Is tax return mandatory for citizenship application?

[akpy]

Hi..we arrived in Canada in Dec2012, obtained PR in Nov2015 and it is expiring in Nov2020. We moved out of Canada in Aug16 and currently living in UK. My family plans to return to Canada in Aug18 and continue living there, so they will be eligible to apply for citizenship I plan to continue living outside Canada till I find a job.
When my wife and daughters apply for Citizenship, they would have definitely completed the 2 year stay requirement. My wife is unemployed and does not have any income. We don't own any properties in Canada either. Is tax return filing mandatory for my wife's Citizenship application, even if she is not earning any income? I have been paying tax and filing tax returns continually since 2013, have also included her SIN on my tax return the last couple of years, but we have not filed a tax return purely in her name, because of no income.

So, in a nutshell, my questions are: Is proof of tax filing mandatory for citizenship applications, when there is no income? Secondly, if wife becomes a Citizen, can she later sponsor me (believe I will get an Open Work permit), even if by then my PR has either expired or I have not met the residency obligation?

Thanks a lot in advance for your time and guidance..Sincerely

 

[Tgum23]

Hey

I believe you need to have filed taxes for the past 3 years, so physical presence requirements and taxes go hand in hand
You could either file tax and add her for another year before applying,just to be safe or perhaps write a letter explaining your situation and hope it works in your favor.
All the best with the move

 

[FloydCan]

To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must meet all conditions, including:

• Permanent Resident status
• Time you have lived in Canada
• Income tax filing
• Language skills
• How well you know Canada
• Prohibitions

So even if there was 0 income, tax filing is required.

 

[Seym]

Tax return filing IF REQUIRED is mandatory for a citizenship application.
Your only obligation is to comply with the tax law for 3 years, not to file your taxes for 3 years.

If nothing here applies, your wife and kids are good to go :
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/you-have-file-a-return.html

That being said, I have no idea how IRCC handles applications where applicant ticks no for both "tax required" and "tax filed" for a given year and how the verification that the applicant did indeed respect the tax filing requirements for that given year is done.

 

[akpy]

Thanks for your responses Tgum, Floydcam and Seym.

When my wife returns and continues to be a housewife, she will claim child benefits and then file IT returns. I am a bit confused on provincial health care premium as well as it will be only to cover them and they earn no income. I will be supporting their living costs by sending money to them and will have to file tax return as well due to significant ties (family living in Canada). It appears best to file a return in name of my wife just in case it becomes a moot point.

Is there anything else I need to keep in mind (apart from finding a way to sustain this arrangement financially and emotionally)?

 

[canvis2006]

Follow the instructions on IRCC website.