XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, sk.politics   
   XPost: man.politics, mtl.general   
   From: Raisa@nyet.ca   
      
   CBC News Posted: Jan 17, 2015   
      
      
   Canadians regularly going to U.S. for long stays need to be mindful of changes,   
   says MP   
      
   Officials can now track Canadians' exit dates and re-entry dates into Canada   
      
      
   A B.C. MP is warning people about a new information-sharing agreement between   
   Canada and the United States that could put travellers who regularly spend a   
   lot of time in the U.S. at risk of significant consequences.   
      
   The Entry Exit Initiative allows officials to track how many days Canadians   
   have spent in the U.S. Prior to the agreement, the country could only track   
   entry dates, not exit dates.   
      
   "We were specially wanting to alert people that this could potentially be a   
   problem for them if they were being careless about their travel," said Gail   
   Hunnisett, constituency assistant for Alex Atamanenko, MP for B.C. Southern   
   Interior.   
      
   Hunnisett said she's been fielding a lot of calls since Atamanenko's office put   
   out the information.   
      
   She said a common misconception is that Canadians regularly travelling to the   
   U.S. for long stays can spend up to 182 days, or six months, in the U.S   
   without being considered a resident for tax purposes.   
      
   Hunnisett said that for people travelling to the U.S. for long stays year after   
   year, it's actually 120 days, or four months, averaged using a special formula   
   over a period of three years.   
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   "The total number of days spent in the current travel year is added to 1/3 the   
   total number of days spent in the previous year, and 1/6 the number of days   
   spent in the year prior to that," according to Atamanenko's website.   
      
   The total number of days includes all trips to the U.S. in a single year, said   
   Hunnisett.   
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   Hunnisett said Canadians spending more than 120 days in the U.S for three years   
   or more in a row can extend their stay limit to 182 days and avoid being   
   considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes by filling out a Closer Connection   
   Exception Statement form detailing their close ties to Canada annually.   
      
   Canadians who overstay their welcome in the U.S. are at risk of:   
      
   |    Being considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes and having to pay taxes   
   on worldwide income.   
   |    Losing their Canadian residency for tax purposes and their health care.   
   |    Being deemed illegally resident in the U.S. and being banned from the   
   country for three to 10 years.   
      
   "Anyone who travels to the U.S. regularly should keep a log and make sure   
   they're accurate if they're asked to substantiate their time across the   
   border," said Hunnisett.   
      
   She said the rules of length of stay haven't changed, only the information that   
   can be shared between borders.   
      
   Hunnisett said that so far she hasn't spoken with anyone who's run into trouble   
   with the rules.   
      
      
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            Loyalty to the country always.   Loyalty to the government when it   
   deserves it.    ~   Mark Twain   
   ============================================================================   
      
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