UPDATE JANUARY 21, 2016
WHAT: Solving U.S. Citizenship Problems: Accidental Americans
WHEN: Saturday January 23, 2016, 2:00-4:00 pm EST
This meeting is being moved online/conference call via UberConference and will make it possible to participate from outside the Toronto area. Please pass the word!
REGISTRATION & ADMISSION: please register by submitting admission cost of $20.00 CAD via Paypal to: information@cbtlawsuit.ca
Please note you do not have to be a member of Paypal in order to pay/register.
Once registration is complete we will email you the details of how to log in, etc.
Generally, an Accidental American is:
A citizen of a country other than the United States who may also be considered a U.S. citizen under U.S. nationality law but is not aware of having U.S. status, or has only become aware of it recently during adulthood.
* born outside the US/in their own country due to their parents’ U.S. status; OR
* born inside the U.S. to non-U.S. parents residing in the country temporarily for work or study and then return to their own country in their early childhood OR
* born inside the U.S. but adopted by parents who live in other countries,
Most people simply accept that the U.S. has the right to proclaim they are American. Others are questioning whether the U.S. can impose citizenship on someone born outside the country who does not want it and had no choice in the matter (even if his/her parent(s) registered their birth with the American consulate). There is a court case in India where a father is being sued by his son for registering his birth in the U.S. while the father was there on a work visa.
All Americans are required to report their worldwide income and file tax as well as information returns if living outside the US. This includes Accidentals even if:
* they have never actually lived in the U.S., whether for employment, education, etc.
* they have never had a Social Security number, a passport, voted or filed taxes
Due to the long, porous border between Canada and the United States, the highest number of accidental Americans is likely to be found in Canada.
Children were often born in the US because the only hospital was on the other side of the border, then returning to Canada after a few days to live out the rest of their lives as Canadians (only). The United States “claims” these people and are aggressively trying to locate them via FATCA/IGA reporting.
Given the fact that the U.S. never enforced the law, never engaged in an effective outreach program to let people know of their obligations, it is particularly upsetting to these individuals that they are expected to file and pay in the same way as those who are resident in the United States.
And yet, If they wish to end their U.S. citizenship, they are required to come into tax compliance for the 5 years prior to their renunciation, complete form 8854, swear all requirements have been completed under penalty of perjury and pay the $2350 USD fee to the Department of State in order to receive a CLN. Any tax be due and the fees from the accountant or tax lawyer of course, would be added.
The program will explore various options available for consideration. Please join us in order to get the facts before you take action!
WHEN: Saturday, January 23, 2016 2:00 – 4:00 pm EST
WHERE: UberConference
REGISTRATION & ADMISSION: Please register by submitting admission cost of $20.00 CAD via Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/ca/webapps/mpp/home ) to: information@cbtlawsuit.ca Please note you do not have to be a member of Paypal in order to pay/register. Once registration is complete we will email you the details of how to log in, etc.
WHO: John Richardson, B.A., LL.B., J.D. (Of the bars of Ontario, New York and Massachusetts), Toronto citizenship lawyer- citizenshipsolutions.ca and Co-chair of the Alliance for the Defence of Canadian Sovereignty & the Alliance for the Defeat of Citizenship Taxation
Information presented is NOT intended or offered as legal or accounting advice specific to your situation.
Citizenship Taxation - Theory vs. Reality 