"R.G. Stockwell" wrote:
> However, you can certainly use Canadian credit cards
> here. I got a US dollar credit account from Canada
> Trust and used that for the first 6 months.
Careful, though -- continuing to use a credit card from a Canadian
bank after moving to the US may very possibly be interpreted by the
CRA (Canadian tax people) as evidence that you are still a resident
of Canada (which would mean you're subject to Canadian taxation on
your total worldwide income).
I really, REALLY wouldn't do this unless I had written confirmation
from the bank that they fully understood that I was no longer living
in Canada, and that they were still willing to keep my credit card
account open even though they realized I was now a non-resident
of Canada and had no specific plans to move back to Canada in the
foreseeable future.
My experience (admittedly several years old) has been that Canadian
banks won't go along with such an arrangement. Rather, they will
insist on cancelling your credit cards if you tell them you have
moved "permanently" abroad and are no longer a resident of Canada.
When I moved (back) to the US in 1997, after several years in Canada,
I paid off and closed all my Canadian credit cards. But one bank
apparently misplaced my letter telling them I had moved and asking
them to close my VISA account. Several months later, I got a state-
ment from this bank (forwarded from my old Canadian address to my
new US address), billing me for a new annual fee on my VISA card.
I wrote back to them, reminding them that I had moved (and that
I had already told them about the move). I indicated that I was
willing to keep their VISA card (and pay the new annual fee) =if=
they were willing to convert it to a US$ account payable via
cheques drawn on US banks. Apparently, though, they didn't find
my proposal acceptable, because I never heard back from them again.
Rich Wales richw@richw.org http://www.richw.org/dualcit/
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, professional immigration consultant,
or consular officer. My comments are for discussion purposes only and
are not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice. |
