I would be very grateful for some advice on the following points. First, however, a brief outline of the background. I have been living with a Canadian citizen in the UK for the last 25 years. She has a house in BC and it has been our intention for several years to live there eventually: she would very much like to live near her family in her old age and the last thing I wish to do is to split up our family by staying in the UK. My application for permanent residency was accepted in 2014, I duly landed within the time limit, registered for national insurance (I forget what exactly it is called) and then we both returned to the UK to sell my house. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one's point of view ,it is a very large country house with lots of land and peripheral cottages and has been very difficult to sell. Reputable estate agents were immediately instructed and the property was advertised internationally but so far there have been no offers. However things are looking up and it is now possible that a buyer can soon be found. However there are difficulties:
(1) The validity of my PR card expires in June 2019. I know that I have not fulfilled the residency requirement and the High Commission in London knows it also: I received a few months ago a letter from them inviting me to consider whether or not to surrender my card. So if between now and June 2019 I pass through Canada Immigration showing my card I am likely to be stopped and my eligibility queried. However it used to be the case that living with one's Canadian spouse outside Canada qualified in lieu of residency in Canada. Is that still the case? I regret that I have not been following the threads on this forum for some while and do not know the up to date position. Assuming that that is still the law, what is the appropriate time at which to invoke it? Presumably one has to fill in an application form, provide evidence, supply photographs and pay fees? I intend to read on and discover what I can but a helping hand would be appreciated!
(2) I am anxious about BC medicare. I have unfortunately reached the age (81) when one's body ceases to work like clockwork and my chances of arranging any useful insurance during the usual waiting period of 2+months are poor. I suffer from degenerative kidney disease and in the very near future will require dialysis.That was disclosed at the time I had my medical and I have no qualms about that. As a spouse of a Canadian I was not debarred from being accepted as a PR because of the expense of treatment, but the fact remains that if I have to pay for my treatment for the first 2+ months, that will entail considerable expense for me. I vaguely recall a post by Ponga to the effect that he was able to persuade the administrators of BC medicare to allow one spouse to tack on his/her membership of the scheme to the registration of a spouse who was already registered. Assuming for argument's sake that my spouse returned to Canada to live a few months before me and duly registered with BC healthcare and I remained behind to wind up our affairs in the UK, would I be able to add my membershp of the scheme to hers as soon as I settled in Canada? I have undertaken quite a bit of reading on this subject (not as yet involving reading all of Ponga's thousands of posts) but as yet have not found anything covering the issue. The nearest I have been able to find concerns a spouse who moves to BC from another part of Canada, which is not my case. Can anyone quote chapter and verse in support?
Sorry for the length of this post!
(1) The validity of my PR card expires in June 2019. I know that I have not fulfilled the residency requirement and the High Commission in London knows it also: I received a few months ago a letter from them inviting me to consider whether or not to surrender my card. So if between now and June 2019 I pass through Canada Immigration showing my card I am likely to be stopped and my eligibility queried. However it used to be the case that living with one's Canadian spouse outside Canada qualified in lieu of residency in Canada. Is that still the case? I regret that I have not been following the threads on this forum for some while and do not know the up to date position. Assuming that that is still the law, what is the appropriate time at which to invoke it? Presumably one has to fill in an application form, provide evidence, supply photographs and pay fees? I intend to read on and discover what I can but a helping hand would be appreciated!
(2) I am anxious about BC medicare. I have unfortunately reached the age (81) when one's body ceases to work like clockwork and my chances of arranging any useful insurance during the usual waiting period of 2+months are poor. I suffer from degenerative kidney disease and in the very near future will require dialysis.That was disclosed at the time I had my medical and I have no qualms about that. As a spouse of a Canadian I was not debarred from being accepted as a PR because of the expense of treatment, but the fact remains that if I have to pay for my treatment for the first 2+ months, that will entail considerable expense for me. I vaguely recall a post by Ponga to the effect that he was able to persuade the administrators of BC medicare to allow one spouse to tack on his/her membership of the scheme to the registration of a spouse who was already registered. Assuming for argument's sake that my spouse returned to Canada to live a few months before me and duly registered with BC healthcare and I remained behind to wind up our affairs in the UK, would I be able to add my membershp of the scheme to hers as soon as I settled in Canada? I have undertaken quite a bit of reading on this subject (not as yet involving reading all of Ponga's thousands of posts) but as yet have not found anything covering the issue. The nearest I have been able to find concerns a spouse who moves to BC from another part of Canada, which is not my case. Can anyone quote chapter and verse in support?
Sorry for the length of this post!