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Canuckian

May 5, 2003, 11:08 AM

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Living in Mexico Fulltime Pro's&Con's

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I'm a Canadian citizen and my Wife is a Mexican citizen with permanent residence status for here in Canada. She has lived here in Canada with me for 3 years and now we would like to move to Pachuca, Hidalgo,Mexico. I have heard all kinds of rumors and stories about how long you can be out of Canada before you loose your OHIP coverage and qualify for your Canada Pension. I have heard you can only be out of Canada for no more than 6 months and must come back and stay in Canada for 6 months before going back to Mexico. Other stories say you have to come back to Canada but only have to stay 24 hours before you can go back to Mexico for another 6 months. Any info about having to keep a Canadian bank account or not or having to keep an address in Canada would be very helpful. my Father lives in Toronto and said I could use his address if I needed to keep a Canadian address.

Could someone please help clear this confusion up for me and my Wife. I receive a partial Military pension of approx 800.00 per month, is this enough to meet the visa requirements. My Wife will open up her dental practice as soon as we move to Pachuca,Mexico (her home town) so would this help show as income support to meet the visa requirements?

Also, which visa would be the best for our situation? Any tips, suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated! My Wife's father has a few properties, if one was put into her name would that help as well?

Thanks,

Chris & Alma
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
robert8902(at)rogers.com please replace (at) with @ to send email

(This post was edited by Canuckian on May 5, 2003, 11:14 AM)

Jean

May 5, 2003, 4:27 PM

Post #2 of 3 (745 views)

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Re: [Canuckian] Living in Mexico Fulltime Pro's&Con's

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I have heard all kinds of rumors and stories about how long you can be out of Canada before you loose your OHIP coverage

Ontario's OHIP will cover your for 2 years outside the province and possible up to five years depending on your circumstances. You MUST apply for this in person at your local OHIP office and it must be done before you leave. They will cover you up to what OHIP would have paid for similar treatment in Ontario.

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/...pub/ohip/longer.html

I receive a partial Military pension of approx 800.00 per month, is this enough to meet the visa requirements.

Whether this is US dollars or Canadian dollars it is not going to be enough. Currently it is much more than that for a couple and especially if you do not own a home here. BTW, that "couple" must be legally married or they are considered single individuals.

As for you Canada Pension I strongly advice that you consult a Financial Planner in order to determine the direction to take that is best for you.
Retirement Communities
http://www.retirecommunities.com

anna

May 6, 2003, 9:03 AM

Post #3 of 3 (698 views)

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Re: [Canuckian] Living in Mexico Fulltime Pro's&Con's

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I am in a relatively similar situation. I am a Canadian citizen and my Mexican husband and I are moving to Mexico in November. I contacted the Mexican consulate in Vancouver re the best way to go about moving. The man there was very informative. He said that I should go down on an FMT first. If we want to bring household goods my husband would do a menaje de casa (for returning Mexican Nationals). He said once we were in mexico and my husband was earning money than I could apply for an FM2 as the spouse supported by a mexican citizen. Then after 5 years under FM2 I could apply for Mexican Citizenship. (all this is done within Mexico, except the FMT which you get when you enter Mexico, and the Menaje which must be completed 6 months (I think) before you move the goods to Mexico) Anyway it is a little less complicated than it is for a Canadian citizen retiring in Mexico if you are legally married to a Mexican. Contact your local Mex consulate for advice. They are very helpful!

Anna :)