Yes, it's suddenly gone...hopefully a temporary problem.

Thanks, you seem to know a lot about this. So, if you do file this determination of residency form, do you have to say that you have no intention of returning to Canada? (I've looked at the form, and my guess is that if you say you will be returning, they will say you're still a resident...have I got this wrong?)

I'm selling my house, and don't own a car, but it's good to hear I can keep my bank account open. Did your overseas school suggest that you have your pay deposited somewhere other than Canada? When I was in the Philippines (where just about anything goes) the school said they'd never heard of a Canadian wanting his money sent home, so I opened an overseas account. Then you have the problem of how to get it back into Canada without looking like you're doing something illegal. I have no wish to be illegal. I just don't want to pay taxes if I'm not living here.

What kind of income tax form do you file? I've heard of something called a "general return"; would that indicate that you have no province of residence?

And when you do return, government health care takes a few months to kick in? What if you have a plan through your employer? That would at least cover medications...
It's a bit unnerving to think you would be here with no health care, but maybe the overseas coverage would last a while...

Your experience with the credit rating sounds like a nightmare. You mean they simply erase all records of your good financial conduct once you cease to be a resident?

sorry to bug you with these questions... I swear I don't work for the gov't.
BTW, it's China I'm hoping to go to. A friend who was in Hong Kong for two years opened an account with HSBC. I should ask him what the advantage was.

Thanks again for your comments. They are really helpful.

This info. is really useful. I worked outside Canada at int'l schools for a couple years and just kept a Canadian mailing address, but didn't submit a tax return for the one year I was entirely out of the country. Never had any problem. This time I'm thinking of going away for a longer period. May I ask if you took Canada Revenue's suggestion and filed a "Determination of Residence Status" Form 74 before you left Canada? It sounds like this is optional, but if you have investment income from Canada, you will have to give some address on your tax form as to which province you were resident in... This part still puzzles me.
Thanks. Dan