Americans Living in Canada! I Have Questions For you! :)

[Hillary in KS]

My dh has been unemployed for a couple of months. A Canadian friend sent dh a lead on a job with the friend's company in the Toronto area. (Dh would be working for a Canadian company, not an American company in Canada.)

 

We have lived in other countries before. (Well, *one* other country.) But it was temporary. This would likely be fairly permanent. We're praying about the situation, and aren't sure how things like this work.

 

If you're an American citizen living in Canada, what sorts of things should we be looking at/asking about?

 

How do taxes/passports work?

 

I know there are many Canadians who homeschool, but I thought I remembered CleoQ saying that many homeschoolers in the east do so sort of under the radar. Has that been a problem?

 

What do you wish you'd known before you moved?

 

What if we don't really like hockey? Will that be a problem?

(Ok. That one was a joke.)

 

There's no guarantee that dh would get this job. Only that his contact at the company thought it would be a good fit. We are not a family that wishes to leave the United States out of protest. It's just that it's a *job*. And jobs are good. :) Dh would like to think of the implications of moving before responding to the HR rep.

 

So we'd appreciate any opinions or insight that you might have! Thank you! :)

[Audrey]

My dh has been unemployed for a couple of months. A Canadian friend sent dh a lead on a job with the friend's company in the Toronto area. (Dh would be working for a Canadian company, not an American company in Canada.)

 

We have lived in other countries before. (Well, *one* other country.) But it was temporary. This would likely be fairly permanent. We're praying about the situation, and aren't sure how things like this work.

 

If you're an American citizen living in Canada, what sorts of things should we be looking at/asking about?

 

If it's going to be permanent, you will likely need to look at applying for permanent resident status, although initially, your dh will probably come in on a work permit (I'm guessing).

 

Ask the company HR person about entering the country for the job, your family's immigration, taxes, etc. They should have info on file pertinent to your situation. I only know about moving here when you've married a Canadian.

 

How do taxes/passports work?

 

I know there are many Canadians who homeschool, but I thought I remembered CleoQ saying that many homeschoolers in the east do so sort of under the radar. Has that been a problem?

 

That is only in Quebec. Everywhere else is fine. The process varies from province to province. Info for homeschooling in Ontario can be found here.

 

What do you wish you'd known before you moved? That cold can be so cold as to have no known word to describe said cold. That Canadians are not just like Americans.

 

What if we don't really like hockey? Will that be a problem? No. I married a Canadian and he doesn't like hockey either. It's not a problem.

(Ok. That one was a joke.) I know, but it's still a legit question. :001_smile:

 

There's no guarantee that dh would get this job. Only that his contact at the company thought it would be a good fit. We are not a family that wishes to leave the United States out of protest. It's just that it's a *job*. And jobs are good. :) Dh would like to think of the implications of moving before responding to the HR rep.

 

So we'd appreciate any opinions or insight that you might have! Thank you! :)

 

I would look at the Immigration Canada website before anything else. It should answer most of those hard questions. Other than that, I would have a serious family talk and see how adaptable you feel you can be. Even though it's just Canada, it is still a significant change.

[Colleen in NS]

Taxes: If you work here, you pay taxes here. You'd only pay taxes to the U.S. if your income is over a certain amount (it was around $80,000/year the last I knew - it seems to go up every year). You do have to file U.S. tax forms still, though. Although our (American) tax deadline is June 15, instead of April 15, because the Canadian deadline is April 30 (need to do Cdn. taxes before you can do American taxes).

 

Passports: Your dh would probably get a work visa on his U.S. passport. All of your family would likely need passports to move here. I'm like Audrey - I married a Canuck, so the permanent residency process was a little easier. I imagine it would be a little while before you could apply for residency status.

 

Homeschoolers in the East: I'm in the east, and I don't homeschool under the radar - only in Quebec do they do that, LOL! Just read Cleo's posts and you'll see why. Quebec is sorta like its own country...

 

What I wish I'd known before I moved: I wish I'd learned a little more about Canadian culture before showing up here. Then I wouldn't have done "ignorant American" things like laughing out loud when someone told me the one dollar piece is called a "Loonie." I also wish I'd not been so ignorant about my own American culture before I came, because the Canadians all seemed to know more about it/American history than I did!!! But, you are homeschooling, and I wasn't back then, so this will probably not be a problem for you.

 

Hockey: Uh, should we talk about this so soon after the Olympics?? :lol: Not everyone in Canada likes hockey, although that could be a problem in Toronto, just kidding :lol:. BTW, Toronto is pronounced by locals as "Trono" (sort of)

 

I don't think Toronto is as cold as where Audrey is, though. Although it's probably colder than Kansas. :D Toronto is a fun city.

 

I'm not sure when, but definitely if you become a permanent resident, you'd be eligible for the child tax benefits (monthly tax free payments for raising children, based on income), and for provincial health insurance coverage. No matter the past debates here about universal health care, I LOVE this benefit.

 

hth feel free to shoot more questions at us. We like talking about it. :D

[AHASRADA]

If you're an American citizen living in Canada, what sorts of things should we be looking at/asking about? Umm...

 

How do taxes/passports work?

 

As American citizens, you are technically always required to file taxes in the US (assuming you make enough money worldwide to merit filing). Since you will likely be paying and filing taxes in Canada, and those taxes will likely be more than what you would have paid in the US, you shouldn't have to pay again in the US, they just want to know :glare:.

 

As for passports, you just use your US one. When you cross the border and they ask where you live, tell them Toronto. If they (rarely) ask why you live there, tell them due to dh's job. No biggie.

 

I know there are many Canadians who homeschool, but I thought I remembered CleoQ saying that many homeschoolers in the east do so sort of under the radar. Has that been a problem?

 

Yes, only an issue in Quebec and I think Newfoundland. Toronto should be no big deal.

 

What do you wish you'd known before you moved?

 

Can't think of a whole lot...maybe that their spelling is slightly different, LOL! I think the most important thing would be to contemplate the distance from family and friends. I live in Canada, but my family is only 2 hours away across the border in the US, so I have a foot in both worlds. Personally, I would prefer to be here just across the border than on the other side of the (same) country.

 

I wouldn't worry so much about the "a different country" aspect, as just a different geographical location. What if you were moving to Chicago, or Dallas, etc? What questions would you ask and what would you want to research? Maybe cost of living, crime statistics, weather, homeschool groups and activities... Do the same for Toronto. It's a job, it's the same continent, the same language, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Best of luck with the job hunt!

[Colleen in NS]

more...

 

Sticker shock: It took me awhile to get used to paying 15% tax on a bottle of shampoo (the tax amounts vary from province to province) - when you are shopping, just think that something will cost a bit more than what you might be used to. Also, some things here do cost more for the base price - like a bottle of shampoo.

 

Bilingual: Road signs are in English and French. So are product labels.

 

We also use the metric system.

[AHASRADA]

laughing out loud when someone told me the one dollar piece is called a "Loonie."

 

Oh yes, and don't forget that the 2-dollar coin is called a "two-nie" :lol:

 

It's true, there are little things, like the letter "z" is pronounced "zed", zip codes are "postal codes", and bathrooms or restrooms are called "washrooms". But again, these are all regional differences that could be found just by moving to another region of the US.

 

Be as informed as possible, but don't worry ;). Life is an adventure and a journey. Buy a GPS, join AAA, make sure your seatbelts are fastened, then sit back and enjoy the ride!

[Audrey]

more...

 

Sticker shock: It took me awhile to get used to paying 15% tax on a bottle of shampoo (the tax amounts vary from province to province) - when you are shopping, just think that something will cost a bit more than what you might be used to. Also, some things here do cost more for the base price - like a bottle of shampoo.

 

Bilingual: Road signs are in English and French. So are product labels.

 

We also use the metric system.

 

 

A check is that little mark you make to tick something off of your to do list. A cheque is that piece of paper you write to pay someone. Except no one writes cheques much anymore. They use their Interac (or debit) cards.

 

You are already familiar with hockey as a sport played on ice, but in Canada it also involves beer.

Curling is a also sport played on ice... and involves beer.

Ringette is another sport played on ice... and involves beer.

Canadian football is a sport mysteriously NOT played on ice... but it does involve beer.

 

Donuts can be found at Tim Horton's. Tim lives everywhere. And, I do mean everywhere, so it is not hard to find donuts. Canadians love donuts -- sometimes in disturbingly obsessive ways.

 

Coffee can also be found at Tim's. This is the good coffee. It is possible there are Starbucks around, but Tim's seems to be the preferred caffeine dealer most places.

 

But, oh wait... you were going to Toronto, in which case all bets are off. Wear black head-to-toe all the time, talk and/or email excessively on your BlackBerry, and you'll blend right in there.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Audrey

[spradlin02]

How do taxes/passports work?

Remember Canadians pay taxes for their healthcare and they have to wait in long, long lines and it's not nearly as good as ours.

 

 

What do you wish you'd known before you moved? That cold can be so cold as to have no known word to describe said cold. That Canadians are not just like Americans.

Oh man, the cold. In Calgary they build skywalks from building to building so you don't have to go outside in the winter.

[JeneralMom]

How do taxes/passports work?

Remember Canadians pay taxes for their healthcare and they have to wait in long, long lines and it's not nearly as good as ours.

 

Untrue. I wait much longer in the US to see a good doctor than I did back home in Quebec, and I found the quality of care to be better - less pushing of medications and surgeries. The doctors spent more time with you, rather than nurses/PAs.

 

 

What do you wish you'd known before you moved? That cold can be so cold as to have no known word to describe said cold. That Canadians are not just like Americans.

Oh man, the cold. In Calgary they build skywalks from building to building so you don't have to go outside in the winter.

 

Montreal has a wonderful underground warren of shops, metros and restaurants. I really miss it.

 

 

At least the above is from my experience.

 

The one thing I would point out is that Canada is not a homogeneous culture; every region is different just like in the US. If you were moving to Dallas, you wouldn't only study up on Boston, for instance. Quebec (where I am from) is a whole different thing entirely. The high tax pays for excellent municipal services (good roads, buses, metros, healthcare).

[Sarah CB]

 

Coffee can also be found at Tim's. This is the good coffee. It is possible there are Starbucks around, but Tim's seems to be the preferred caffeine dealer most places.

 

 

 

Really cool Torontonians drink Starbucks. Not Timmies.

[Embassy]

So we'd appreciate any opinions or insight that you might have! Thank you! :)

 

Come on over! If you live in the Toronto area you will live in one of the most diverse areas of the world. It is an easy place to study and experience various cultures. Just last week my boys were playing their first game of cricket with a neighbor boy who spoke Urdu. I love it here.

 

We have been here less than 2 years. My husband is Canadian so the move was easy as far as paperwork goes. If you don't like hockey now, you may change your mind :001_smile:

 

I'm still trying to figure out US and Canadian spelling differences though. Temperatures are quite different too. I am getting used to knowing what 10 degrees means now. And Tim...you need to get to know him. Those fruit explosion muffins are the best!

[spradlin02]

Originally Posted by spradlin02

How do taxes/passports work?

Remember Canadians pay taxes for their healthcare and they have to wait in long, long lines and it's not nearly as good as ours.

 

Untrue. I wait much longer in the US to see a good doctor than I did back home in Quebec, and I found the quality of care to be better - less pushing of medications and surgeries. The doctors spent more time with you, rather than nurses/PAs.

 

It's not true, it's not true, it's not true.

:willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

:leaving:

[Jean in Newcastle]

It's not true, it's not true, it's not true.

:willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

:leaving:

 

You live in Montana. Stop trying to stir the pot.

[Audrey]

You live in Montana. Stop trying to stir the pot.

 

 

Montana? I hear Alberta's creeping the border south a meter at a time. They figure Montanans won't notice until it's too late because they don't know what a meter is. :lol:

[Colleen in NS]

How do taxes/passports work?

Remember Canadians pay taxes for their healthcare and they have to wait in long, long lines and it's not nearly as good as ours.

 

I believe the bolded part (emphasis mine) is a blanket statement, and untrue as such.

 

In the spirit of Hillary's original post, as an American living in Canada, I can say that I much prefer the Canadian tax/healthcare system to the American one. I spent the first 25 years of my life in America, and I've lived here in Canada for over 17 years now, and my impressions are that most people living here feel the same way. It's just not a big deal here to pay taxes for healthcare, and many places in Canada have EXCELLENT health care, and most places have GOOD health care. We may not always get what we might *want* (such as a private hospital room) without additional private/employer insurance, but we usually get what we *need* (such as a c-section, an ER doc to see a barely-breathing child, a free ambulance ride from one hospital to another when ordered by an ER doc - boy, was I pleasantly surprised about that -, an overflow clinic for H1N1 patients, free Tamiflu from the overflow clinic as a result of H1N1 - and no, no gov't. official forced me to take that - I took it voluntarily :lol: etc. X 17 years). The health care system is the biggest reason why my dual citizen family stays in Canada, much as I long for the warmer weather, family, and old friends in the States.

[Colleen in NS]

Quebec ...high tax pays for excellent municipal services (good roads, buses, metros, healthcare).

 

Post-secondary, too! I remember CleoQc posting recently about how *inexpensive* a potential McGill education could be to her kids!! I was shocked!

 

Really cool Torontonians drink Starbucks. Not Timmies.

 

:lol: I have a friend in Oakville (outside TO - Hillary, another way to refer to Toronto - you say the letter names: T, O) who is a coffee snob. I don't know if he ever goes to Tim's.

 

Stop trying to stir the pot.

 

:iagree: I'd hate to see this thread start circling the drain.

[JeneralMom]

Post-secondary, too! I remember CleoQc posting recently about how *inexpensive* a potential McGill education could be to her kids!! I was shocked!

 

I can't 100% remember, but I think I paid around $1000 per semester (maybe per year) at McGill in the early 1990s. I remember I was able to pay for it all from the little part-time summer job I took.

 

I will not stir the pot, nor will I get into a debate. We are considering moving the family back to Canada (my DH is from Montana, and we had considered there, too) for the healthcare and other social services. However, after hearing about homeschooling in Quebec, it would probably not be back home to Montreal. I am jealous of a friend here in San Antonio who is moving back to Canada this summer and is going to live in Kingston.

[AHASRADA]

I have only lived in Canada for 2 1/2 years, and I am sure that healthcare differs between provinces, as well as depending on one's individual healthcare needs.

 

My personal preference would be to have good health insurance in the US. My healthcare experience in the US has been exponentially more positive than here in Canada. Most people don't even bother trying to find a family doctor (because most are not accepting new patients), so our only option is to spend literally half the day waiting in line at an immediate care office, in order to see the Dr. for (literally) 5 minutes. There is no one to follow our care, and so little time is given to diagnosis (really no time), that I worry if any of us had something tricky or complicated, or that needed to be followed up on. I have visited a couple of hospitals for appointments, and they were both terribly overcrowded. Patients in beds lined the halls, with no privacy. Friends who have given birth here say there are normally 4 women! per room on the maternity ward, with each one's husband and family visiting and sometimes spending the night. I guess you can have a semi-private room by paying $150 per night, which is no big deal, but yikes!

 

I am sure not everyone has had the same experience, but for me, the primary difference between being a patient here in Canada vs. the US, is the difference between feeling like a charity case, bowing my head and taking whatever they decide to give me, vs. being treated as a valued, respected customer, with options and the power to make my own healthcare decisions.

 

All that said, the Canadian system is certainly better than nothing, and better than paying 1k per month or more for insurance in the US if you are unemployed or self-employed.

 

Admittedly, this is a major reason why we are here, in addition to the low college costs. So, we suck it up and put up with the substandard but free care, and look forward to not going into insurmountable debt for our kids' higher education.

[Hillary in KS]

Sorry for the late reply. Thank you all for responding!

 

I'm going to click on some of the places that have been linked in this thread, and then respond in a little bit.

 

However, I would like to ask that this thread NOT become a health care debate. I'm primarily concerned with the questions I addressed in the OP.

 

I've lived in the United States for nearly 40 years and am very familiar with the health care system here. i have lived in a foreign country with government health care and am familiar with it as well. I have several friends in the States who have emigrated here and we have discussed their experiences under governmental heath care.

 

In short, my opinions on the subject have been drawn from personal experience with both systems and anecdotal experience from close friends. I understand the system of health care that Canada has, and I don't wish this to become a "Mine is better that yours!" thread. :D

 

Thank you!

[Colleen in NS]

I can't 100% remember, but I think I paid around $1000 per semester (maybe per year) at McGill in the early 1990s.

 

Cleo's current research on this was not a whole lot more than this. Amazing.

[AHASRADA]

 

However, I would like to ask that this thread NOT become a health care debate. I'm primarily concerned with the questions I addressed in the OP.

 

I don't wish this to become a "Mine is better that yours!" thread. :D

 

Thank you!

 

Great point, and I apologize if I may have contributed to the debate. I saw a few posts speaking quite highly of Canada's system, and just wanted to provide balance by discussing the other side.

 

I agree, every country, their systems and ways of doing things, etc., have their pros and cons. There are definite benefits to living in Canada, just as there are in the US.

 

To address the OP, Toronto is a very vibrant and interesting place, similar enough to living in a US city to be comfortable, and just different enough to be exciting. The related logistics should not be anything too complicated to deal with.

 

Hopefully you have found the information you were looking for in this thread, and I wish you the best of luck in your decision.

[spradlin02]

Montana? I hear Alberta's creeping the border south a meter at a time. They figure Montanans won't notice until it's too late because they don't know what a meter is. :lol:

 

Better not, cause we have guns. And lots of 'em. But with the price of loonie these days, they don't have to. They're just buying it.

 

I believe the bolded part (emphasis mine) is a blanket statement, and untrue as such.

 

Of course it's untrue. I'd take the Canadian system over ours any day of the week. I just read an article featuring a man who had a necessary nasal surgery done in Ireland for $3000; cost in US, $33,000. We're going off my employers insurance in August and you can bet your life I'll be pricing treatment in Calgary and Vancouver (ah yes, Vancouver).

[Colleen in NS]

Of course it's untrue. I'd take the Canadian system over ours any day of the week.

 

Then were you just joking about this part: "they have to wait in long, long lines and it's not nearly as good as ours." Was that meant to be silly? If so, then now I can read it in that "spirit." :D

 

Hillary, I thought of something else. I just finished doing up my Cdn. and U.S. tax forms yesterday. I gotta say, the Cdn. tax forms are so much easier to fill out, and they are easier on the eye! Bigger print, more space between lines, less "packed" instructions, much thinner instruction books. Also, the "foreign earned income exclusion" (I think that's what it's called - form 2555 or 2555EZ anyway) is now up to $91,400 U.S. per year - you can earn up to that equivalent here and not pay taxes to the States.

[Storm Bay]

I know there are many Canadians who homeschool, but I thought I

Can't think of a whole lot...maybe that their spelling is slightly different, LOL! I think the most important thing would be to contemplate the distance from family and friends. I live in Canada, but my family is only 2 hours away across the border in the US, so I have a foot in both worlds. Personally, I would prefer to be here just across the border than on the other side of the (same) country.

 

I wouldn't worry so much about the "a different country" aspect, as just a different geographical location. What if you were moving to Chicago, or Dallas, etc? What questions would you ask and what would you want to research? Maybe cost of living, crime statistics, weather, homeschool groups and activities... Do the same for Toronto. It's a job, it's the same continent, the same language, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Best of luck with the job hunt!

 

 

Actually, this depends on where you are and have lived in the States and where you are moving to in Canada. To live in Canada 2 hours from family will mean a much smaller culture/country shock than to move from farther away. I've lived in 4 states & 3 provinces, so speak from experience. Moving to MA was one of the biggest culture shocks of all those moves, quite frankly.

 

Sports: It's true that not all Canadians like hockey, just like not all Americans like football ;). However, if you are football fans, I'd suggest learning about Canadian football before you get there. Many Canadian football fans watch both Canadian & American football. The rules, etc are somewhat different :). I'd find out what curling is, too, but first check out if it's popular in Toronto, aka Trawna to residents (but, of course, the aw pronunciation is the Ontario aw;)).

 

I agree with Colleen that you should know about your country, but also something about Canada. That way you can help break the stereotype of the American who doesn't know anything about its neighbour, but also it can help you get by.

 

One thing no one has mentioned is OHIP, which is the provincial health care plan. Some of your higher taxes help pay for that, but I think you have to live there for a certain period of time before you can get it, so I'd be sure to have some US insurance to cover that period of time. You will be able to choose any PCP you like and will never have to call the insurance company to change one. However, unless you choose to pay cash, you have to get a referal to any specialist, much like an HMO.

 

ETA I answered this before reading all of the threads, and the medical part is not "mine is better!" I think both sides have pros and cons and have lived with each long enough to say that with authority. There are also many myths about each others' systems on either side of the border.

 

The first year, you will have a somewhat more complicated tax return if you have earned money in both countries. I hadn't realized that Americans living in Canada have to keep filing in the States, so that was a new one for me.

Edited April 30, 2010 by Karin

[Storm Bay]

How do taxes/passports work?

Remember Canadians pay taxes for their healthcare and they have to wait in long, long lines and it's not nearly as good as ours.

 

 

 

I wait in long, long lines down here in the States :), but I don't think one system is better than the other. The way things are around where I live in the States is that most doctors have to cram as many patients in as they can to pay for malpractice insurance, and I'm not making this up or speaking poorly of it. I'd say the doctors I have here, who are top notch (my OB-Gyn hasn't officially taken new patients in years & nurses from his hospital try to go to him, which says a lot), are about as good as the main doctors I had in Canada. There are good docs & bad docs both sides of the border. Too bad they can't all be good :D.

 

If you haven't lived the system in a number of places, you don't really know what it's like in either country. The media is a highly unreliable source for this information generally speaking. My dad has appeared on a couple of national news shows about this (one in the States & one in Canada) and has practiced in both countries. I've lived in both in a number of places each.

[Colleen in NS]

Toronto, aka Trawna to residents

 

Yeah, you explained the pronunciation better than my "Trono"! :lol:

 

I hadn't realized that Americans living in Canada have to keep filing in the States, so that was a new one for me.

 

I don't even know if it's a current requirement; I just read a long time ago that I was still supposed to file, even if I don't make money - can't remember the reason why. The IRS sends me the forms every year, so I robotically fill them out....:lol: "Nope, sorry, nothin' to give ya this year!"