US debts

[Rjsam17]

Hello everyone!

Ive searched about my dilemma everywhere but I havent gotten a clear answer to my query.

We are a family of 5. We moved from the US last year, everything has been great. We have about 25k in hospital and credit card debts between me and my wife. We never stopped paying our debts, weve opened a RBC Canadian/US checking account to pay. What happens if we stopped paying? Would they know were in Canada since we never missed any payment for a year, would they be able to come back to us and sue? I know its morally wrong to run from it but I dont see another way. Our US debts is whats holding us down due to conversion rates.

We reached out to a lawyer but we havent got a response yet. I’ve read other experience here but I think our situation is unique since we are still actively paying.

Thoughts? Thank you!

 

[russ6970]

I don't think anyone in this forum is going to actively encourage you not paying debts. It's up to you really. They may find you, they may not. Totally your choice.

 

[lampbreaker]

Hello everyone!

Ive searched about my dilemma everywhere but I havent gotten a clear answer to my query.

We are a family of 5. We moved from the US last year, everything has been great. We have about 25k in hospital and credit card debts between me and my wife. We never stopped paying our debts, weve opened a RBC Canadian/US checking account to pay. What happens if we stopped paying? Would they know were in Canada since we never missed any payment for a year, would they be able to come back to us and sue? I know its morally wrong to run from it but I dont see another way. Our US debts is whats holding us down due to conversion rates.

We reached out to a lawyer but we havent got a response yet. I’ve read other experience here but I think our situation is unique since we are still actively paying.

Thoughts? Thank you!

You should consult with a good lawyer. You may be able to negotiate the payoff down.

 

[canuck78]

Would be much cheaper to deal with a non-profit credit counselling agency. Save the money on the lawyer. That’s. hundreds of dollars that could go down to paying off debt. Agree it would be much better to consider trying to negotiate a payment plan of some sort. You left the US last year. Exchange rate was similar so you can’t blame the exchange rate.

 

[Copingwithlife]

They will track you down. My brother was sideswiped by a car in Florida years ago while riding his bike. Ended up in the hospital, $6000k bill. He thought since he was in Canada they would not track him down. They tracked him down.
Pay your bill, you are looking for a easy way out, and want people to say it is OK

 

[Publius_Cornelius_Scipio]

The clear answer is given by Canadian government on its website about proof of fund:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html

"For proof, you must get official letters from any banks or financial institutions where you’re keeping money.

Letter(s) must

• be printed on the financial institution’s letterhead
• include their contact information (address, telephone number and email address)
• include your name
• list outstanding debts such as credit card debts and loans
• include, for each current bank and investment account, the
  • account numbers
  • date each account was opened
  • current balance of each account
  • average balance for the past 6 months"

If you hide your debt by not providing related letters about debts, you are lying to IRCC. I do not know the legal consequences, but considering the close cooperations between USA and Canada, odds are greatly against you.


I can only speculate for you:

1. The government has specified the requirement online already. So if you do not provide such letters, you are intentionally lying on your applications. Would your PR get revoked later on? I do not know. Maybe
   • Would prior lying on an application bar you from ever applying for PR or visa of Canada ever again? I do not know for sure.
2. Is intentionally lying on your application itself a crime? I do not know. If it is, you may face legal punishment accordingly.

 

[Publius_Cornelius_Scipio]

For your concerns about debut, understand that hospital debt is very easy to be handled. Get a lawyer or professional or DIY to negotiate with the hospital. Medical debts are extremely to be negotiated down.

Another option is to file for bankruptcy.