Need Some help regarding Moving back to Canada

[Tee76]

Another concern i have is Apparently, after 5 years of inactivity, a SIN becomes dormant in order for the government to combat fraud or whatever. Once dormant, it apparently cant be used for employment. Soif I went to start work with a company in Canada they would be informed that my SIN was not a valid number or something. But wouldnt reactivating it raise some eyebrows? Or force me to explain where I've been all these years & why i let it go dormant? Would that show i wasnt meeting the RO??

 

[dpenabill]

Another concern i have is Apparently, after 5 years of inactivity, a SIN becomes dormant in order for the government to combat fraud or whatever. Once dormant, it apparently cant be used for employment. Soif I went to start work with a company in Canada they would be informed that my SIN was not a valid number or something. But wouldnt reactivating it raise some eyebrows? Or force me to explain where I've been all these years & why i let it go dormant? Would that show i wasnt meeting the RO??

I am not familiar with actual practices regarding the SIN.

While in Canada simply visit a Service Canada office and ask if you need to do anything to resume using your SIN after living and working abroad. I doubt this would trigger a referral to CIC. Not certain of that. But it would be a big surprise if just walking into a Service Canada office and asking about using your SIN after being out of Canada for a long time led to any problems.

I assume your SIN does not begin with the number 9, which would be a SIN for temporary workers, which would no longer be valid.

As long as it is not a SIN beginning with the number 9, it is your SIN, you can use it to work, you are a PR so you can legally work in Canada, the only issue is whether the sudden use of the SIN after lengthy inactivity will trigger CRA (I think it would be CRA) to make inquiries to make sure the SIN is not being used fraudulently. The primary question would be your identity, that is, whether you are the individual entitled to use that SIN.

Whether the length of inactivity will trigger a fraud investigation by CRA I am not at all sure, but my best guess is a visit to a Service Canada office will help resolve this issue. They are far more likely to be helpful than interested in judging whether you should still have PR status.

In addition to your landing papers, be sure to take identification . . . which leads to why I mentioned the U.S. passport, that was more about it being a recognized form of ID. Your U.S. Enhanced D.L. is also recognized ID but might not be to the same extent as a passport would be.

It is not certain, no guarantee, but generally it is my impression that with only a few exceptions no other government office, other than CIC, is going to be much interested in inquiring about whether you have met the PR Residency Obligation. The exceptions might include OHIP which has formal requirements for showing immigration status if you apply for coverage. You would not be applying for a SIN itself (which likewise has formal requirements for establishing immigration status), so it seems unlikely that Service Canada would be concerned. Again, just go and ask at one of their offices.

 

[Tee76]

Thanks! My SIN starts with a 4 actually.

 

[Tee76]

Another question i have is, once i start living and working in Ontario again, I'll still have to leave once in awhile. I know people say to stay in the country until you meet the RO. But not leaving at all for 2 years is impossible because i have a child in Michigan who obviously i will need to see and what not. Question is if i leave Ontario to go visit my kid what would i tell them at the border when returning home to Canada after visiting my child? I dont have a PR card, and never have had one. All i have is my old landing papers. I dont want to lie at the border and say Im American and show them my Enhanced Michigan drivers license. But i also can say im a PR and that im just on my way home after visiting my child in the States. Wouldnt that cause problems or have them refuse me entry? I dont want that either because I'll be living in working in Canada. I know its best to be honest when dealing with immigration. Just not sure what my best option is or what i would tell them.

 

[Leon]

Returning to Canada can be a problem because each time you do it, you risk that they realize that you are a PR who doesn't meet the RO. If they report you, you will likely lose your PR status.

If you enter with just your drivers license, they assume you are a US citizen who is coming to visit. Living in Ontario, you are supposed to exchange your license for an ON license within 60 days. They will in most cases take your other license when you do that. They are supposed to anyway. Suppose you get yourself a US passport and you enter with that. CBSA will ask you every time you enter what is the purpose of your visit. If you say you are PR, they will want to know why you don't have a PR card.

 

[neutral]

Do you present yourself as a Permanent Resident of Canada every time you come?

 

[Tee76]

I did when i was living there. But now i just say US because of my ID. I dont have a PR card. A few times I've told them "i use to live here" when entering Canada, and sometimes when i had to go inside for a secondary inspection i told them the same thing, even showed my landing papers. They never said anything or harassed me about it. One Officer said "keep track of your visits and time here in Canada, it will help you if you ever decide to come back" Never had issue getting into Canada nor was i ever told i no longer have PR status.

 

[neutral]

You're a lucky guy you know....

Anyway, your situation is an example for all permanent residents from first world countries who don't see the importance of becoming Canadians until they have to leave Canada for several years .... :-\

 

[keesio]

Tee - as others mentioned, you are a PR in violation of your RO. You have been fortunate in dealing with easy going border officials. Most likely your long history in Canada, especially because you grew up there, helps a lot. However you can't count on that every time. All it takes is dealing with one official who is not so easy going. So you can try moving back to Canada and hope your good fortune continues and then stay there for 2 years and renew. You can reactive your SIN (it has no impact on your PR status). Because you have a child that will remain in Michigan, that will complicate things and you will have to deal with the constant risk of being reported every time you cross the border.

 

[Tee76]

Another quick question. On the small chance i do get reported at the border, how does one go about proving they meet the RO?? Despite being out of Canada for as long as i have, the more i think about it the more i believe i meet the RO. If i add up all my weekend visits, summer vacations, holidays with family over there as well as the last year & a half of going back & forth to Ontario to spend time with my now recent ex girlfriend for weeks sometimes a month at a time...i believe I've accumulated 2 years in the last 5. How do i prove that though if i ever need to?

 

[keesio]

If all your time outside Canada is in the USA, having border entry records from both CBSA and the US equivalent would be very good. Between the two reports, you'd have government documentation on all your trips between US<->Canada and CIC can see that dates you left Canada and returned.

 

[Tee76]

Not sure if im just lucky or Immigration doesnt care. Been to Windsor the last 2 weekends, no problems getting in. On Friday the officer in Canada asked me if i have PR status or if i gave it up...i was honest and say it was neither revoked nor did i give it up and I've been back in Michigan for 10yrs..she handed me my ID and said enjoy your stay. Not sure how to take it or maybe i still have PR status in their eyes, regardless of the RO.

 

[Msafiri]

Not sure if im just lucky or Immigration doesnt care. Been to Windsor the last 2 weekends, no problems getting in. On Friday the officer in Canada asked me if i have PR status or if i gave it up...i was honest and say it was neither revoked nor did i give it up and I've been back in Michigan for 10yrs..she handed me my ID and said enjoy your stay. Not sure how to take it or maybe i still have PR status in their eyes, regardless of the RO.

You are lucky because immigration (for now) doesn't care. The ease of travel between the US and Canada for citizens of either country means you don't really need a PR Card so there is very little incentive for you at this time to maintain the RO. Its when you want to settle in Canada that any RO issues will become a pain if your luck has at that time run out and you are under report. It comes down to whether you want to live in Canada or not long enough to apply and acquire Canadian Citizenship and never worry about the RO. You missed out on this when you were in Canada for 22 years...the new citizenship rules could mean you having to move to Canada and getting an application in sometime 2019/2020 depending on where your minimum 183 days in each calendar year fit in (2015/2016).

 

[keesio]

Unless CIC investigated you and took action to explicitly strip your PR status, you are a PR... regardless of whether you meet your RO. The way CIC would start taking action to investigate you is if you are reported at the border by a border officer who feels you may be in breach of your RO AND decides to inform CIC of this. The chances of this happening depends on the border officer. Sometimes they are easy going and let you in without reporting to CIC. Sometimes not. So far you have been fortunate. Again your past strong ties to Canada are helping here and CBSA is looking the other way. It is very good you were honest. Your honesty likely made the officer decide to take it easy on you. But again, all it takes is a different hard-ass CBSA officer who is having a bad day and your PR is in jeopardy

 

[Tee76]

Thanks for the help. Its obvious they know my "movements" because when i explained my reason for visiting, she was looking at her computer and said "same reason as a few weeks ago i take it?" Then smiled. (That reason being dinner and drinks and the casino with a friend friday night, then visiting my parents the rest of the weekend) If i was to move like planned in my first post in this thread...how would i go about getting a Canadian ID again before even bothering with a PR card?