Parental leave

[sinpguy]

Can we travel outside of Canada during the parental leave and still get paid? I am thinking of going my home town for those 9 months. Did anybody do that here?

 

[Rob_TO]

You need to call them and ask:

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parental.shtml#eligible
Am I allowed to leave Canada while receiving EI maternity or parental benefits?

Yes, you can receive EI maternity and parental benefits while you are outside Canada. However, if you leave the country, please let us know by calling 1-800-206-7218 (TTY: 1-800-529-3742) and pressing "0" to speak with a representative.


Absence from Canada

Although you can receive EI maternity and parental benefits while you are outside Canada, you usually cannot be outside Canada while you are receiving other types of EI benefits.

One measure we take to enforce this rule is to compare EI information with information from the Canada Border Services Agency. If we find you have been out of the country while collecting benefits, we will determine whether you were entitled to receive those benefits. If you were not entitled to receive them, we will calculate how much we overpaid you, and you will then have to repay the benefits.

We may also impose penalties of up to three times your weekly benefit rate or three times the amount of your overpayment. As well, you may have to work more hours or, in the case of self-employment in fishing, you may need more insurable earnings to qualify for benefits in the future.

 

[digitalgame]

Dont take a risk to inform them . They might stop ur benefits or after 1 or two months they will ask to come on service canada office.

 

[sinpguy]

One thing is this is not a kind of EI where I am supposed to look for job.. I am supposed to stay time with family.. Thanks guys for your information

 

[sinpguy]

ok guys I checked with Service Canada and you can stay out of the country and get paid as long as you have baby with you. Thanks all.

 

[polara69]

Wow, how generous and nice of Canada..having long holidays and getting paid!

 

[sinpguy]

well the purpose of parental leave is to stay with baby and take care of it. So when we are out of country we still take care of kid. ;D

 

[polara69]

well the purpose of parental leave is to stay with baby and take care of it. So when we are out of country we still take care of kid. ;D

I understand 2 or 3 week, but 9 months???? That is milking the system.

 

[sinpguy]

But its given for only mom or dad.. only one can take it..

 

[mrbeachman]

Travelling for more than 6 months will make you a non resident.

I think someone would point this out by now.

I am outside Canada, paying taxes and am not entitled to any benefits whatsoever.

Travelling and collecting benefits is the easiest target for CRA as they collect information from CBSA.

You will have to repay benefits with penalties and interest.

 

[sinpguy]

That is the case when you are going out and working and making money.. In this case my job is here and I have to come and join my job.. By the way I have to inform service canada when I leave.. and they specifically said I can go out for this particular benefit and not for other one as long as your baby is with you... But i cant go out and get benefits for other benefits..

 

[sinpguy]

But as u said chances of getting child benefits are less.. Since service canada specifically said I can travel throughout the parental leave as long as the baby is with us and get paid, I would doubt they will make a false statement..

 

[steaky]

Travelling and collecting benefits is the easiest target for CRA as they collect information from CBSA.

You will have to repay benefits with penalties and interest.

Even so, I don't think they have the manpower to detect people collecting benefits while not living in Canada more than 6 months.

 

[mrbeachman]

I think all of you are wrong. Leaving Canada for more than 6 months automatically makes you a non resident regardless of where your place of work is. From my experience agents on the phone most of the time don't know what they are talking about or give wrong information on purpose. You should be talking to an account.

CRA will know if you left the country for more than 6 months. There is no question about that.

 

[steaky]

Leaving Canada for more than 6 months automatically makes you a non resident regardless of where your place of work is.

It's not automatically. The most important thing to consider when determining a person's residency status in Canada for income tax purposes is whether or not he/she maintain, or establish, residential ties with Canada.

Significant residential ties to Canada include:

a home in Canada;
a spouse or common-law partner in Canada; and
dependants in Canada

Even if CRA know the family left the country for more than 6 months, they continue to send benefits payments to them unless the family notify them not to. There is something wrong with the system.