Eligibility

[bjarvis]

My fifth anniversary of obtaining permanent residency in the US occurred this past Tuesday. Technically, I could now apply for US citizenship.

I'm still uncertain about whether or not to proceed but I'm feeling less opposed to the idea now that gov't checks & balances seem to be gradually returning to what they should be.

My status is good for another five years so even presuming it will take 12-18 months for processing if I decide to proceed, I have lots of time to give this the serious thought and consideration it deserves.

Comments

[apparentparadox]

The US taxes citizens regardless of where they are living when they make their money. Thus, if you decided to move back to Canada, you'd still have to file US tax returns until you die. Granted, you get to "write off" any money you pay to Canada, so you probably won't have to send the US a check, but you'll have to file a tax return every year. If you renounce US citizenship, then you're forever barred from entering the US again. This guy has lots of info on his website.

[moofedct.livejournal.com]

Don't forget about Puerto Rico. They're considered US Citizens but don't pay income tax or have to file returns.

I know, it's not like most people live there, I'm just saying is all.

[apparentparadox]

Wow! I didn't know that. I wonder what happens if someone from one of the 50 states moves there -- do they suddenly get to avoid US taxes?

Puerto Rico

[moofedct.livejournal.com]

You may find this URL interesting: http://welcome.topuertorico.org/government.shtml

Don't forget about Jarvis Island!

Re: Puerto Rico

[apparentparadox]

Cool. Thanks for the info.

[chrishansenhome.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, that's not true. If you are overseas, and renounce your citizenship, but do not follow the tax rules around renunciation (which are now pretty dire: you have to treat all your assets as if you sold them at the point of renunciation and then pay capital gains tax on them if over US$600K or something like that), then you may be barred from the US or, worse, arrested and tried for tax evasion if you turn up.

However, if you follow the rules you are perfectly entitled to re-enter the US as often as you want. I suspect that as I have "Massachusetts" as place of birth on my British passport I would probably get a bit of stick from the Immigration person, but carrying your certificate of renunciation with you when entering the US would help with that.

Most people who renounce do so because they're dual citizens, living outside the US, with no intention of ever returning to live (or who are accidental US citizens and, when they found out about it, renounced their US citizenship to avoid tax consequences). That's me in a nutshell. With the NHS, the opportunity of living and working anywhere in the EU, and the privilege of being civilly partnered with HWMBO, I'd be crazy to move back to the US. I don't have any assets worth bothering with, so when and if I do renounce my citizenship I'll be OK.

The web site you mention seems to be a shill for a group of lawyers skilled in helping people evade taxes through multiple citizenships. This is a big business internationally, but I wouldn't rely on them for impartial advice about emigrating/renouncing citizenship.