Temporary residency in Canada
 

I understand that it may be possible for a US citizen to live in Canada temporarily for up to 6 months. Does anyone know how long that person must leave Canada before he or she can come back for another 6 months? I am a retiree and would not be working while in Canada. Thank you.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/tourist.asp

I believe you can actually stay up to a year if the immigration official approves the stay at the border.

You will need to show proof of funds to support yourself for the stay, and - importantly - you need to have medical insurance.

Health care is not free for visitors - you are only eligible for provincial healthcare if you are on a work permit/visa or a permanent resident/citizen of Canada. Which you would not be. Any care other than emergency care would require payment for service and it's not cheap.

Re insurance:
That could be the biggest problem.
*Some* American insurance companies will cover you in Canada, but often only if your primary residence remains in the States. And most often (from experience) they will not work directly with the Canadian health system. So you will have to pay in full up front, and then apply to them for reimbursement.

Their policies all vary widely. Be sure to enquire from them. And don't just accept their "world-wide coverage" statement. Enquire from them specifically how payments occur, and have them spell out specifically how your residency would be counted.

And Medicare does NOT cover you outside the US. Some of the Medigap policies do, but only at 80% up to a lifetime cap of $50,000. Medicare Advantage plans vary.

I carry medical and medical evacuation insurance when I travel, but as you get older it gets more expensive.

Many of the Medadvantage plans, at least in my area, do cover you worldwide to the full extent that they cover you in the states.

I get to Canada very frequently so have always made sure my Medadvantage plans covered me. On one trip I had an unexpected medical emergency that led to surgery and 4 days hospitalization. My plan did cover me, but it took forever with lots of paperwork.

US insurance is used to a system where every single item is billed and tracked (e.g. "x" ice packs at x$ each, "y" doctor visits at y$ each, "z" meds at z$ each.) The Canadian system in the province where I was didn't track any of that ... it just billed a flat rate for a type of procedure and a per diem rate for hospitalization. That difference caused about a 4 month-long flurry of demands and responses before they would agree to reimburse for payments up front.

When all was said and done, the cost of all was only about 75% of what the cost would have been in the states.

But check your coverage very closely.

I appreciate the information all of you have provided. However no one answered my original question. That was, how long must a US citizen leave Canada before they can come back and live in Canada again on a temporary basis? Thank you.

I don't think there is any set time. However, that is a question for CIC - they make the regulations, so would be in the best position to give you an official answer.

I *suspect - wild guess* that it's 6 months within any 12 month period. But I do not know ... *** that's just a guess based on what applied to me over 15 years ago under different circumstances (work permit and landed immigrant status) ***

*** You need to ask Canadian immigration. Talk to your nearest Canadian consulate. It may require an in-person visit to the consulate to get an answer. ***

And do note: the officer at the border can (and sometimes does) limit your stay to less than 6 months. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcen...um=1016&top=16