Canadian EI for Canadian worked in US - david ingram expert cross border non-resident income tax help and preparation by five ta
Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by
xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx on Friday, May 22, 2009 at 07:05:21
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My_question_is: Canadian-specific
question: Dear David,please tell me/us whether Canadians who temporarily work in the USA paying all taxes properly are eligible to receive Canadian EI in case their work in the USA got terminated?
thank you,
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david ingram replies:
The answer is yes but you start off dealing with Service Canada. see the website (I have reproduced most of it here) at
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/information/outside_canada.shtml
I have copied most of it here but you may want to go directly to their website. Depending upon the State, you may end up applying directly or through Service Canada as shown here:
Employment Insurance (EI) and Workers and/or Residents outside Canada
Employment Insurance (EI) online services
Do you have a question about the EI program? The frequently asked questions might help!
What 
you should know...
Who 
can apply
How 
to file a claim for American Unemployment Insurance benefits
How 
to file a claim for Canadian EI benefits for people residing outside 
Canada
Residents 
of the United States
Maternity, 
parental, sickness and compassionate care benefits
Canadian 
government and Armed Forces personnel posted in the United States
Your 
permanent residence is in a country other than Canada and the United 
States
You 
are a commuter
What you should know...
Certain persons working outside Canada may be entitled to benefits under Canada’s EI program. If you are working outside Canada for a Canadian company or the Canadian government, you are usually covered by EI. You will, however, not be insured by Canada’s EI program if your job is covered by the country in which you are working.
If you are not sure whether your job is insured under Canada’s EI program, 
ask your employer. Ruling on employment insurability is the responsibility of Canada 
Revenue Agency (CRA) , therefore, please call 
the toll-free number 1 800 959-5525 
 for enquiries regarding the insurability of your employment.
Who can apply
Canada EI benefits may be paid to you when you reside outside Canada in the following situations:
- your last employment was in Canada, but you now reside in United States;
 - your permanent residence is in a country other than Canada and the United States and you are applying for maternity, parental or compassionate care benefits;
 - you are a commuter – a resident of Canada or the United States (U.S.) who regularly crosses the Canada/U.S. border between their residence and workplace.
 
American Unemployment Insurance benefits may be paid to you if your last employment was in the United States and you now reside in Canada. If you also had previous employment in Canada, you may be able to file a claim for Canadian EI benefits instead. You may be able to receive benefits from either Canada or the United States but not both at the same time.
How to file a claim for American Unemployment Insurance benefits
To file a claim for American Unemployment Insurance benefits, you must contact the Telephone Information Service or go to your Service Canada Centre, you will be asked to give your name, address, phone number, Social Insurance Number (SIN) and Social Security Number (SSN) along with the name of the State from which you want to claim benefits. Depending on the State in which you last worked you may be able to file a claim directly with the State via the Internet or by phone. If the State does not accept claims via the Internet or by phone, information will be forwarded to a designated office responsible for handling such claims based on where you reside in Canada. You may also contact the designated Service Canada Centre directly.
You must provide proof that your employment in the United States was authorized as per American immigration regulations and that you are available for and actively seeking work in Canada. If you are not a Canadian resident you will be asked for proof that you are authorized to work in Canada.
A person who has worked for the American Armed Forces in the United States and wants to move or return to Canada, must file a claim for benefits at the nearest "State Workforce Development Agency" in the United States. Service Canada Centres in Canada cannot accept these claims for benefits.
All residents from: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island
Service Canada  Centre
Sub-Unit of interstate claim 
processing
120 Harbourview Blvd.
P.O. Box 4000
Bathurst, N.B.
E2A 
1R6
Phone: 506 548-7405 —
All Quebec residents
Service Canada  Centre Ontario Region 
 Service Canada  Centre Service Canada Centre British Columbia Region 
 All residents from: British Columbia and Yukon Service Canada Centre Phone: 1 866 483-6466 - 
 You may file your claim for Canadian EI benefits If you are residing in the United States and claiming regular benefits you 
must be available and actively seeking work and, most importantly, you 
must provide proof that you are legally authorized 
to work in the United States. You will also need to submit your Record 
of Employment from your Canadian employer. If your employers issue ROEs in paper format, you will need to 
submit your ROEs from all your Canadian employers who issued ROEs in 
paper format in the last 52 weeks. However, if your employer submits your ROE to 
Service Canada electronically, you do not need to submit a copy 
of your ROE to Service Canada, since we will have received it from your 
employer. On the same day your employer submits it, you will be able to view and 
print copies of your ROE online using My Service Canada 
 If you are residing outside Canada in a country other than the United 
States, you may be eligible for maternity, parental or compassionate care 
benefits only.  Regular benefits are not payable to a person residing in a 
country other than Canada or the United States. All claims received from people residing outside of Canada 
are processed by the office in Belleville, 
Ontario. For more information, please call the toll-free 
number 1 877 486-1650. Regular benefits: If you are living in the United States, Regular benefits can 
be paid to you up to a maximum of 36 weeks. The number 
of weeks payable is based on the number of insurable hours that you have 
accumulated in Canada during the last 
52 weeks or since your last claim. To be eligible for regular benefits you must show that you: The number 
of hours required is based on the regional rate of unemployment in 
the economic 
region where you last worked in Canada. Particular situations : 
Effective December 11, 2005, if you are living in one of 
the 23 participating economic regions, you could qualify for regular benefits 
with a minimum of 840 hours instead of 910 hours. To know 
more... Maternity, parental, sickness and compassionate 
care benefits can be paid to you if you are living in the United 
States as long as you meet the requirements for these benefits. To be eligible for maternity, parental, 
sickness 
or compassionate 
care benefits you must show that you: You may file your claim for Canadian EI maternity, 
parental, sickness and compassionate care benefits online. 
For more information, please call the toll-free number : 1 800 206-7218 . You may be entitled to regular, maternity, parental, sickness and 
compassionate care benefits if you or your dependants are posted in the 
United States and working for the Canadian government or for the Armed Forces. 
Dependants include your spouse, unmarried children under 21, unmarried full-time 
students under 25, and unmarried disabled children. You may file your claim for Canadian EI benefits online. 
For more information, please call the toll-free number : 1 800 206-7218 . If you are permanently residing in a country other than Canada or the United 
States, you may be eligible for maternity, 
parental & sickness and compassionate 
care benefits if you have worked in a job in your country of 
 For example, you may be a spouse of a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and 
working abroad for the Canadian government. If you become ill and are unable to 
work, you can apply for sickness 
benefits if you meet the requirements. You may file a claim for Canadian EI maternity, parental, sickness or 
compassionate care benefits online. 
For more information, please call the toll-free number 1  800 206-7218 or 
write to the following address: Service Canada  Centre If you normally reside outside Canada or the United States and your last 
employment was in Canada, you are eligible for maternity, parental or 
compassionate care benefits only. Commuters are Canadian or American persons who regularly cross the 
Canada/United States border between their residence and workplace. If you are an American living near the Canadian border and you usually 
commute to Canada to work, you must file a claim for Canadian EI benefits at the 
nearest Service 
Canada Centre. Your claim will be treated like that of any resident of 
Canada, therefore, you may be entitled to receive regular 
benefits or maternity, 
parental & sickness or compassionate 
care benefits. As well, if you are a Canadian living near the American border and you 
usually commute to the United States to work, you must file a claim for American 
Unemployment Insurance benefits at the nearest "State 
Workforce Development Agency". 
Sub-Unit of interstate claim 
processing
2327 Bl du Versant Nord
Sainte-Foy, QC
G1N 
4C2
Phone: 1 877 
228-9769  — Fax: 418 
Sub-Unit of interstate claim 
processing
1 North Front St.
P.O. Box 4800
Belleville, 
Ontario
Phone: 1 877 486-1650   -  Fax: All residents from: Manitoba, Alberta, Nunavut, Saskatchewan and Northwest 
Sub-Unit of interstate claim processing
6712 
Fisher St SE
Calgary, AB
T2H 2A7
Phone: 1 866 483-6466 
- Fax 403 509-1690
Sub-Unit of interstate claim processing
6712 
Fisher St SE
Calgary, AB
T2H 2A7How to file a claim for Canadian EI benefits for 
people residing outside Canada   
Residents of the United States   
  
- if you are in the work force for the first 
  time;
- if you are re-entering the work force after an absence of two 
  years. However, if you have received at least one week of maternity or 
  parental benefits in the 208 weeks preceding the 52-week period prior to the 
  qualifying 
  period, you will require between 420 and 700 hours to qualify for regular 
  benefits. For more information, please call the toll-free number 1 800 206-7218 ; 
  Maternity, parental, sickness and 
compassionate care benefits   
  
Canadian government and Armed Forces personnel 
posted in the United States   
Your permanent residence is in a country other 
than Canada and the United States   
Sub-Unit of interstate claim 
processing
1 North Front St. 
P.O. Box 4800
Belleville, 
Ontario
K8N 5E2You are a commuter   
 
US / 
Canada / Mexico tax, Immigration and working Visa Specialists
US / Canada 
Real Estate Specialists
My Home office is at:
North Vancouver,  BC, CANADA, V7N 
3L7
Cell (604) 657-8451 - 
(604) 
980-0321 Fax (604) 980-0325
Calls welcomed from 10 AM to 9 PM 7 days a week  
Vancouver (LA) time -  (please do not fax or phone 
outside of those hours as this is a home office) expert  US Canada Canadian American  Mexican Income 
Tax  service help.
$1,700 would be for two people with income from two 
countries
Catch - up returns for the US where we use the 
Canadian return as a guide for seven years at a time will be from $150 to 
$600.00 per year depending upon numbers of bank accounts, RRSP's, existence of 
rental houses, self employment, etc. Note that these returns tend to be 
informational rather than taxable.  In fact, if there are children 
involved, we usually get refunds of $1,000 per child per year for 3 years.  
We have done several catch-ups where the client has received as much as $6,000 
back for an $1,800 bill and one recently with 6 children is resulting in over 
$12,000 refund.  
Email and Faxed information is convenient for the 
sender but very time consuming and hard to keep track of when they come in 
multiple files.  As of May 1, 2008, we will charge or be charging a 
surcharge for information that comes in more than two files.  It can take 
us a valuable hour or more  to try and put together the file when someone 
sends 10 emails or 15 attachments, etc. We had one return with over 50 faxes and 
emails for instance.  
--IRS Circular 230 
Disclosure:  To ensure 
compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, please be advised that any U.S. 
tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not 
intended or written to be used or relied upon, and cannot be used or relied 
upon, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code, 
or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or 
matter addressed herein.--
-Disclaimer:  This question has been 
answered without detailed information or consultation and is to be regarded only 
as general comment.   Nothing in this message is or should be 
construed as advice in any particular circumstances. No contract exists between 
the reader and the author and any and all non-contractual duties are expressly 
denied. All readers should obtain formal advice from a competent and 
appropriately qualified legal practitioner or tax specialist 
for expert help, assistance, preparation, 
or consultation  in connection with personal or 
business affairs such as at www.centa.com or www.garygauvin.com.  If you forward this 
message, this disclaimer must be included." -
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