baby with 1 Canadian and 1 US parent will have dual citizenship no matter where it is born.

Actually, the rules for the US green card say you should not be outside the US for more than a year so if you are in Canada for less than a year, you shouldn't have to worry. You can verify this here: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/820