REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

Hehe · 09-13-2012, 12:05 PM

So, my wife is pregnant and we are doing everything for the baby's arrival.

An university in US has offered my wife a fellowship opportunity that's probably an once-in-the-lifetime thing.

The problem? She'd have to deliver the baby in US as her delivery date is is within the program's period.

Now, the advantage seems to be the dual citizenship that the baby gets from birth (US) and parents (Canucks).

Could anyone with dual citizenship (American-Canadian to be precise) share the pros/cons of having the dual citizenship? We are more afraid of the tax issue that the baby might have for the rest of his life and wondering if we should either skip this offer or make a trip back to Canada when she's close to her due date.

Any comment is TIA.

GLOW · 09-13-2012, 12:19 PM

i don't have citizenship experience, but one thing you might want to be aware of is whether or not your healthcare covers the cost of childbirth at the hospital in the US.

i remember in the birthing class my wife & i took one of the fathers was commenting how he read a book on babies and was freaked out that it cost $15k to have a kid, then realized the author was a doctor in the US. i'm not sure how legit that is, but you might want to look in to that in case you get tagged with a hefty hospital bill down south when you could give birth here for free :P

El Bastardo · 09-13-2012, 12:23 PM

You can fill out paperwork to tell the country you are NOT residing in that you are not receiving income and do NOT owe them taxes. You may want to consult with a tax professional but I believe (I could be wrong) that you can also file as zero domestic income in the country you don't reside in. This situation has probably been addressed countless times so there are protocols in place for this sort of occurrence.

The problem you might face is being denied entry to the country to go to the fellowship because shes pregnant and her due date is within the period of fellowship. The USCIS might view this unfavorably and ask "Well, if you're doing a fellowship what do you plan to do after the baby is born? You can't have the baby and go back to the university the next day"

I get that you don't want to break the law or deceive anyone, but its a question you should be prepared to answer. You also may want to look into travel medical insurance ASAP should she choose to stay down there for the birth.

In any case, congratulations on the new addition to the family and I hope everything goes smoothly with the birth, no matter what side of the border your child is born on.

Hehe · 09-13-2012, 05:17 PM

Thanks for the comments.

@GLOW: good point! We called and checked with the university and within the health plan that they include covers the birth of the child (with $500 co-pay). So that's not an issue.

@Bastardo: I think I would consult a lawyer to make sure we have all the necessary proof. Thanks for the heads up.

Gridlock · 09-13-2012, 06:55 PM

Make triple sure you are covered for a pregnancy that is already in process, and that the authorities in the US aren't going to have ANY issues...remembering that they don't seem to care much for their own citizens, and people from other countries even less.

The last thing you want is a fat bill once you drop a shorty, as you can't put it back.

GLOW · 09-14-2012, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gridlock

The last thing you want is a fat bill once you drop a shorty

sounds like from a rap song, yet does not have sexual connotation

Gridlock · 09-14-2012, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLOW

sounds like from a rap song, yet does not have sexual connotation

I think the sexual connotation has already occurred in this case...

josayeee · 09-14-2012, 08:29 AM

I'm a dual citizen born in the US. The US border guards don't hassle me. I once got a $300 cheque for filing my US taxes from Bush's economic stimulus. Tax wise Canada has higher tax rates so I don't pay anything else when I file my US taxes because of the tax treaty. I'm sure if you are a high income earner it gets more complicated. I havent really looked into it but that's my experience.
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Boostaholic · 09-15-2012, 10:44 PM

You will need to declare income in both countries but only pay tax in the one you live in majority of the time. Make sure you declare tho, lot of people make that mistake thinking they only need to declare in the country they live in (like Canada and ignore US).

quasi · 09-16-2012, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boostaholic

You will need to declare income in both countries but only pay tax in the one you live in majority of the time. Make sure you declare tho, lot of people make that mistake thinking they only need to declare in the country they live in (like Canada and ignore US).

My mom got her US dual citizenship probably 5 years ago. She was somehow tied into my dads business and when she became a US citizen she had to pay back taxes there and then she had to pay taxes there every year until he shut it down. I'm not exactly sure how she was tied into it or why she had to pay but she did not live or work there, hadn't lived there in 30 years and she had to pay every year. My dads business had no ties to the US either, all his work was in Canada.

It was because of the business and they were special circumstance but it's not necessarily true you only pay in the Country you live in. My question is if you have both citizenship can you collect Social Security from the US when you retire?