S . Smith

I have been considering moving to Vancouver, BC from the U.S. and I am wondering
about Canadian laws for U.S. citizens immigrating to Canada.

How long could I live in Canada as a U.S. citizen before becoming a Canadian citizen?

What are the requirements for a U.S. citizen to change their citizenship?

How soon could I get a Canadian drivers license?

What should I beware of as a U.S. citizen contemplating moving to Canada?

Are there any good Web sites that cover these types of questions?

Thanks in advance.

--
Scott Smith - "Busting Chops on Usenet Since 1986"
http://www.wwwebworld.com/smith_dci.htm

Andrew Miller

It is not that simple, you cannot just move to Canada. You must first apply for
Canadian immigration visa (Permanent Resident status) in one of few available
categories. In order to qualify you must meet certain education, occupation, work
experience and other selection criteria as well as pass medical and background
security check. The entire process for US citizen may take about 10 to 14 months
at present.

After you become Canadian Permanent Resident and meet residency requirements (1,095
days of presence in Canada within 4 years prior to citizenship application) you may
apply for Canadian citizenship. You don't need to relinquish your US citizenship when
obtaining Canadian one.

The best place to start your research is an official website of Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC) here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigr/index2.html

--

../..

Andrew Miller Immigration Consultant Vancouver, British Columbia email:
[email protected] (delete REMOVE and INVALID from the above address before
sending email)
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Luterin

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www.cic.gc.ca would be a good start.

-Lute.

Stephen C. Gallagher

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Check out http://www.cic.gc.ca

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It normally takes three years as a permanent resident before you can apply for
Canadian citizenship.

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If you want to keep your US citizenship and acquire Canadian citizenship as well,
then there's nothing special that you have to do. You simply apply for Canadian
citizenship after meeting the requirements. The following website has a lot of good
information about the US policies on dual nationality
http://www.webcom.com/richw/dualcit/

If you really want to give up your US citizenship then you can go to a US consulate
and formally renounce your US citizenship. You would be issued with a Certificate of
Loss of US Nationality as proof. If you truly wish to do this, it would be wise to
wait until you actually have Canadian citizenship. If you renounce your US
citizenship and then find out that you are denied Canadian citizenship then you would
be stateless. There is no requirement that you must give up your US citizenship when
you take Canadian citizenship.

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As soon as you take up residence in a Canadian province.

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Any US citizen who moves abroad should be aware that US tax laws apply to US citizens
even if they do not live in the US, and even if their income is not from US sources.
As a US citizen living abroad you will have to file a US tax return each year, in
addition to the Canadian return that you would have to file as a resident of Canada.

There are exemptions and credits that can be used to eliminate any US income tax due,
but the tax return must be filed in order to take them.