If you are asking about this you are still planning to incorrectly apply for CERB. There will be consequences if you apply fraudulently for a benefit you are not entitled to.
Cerb
- Thread starter Puja shalini
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https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-1/bill/C-13/royal-assent?fbclid=IwAR1AAl60bx3Q4-5Ap2qBD-Q_fY25EESDLYkQ_YJnk2gvMYVZIs9gbf0jcJE#ID0E01C0AA
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/international-non-residents/information-been-moved/determining-your-residency-status.html
Read the act.
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There are different definitions of residency used by different areas of the government. Nowhere does it state that CERB is based on tax residency, so that is still not something that you can guarantee people.
Since the application for CERB is administered via CRA and the application is done on the CRA website, it's quite obvious that one will take CRA's definition of residency, isn't it? CRA's definition of residency = tax residency. Also if you have been paying your fair share of taxes throughout, then its only fair that you should be eligible for this.
CERB is purely meant to shore up the Canadian economy. If a person is living abroad it would have little effect on the Canadian economy. The tax residents who live keep the same benefits they have always had. Doesn’t mean they qualify for CERB.
Nowhere is there any mention of this on the CERB FAQs I have read on the government websites. Heck, there is no mention of this in the CERB Act I linked earlier either. This is your own interpretation of CERB.
There is a $5000 minimum income to be eligible for CERB for which foreign income can be counted as mentioned in the CERB FAQ on the CRA website. If they didn't want Canadian residents living abroad to be eligible for this, they wouldn't have included foreign income.
Many Canadians and PRs make money abroad while living in Canada. Sure the FAQs will be updated eventually but why would it make sense to send money abroad? The benefit was created due to job losses in the Canadian economy and to benefit the Canadian economy. CERB is basically meant to provide some income to those workers in Canada who do not qualify for EI.
I understand what you mean but as the law stands right now, if you go by the eligibility requirements mentioned, there is no requirement to be physically present in Canada. I also doubt the FAQ will be updated now because they have already started accepting applications.
No one is forcing you to apply if you are abroad and you feel you don't deserve it but Canadians abroad are definitely legally eligible to apply as of right now. No idea if this will change in the future but if the Govt doesn't want Canadians abroad to apply, then they need to add that as an eligibility requirement.
Again, I agree with you in principle that it doesn't make sense to send money abroad but that's for the government to decide and put it in their eligibility requirements, not us.
I can see at the end of this situation and the Government starts matching up information on people who applied and should not have , and then enforcement beings , and it will . This website will be flooded with people crying with the typical “ I didn’t know .”Guaranteed
Well, if you read the act, they basically made it such that even if someone applies knowingly without meeting eligibility and receives it, there is no penalty or fine. They just have to return it back to government at a future date. So, it essentially becomes an interest-free loan.
This Isn’t an interest free loan. Canada is paying interest on these CERB payments that will trickle down to taxpayers eventually. Those thinking there is no harm filling out CERB since worse comes to worse I have to pay it back, you will eventually pay more when other taxes go up so just don’t apply if you don’t qualify.