I'm not sure why this is so complicated...if you aren't living in Canada, you aren't eligible. And if you receive benefits you aren't eligible for, you will need to repay them.
Hey guys good morning. Sorry for bumping this thread but it has proven to be very informative thus far. This is a bit lengthy so please bear with me.
My mother and adopted father both obtained Canadian citizenship over 20 years ago. They lived and met in Canada around the same length of time. I was born in Canada along with my 2 younger siblings so my parents, naturally, were able to claim for the Child Benefit. In 2007, the entire family packed up everything and left the country. My siblings and were all under the age of 18 at the time (the youngest turned 18 in 2015), but obviously we would not qualify for the Benefit as we were no longer residing in Canada or so we thought because this is where it gets interesting.
My stepfather used to travel back to Canada annually to file his taxes to make it seem as though he was still living there (because as I learned through this forum one must inform CRA of the intentions to leave the country) and thus he was able to illegally collect the money through means unknown to me or my family (mother included). My parents separated (but were still legally married) in 2009 and my mother subsequently returned to Canada in January 2013. While renewing her Health Card and other documents, THAT was when the authorities realized that we weren't in the country for the past 6 years (at that point in time). Due to them being married at the time of application for the benefit as well as the departure from Canada and her being the only one in the Canada, she was made to repay the fraudulently received monies (to the tune of CAD $XX,000) in installments. My mother is not well so she doesn't work so whatever monies she receives by virtue of tax returns etc. the CRA takes back from that.
My stepfather is well aware of the situation and as a result he hasn't gone back to Canada since. My mother recently returned to our country on a brief trip to meet her first grandchild and upon her return my corrupted stepfather served her with divorce papers. When she goes through with the divorce proceedings what recourse does she have in terms of getting him to pay back the money since HE was the one accessing it illegally? It would seem strange that she had no idea of what went on in the 2 years they lived together down here, but after being personally affected by his lack of morals and ethics and his affinity for fraud and other people's monies, I can vouch for the authenticity. A lawyer told me that perhaps she can liaise with Interpol in Canada to issue a warrant for his arrest down here and make him answer the charges for the fraud. Can anyone of the brilliant minds on this thread assist? Much appreciated.
