Wife descendent - where to start

[michamy]

Hi, my name is Mike
Nice to be here.

My wife and I have so many questions we're feeling confused even where to start.

My wife, children and I are all UK born citizens however my wife has Canadian citizenship through her mum who was born in Canada.

My wife already has her proof of citizenship. Our daughter's application is on-going but I think our son may not be eligible due to a law change in 2009. (He was born in 2010)

We're looking at moving to Canada in the next 2-4 years. I think my wife will need to sponsor my son and I.

I work remotely for a US based company and can continue my employment in Canada.

We're unsure on visas, work, taxes, insurance and finances

One example: we know what we could afford to rent in the UK, but I am unsure what that translates to in Canada since in the UK we have things like council tax, utilities. If there is no council tax and utilities are included, this would change our budget significantly.

Are we correct in assuming our son is ineligible to citizenship through my wife?

I kind of feel like I don't even know what the right questions are, nevermind what answers I am looking for.

I hope this makes sense and I am grateful for any guidance and advice.

Many thanks

 

[scylla]

Hi, my name is Mike
Nice to be here.

My wife and I have so many questions we're feeling confused even where to start.

My wife, children and I are all UK born citizens however my wife has Canadian citizenship through her mum who was born in Canada.

My wife already has her proof of citizenship. Our daughter's application is on-going but I think our son may not be eligible due to a law change in 2009. (He was born in 2010)

We're looking at moving to Canada in the next 2-4 years. I think my wife will need to sponsor my son and I.

I work remotely for a US based company and can continue my employment in Canada.

We're unsure on visas, work, taxes, insurance and finances

One example: we know what we could afford to rent in the UK, but I am unsure what that translates to in Canada since in the UK we have things like council tax, utilities. If there is no council tax and utilities are included, this would change our budget significantly.

Are we correct in assuming our son is ineligible to citizenship through my wife?

I kind of feel like I don't even know what the right questions are, nevermind what answers I am looking for.

I hope this makes sense and I am grateful for any guidance and advice.

Many thanks

If your wife has citizenship through descent then there's a good chance neither of your children qualify as the second generation born aboard. There are changes being considered to citizenship rules that would change this but those changes aren't real at this time and won't help right now.

You at a minimum will need to be sponsored by her in order to move to Canada. You will want to start this process ideally around a year before you are ready to move. Don't start it too early as there is a expectation that you relocate once the visa is approved. You will need to apply for PR through spousal sponsorship: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-5289-sponsor-your-spouse-common-law-partner-conjugal-partner-dependent-child-complete-guide.html

In terms of taxes, cost of living, etc that is really research you will need to do yourself before you make the decision to move. There are certainly taxes you will need to pay in Canada. You'll need to research what those are. Rent sometimes includes utilities and sometimes doesn't. Cost of rent is obviously fairly dependent on where you want to live.

No one here is going to be able to tell you if you can afford Canada. That's really something only you can research and determine yourselves.

 

[YVR123]

I agree that it's unlikely your daughter can just claim citizenship as 2 generation down.
If both of your children are under 22 years old, then they can be included in the family class sponsorship application.
Your wife will be the sponsor and you will be the principle applicant. The children will be dependents included in the same application.

Canada is large and cost of living is VERY different depending on where you choose to settle. Also each province have their own tax rule (on top of the federal tax that's common for all), healthcare system and things like driver's licenses...etc.

For US income, you will need to file tax and since US and Canada has tax treaty, your US tax paid will likely be credited. Best to talk to an accountant who is familiar with cross border taxes.

 

[armoured]

One example: we know what we could afford to rent in the UK, but I am unsure what that translates to in Canada since in the UK we have things like council tax, utilities. If there is no council tax and utilities are included, this would change our budget significantly.

I echo the points above, but a few points that may help:
-as noted, what rent includes is up to each contract/arrangement, but:

-I personally have never seen property tax (closest equivalent I think to council tax) charged in addition to rent. (Feasible perhaps for a house but still not at all common).
-Condominium fees may be added for some rental apartments.
-Utilities: most typical for non-shared space is lessee pays most (electric, gas where applicable).
-Trash pickup / water: depends, but more common for houses, varies for apartments. (Far more common nowadays for each unit to be metered for all, but water/trash vary).

Each province tends to have most common arrangements for what's included - some places by statute, more often just by custom.

As a general rule of thumb, important to understand heat used (natural gas is moderately priced/cheap where available, electric heat more expensive, but big variations by province. Electric: heat pumps more common but rare yet compared to Europe.). Electricity rates vary, but cheaper than UK (a lot?). You can still run into places where propane / fuel oil are used for heat.

So location matters.

Still, rent the biggest cost: and that varies a LOT by province and municipality. Toronto/Vancouver most expensive, but also depends on comparison from where you're living in UK.