# Having issues with my Canadian Child Tax Benefit



## Missplaced_NewYorker (Mar 9, 2012)

Hi. I moved from NY to BC back in June and in August my husband (who is a Naturalized Canadian citizen) and I started trying to apply for the CCTB for our girls. Emphasis on the _trying_.

We have been sending necessary paper work and letters explaining why I don't have a SIN back and forth ever since September. Every time I send something out the tax office in Surrey sends a letter back claiming I didn't send them something! Two weeks ago a woman from the Surrey Tax office called and said she'd decided to start looking into what was going on and had me fax over a copy of my passport (which they already had at least 3 copies of along with birth certificates which would explain my lack of Canadian SIN) I faxed it over on the 27th and today I received a letter in the mail- dated the 6th of this month stating yet again that I didn't give them my SIN and they needed yet another copy of something showing my citizenship and that I had failed to state my imigration status (nevermind that at the end of January I'd sent them a letter telling them that I am an imigrant from the US and I have just put in my paperwork for my permanent resident status and paperwork with birth certificates and passports!) This is getting crazy because not only have had our CCTB with held, but my husband has also had his HST checques withheld because of what's been going on in Surrey. 

After I received that letter I was quite upset (my husband would say fuming) I called the Kelowna Community Outreach Centre and the lady there had me call my MLA, the MLA's office had me call my parliment rep and they haven't called back yet. The woman at the Kelowna Community Outreach Centre said that she's had this happen to a few other people where the Surrey tax office puts them through the same thing and does everything over and over.

Needless to say I'm quite aggrivated. I'm wondering if anyone else has gone through this and if so what did you have to do to finally get your CCTB filed.


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Your husband is a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident? And what is your CURRENT status?


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

EVHB said:


> Your husband is a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident? And what is your CURRENT status?


They already stated the husband is a Naturalized Canadian citizen... OPs status is irrelevant.


----------



## Missplaced_NewYorker (Mar 9, 2012)

My husband was born in Canada to Canadians who were also born in Canada to Canadians I don't think you can get more Canadian than that unless you keep repeating ancestors born in Canada.  

The tax office in Surrey (from what the secretary at the Parliment rep office- I am still getting used to government stuff here) said that we are eligible, but since I am not a citizen (and I only just put in my permanent resident Visa) I can't receive the money. However my husband can since he is a citizen (I didn't even have to pay the non BC resident student fee here because my husband was born in Surrey) he _can_ collect it. However since I'm living here and I'm the mom he can't collect it. Which is part of the reason we keep being dragged in circles and asked for the same paperwork and asked the same questions over and over again.

This is just very confusing. And extremely aggrivating. I end up having arguements with my husband after one of us gets off the phone with the tax office or receives a letter stating that they need yet more of the same information we've been sending them for months. It honestly worries me that if the federal government can't manage to keep records straight of benefits how am I supposed to get my visa approved so I can go back and see my family?


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Missplaced_NewYorker said:


> The tax office in Surrey (from what the secretary at the Parliment rep office- I am still getting used to government stuff here) said that we are eligible, but since I am not a citizen (and I only just put in my permanent resident Visa) I can't receive the money. However my husband can since he is a citizen (I didn't even have to pay the non BC resident student fee here because my husband was born in Surrey) he _can_ collect it. However since I'm living here and I'm the mom he can't collect it.


Your husband can't collect it if he is not the primary caregiver, but you can by association to your husband. From the Service Canada site:



> Recipients must meet the following criteria:
> 
> be the primary caregivers of a child under age 18
> be Canadian residents
> ...


BTW, if your husband was born in Canada, he is not a naturalized Canadian citizen. By definition naturalization means the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth. Your husband is a Canadian citizen by birth. Big difference.


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

G-Mo said:


> They already stated the husband is a Naturalized Canadian citizen... OPs status is irrelevant.


As far as I could read, OP's status is very much relevant:


> 4. Can I get the Canada Child Tax Benefit?
> To be eligible, you must meet all the following conditions:
> •you must live with the child, and the child must be under the age of 18;
> •you must be primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child;
> ...


CCTB: Application and Eligibility

So it's only a matter of time. OP will have to wait.


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

EVHB said:


> As far as I could read, OP's status is very much relevant:
> 
> CCTB: Application and Eligibility
> 
> So it's only a matter of time. OP will have to wait.


You shouldn't rely on everything you read on the Internet [sic]. I've been through it. You only need to have a spouse or common-law spouse with r
PR or citizenship status.


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

G-Mo said:


> You shouldn't rely on everything you read on the Internet [sic].


 So the Canadian government is wrong with its information? Wow, who can you trust these days?


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Not only the CRA is wrong in its information, also the governement of BC:


> Note:
> 
> To be eligible to start receiving the CCTB, both you and your spouse or common-law partner must file income tax returns. If either of you has not filed a return, you need to file it before the CRA can send you any payments.


 Because you can not file taxes if you don't have your resident status yet in BC...
Finance - Family Bonus

Service Canada is also wrong?:


> Eligibility Information
> 
> Recipients must meet the following criteria:
> •be the primary caregivers of a child under age 18
> ...


Canada Child Tax Benefit
And I found some more website with exactly the same information.

G-MO, I think it should be really helpful if you can post a link to a website that gives the right information, so all people who are going to live in BC know how it really works, and so they can proof the civil servants that they are wrong if they refuse them to pay them while they are not yet residents.


----------



## Missplaced_NewYorker (Mar 9, 2012)

G-Mo said:


> BTW, if your husband was born in Canada, he is not a naturalized Canadian citizen. By definition naturalization means the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth. Your husband is a Canadian citizen by birth. Big difference.


OK thanks I meant to type natural born, but we're sleep deprived with a teething baby. 

We're calling our parliment rep in 2hrs because according to the woman at Kelowna Community Centre I'm not the first immigrant with a natural born citizen for a husband who has been jerked around by the system. It's been going on a lot lately.

We were also told that if I wasn't living here he could collect and technically he should collect since he is the citizen and I'm not. But I was also told that I'm eligible to receive it and there was no mention of a wait time because of my citizenship or lack there of. The tax office keeps asking my citizenship status and I have been giving it to them constantly along with copies of my passport and birth certificate and letters stating that I don't have a tax number or SIN and why and why I'm not elligible for temporary tax numbers and SIN. I called a few places that the tax office in Surrey had told me to call and mentioned everything in letters that I wrote to them.

I understand all the fun stuff behind if I am allowed or my husband is. I'm just asking what to do about it. Besides calling my MLA and representative here in Kelowna.


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

EVHB said:


> G-MO, I think it should be really helpful if you can post a link to a website that gives the right information, so all people who are going to live in BC know how it really works, and so they can proof the civil servants that they are wrong if they refuse them to pay them while they are not yet residents.


You are a great Googler, I'll give you that, but try reading your own quotes, one of which I _already_ posted.. I'll highlight for you:



> Eligibility Information
> 
> Recipients must meet the following criteria:
> •be the primary caregivers of a child under age 18
> ...


As I said, I went through it. My son was born while my wife's PR was being processed. Got CCTB fine (cheques in my wife's name). Are you confusing "resident" with permanent resident. They are not mutually exclusive.


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

I just try to understand these things, and try to learn.
But the official information is confusing:
CRA states that you both need to file taxes. -> how can you file taxes if you are not a resident yet?
CRA also states that you need to be a resident AND (not 'or) "•_you or your spouse or common-law partner must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a protected person, or a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months, and who has a valid permit in the 19th month._ "
One should expect to find the correct info on the official (government) websites, not? Why don't they correct this information?

What status does the OP has while being 'in process' of becomming a permanent resident?


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

EVHB said:


> What status does the OP has while being 'in process' of becomming a permanent resident?


They are a resident. Once you live in a country, or province, for 6 months you are a resident. The OP is a resident with a citizen spouse.


----------

