Lack of Home Country Ties == Tax Resident?

[laythan]

I'm a citizen & resident of the UK and I just received my COPR (yay!).

I am planning to enter Canada (with my Common Law Partner from the USA) before the end of 2018 to start things moving: file for the PR card, other paperwork, bank accounts, start looking at neighborhoods. We will likely stay only 1-2 weeks, and plan to return back to England and the USA respectively to continue living and working until we are able to get our affairs in order and give proper notice at our places of work (Feb/Mar 2019).

I'm concerned that entering Canada this side of 2019, would make me Tax Resident for 2018 and require me to file taxes there. I've read a number of similar posts on this forum that indicate this shouldn't be the case, but I'm a little more worried because of lack of my ties to the UK:

• I do not own or rent a property (living with family)
• I do not have bills in my name
• I do not own a car
• I do not have many social ties to the UK

My partner owns her house and car in the USA, so she is firmly planted there, but on paper at least its only my Full-time Employment and Finances that tie me to the UK. Is this enough to argue I shouldn't be Tax Resident if I do enter briefly in 2018?

Right now, I'm subject to a tax filing obligation in the USA for 2018 as well as the UK for 2017/18 and 2018/19, so I'm desperately trying not to complicate things further this year by adding Canada. That said, I also don't want to postpone activating our PR unnecessarily.

Thanks for any advice you may have.
Laythan

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I'm a citizen & resident of the UK and I just received my COPR (yay!).

I am planning to enter Canada (with my Common Law Partner from the USA) before the end of 2018 to start things moving: file for the PR card, other paperwork, bank accounts, start looking at neighborhoods. We will likely stay only 1-2 weeks, and plan to return back to England and the USA respectively to continue living and working until we are able to get our affairs in order and give proper notice at our places of work (Feb/Mar 2019).

I'm concerned that entering Canada this side of 2019, would make me Tax Resident for 2018 and require me to file taxes there. I've read a number of similar posts on this forum that indicate this shouldn't be the case, but I'm a little more worried because of lack of my ties to the UK:

• I do not own or rent a property (living with family)
• I do not have bills in my name
• I do not own a car
• I do not have many social ties to the UK

My partner owns her house and car in the USA, so she is firmly planted there, but on paper at least its only my Full-time Employment and Finances that tie me to the UK. Is this enough to argue I shouldn't be Tax Resident if I do enter briefly in 2018?

Right now, I'm subject to a tax filing obligation in the USA for 2018 as well as the UK for 2017/18 and 2018/19, so I'm desperately trying not to complicate things further this year by adding Canada. That said, I also don't want to postpone activating our PR unnecessarily.

Thanks for any advice you may have.
Laythan

Your lack of UK ties will not make you a resident for tax purposes in Canada. You are worrying for nothing.

 

[laythan]

Thanks for the reply and reassurance. After much deliberation, I think we'll go for it, like you said, we should be ok.

Cheers,
Laythan