Confused about filing Canadian tax return when working and living in US

[green_dc]

Hi,

Im a Canadian PR. However I moved out to USA starting from Jan 2016 as I got a job here.
No income for 2016 from Canada. I have already filed my US tax and got the return for 2016. At this moment, I am not sure if I need to file a tax return to Canada. Some said I need to file on my global (US) income. Some said I dont need. Even I called CRA and they say I dont need as I am not residing in Canada. However, I would like to maintain my PR residency and dont know if not filing for a tax in Canada while I' m away will jeopardize my PR renewal later on. Before I moved out of Canada, I had lived there for almost 2 years as PR. So I am a couple of months short to meet the residency requirement for renewal application in 2019.

Anyone with experience/knowledge on this?

Thanks.

 

[Rob_TO]

Hi,

Im a Canadian PR. However I moved out to USA starting from Jan 2016 as I got a job here.
No income for 2016 from Canada. I have already filed my US tax and got the return for 2016. At this moment, I am not sure if I need to file a tax return to Canada. Some said I need to file on my global (US) income. Some said I dont need. Even I called CRA and they say I dont need as I am not residing in Canada. However, I would like to maintain my PR residency and dont know if not filing for a tax in Canada while I' m away will jeopardize my PR renewal later on. Before I moved out of Canada, I had lived there for almost 2 years as PR. So I am a couple of months short to meet the residency requirement for renewal application in 2019.

Anyone with experience/knowledge on this?

Thanks.

If you fully intend to return to Canada in the future, then you should continue filing your taxes here as a deemed/factual resident. Declaring yourself as a non-resident to avoid paying Canadian tax, should only be done when you want to permanently sever ties with Canada and never return.

Read here for more info: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/tchncl/ncmtx/fls/s5/f1/s5-f1-c1-eng.html

Regardless if you don't meet the 2-in-5 years RO requirement later on (so basically once you are outside Canada for 3 of 5 years after landing), your PR status can be revoked.