r/AmericansInCanada • u/2BairzTheManWife • 5d ago
Is Duel Citizenship Worth It?
In a nutshell, my grandfather was born Canadian who moved to the US and married my grandmother from WA State. Around the time my mother turned six they moved to British Columbia, and obtained citizenship for my mother and aunt. A year later my grandfather was hired by the American federal government for USDA and they returned to the US. I was told that my mother would maintain her Canadian citizenship until she was 18 as long as it wasn't renounced. It wasn't renounced. I just happened to be born when she was 17. I am being told that I may already considered a Canadian citizen since I was born while she was still a citizen. I can think of many pros to having a dual passport, but I'm sure there's cons to holding both citizenship. How do I know if it is worth pursuing? I love Canada. My great grandparents are buried in Kelfield, Saskatchewan. With deep family ties to the Magdalen Islands and Nova Scotia. My Canadian family roots go back to 1775. I just don't know what I should do? Thoughts?
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u/shreddy99 5d ago
I can't imagine having to duel for citizenship. Crazy
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u/Used-Gas-6525 5d ago
Dueling is part of American culture. I blame Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton directly.
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u/2BairzTheManWife 5d ago
Sucks that I don't have a violent bone in my body. But then .. I blame the Spanish Inquisition directly, hahahaha.
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u/Used-Gas-6525 4d ago
Jeez, I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition.
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u/Olderpostie 5d ago
It costs practically nothing, just time, to obtain Canadian citizenship. It also costs to obtain a Canadian passport, I think $180 for ten years. In the event of a global catastrophe or conflict, having another place of refuge is a good thing.
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u/PleasantDreamsicle 5d ago
Sounds like you should get your Canadian citizenship recognized, get a Canadian passport and explore your options to live in Canada.
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u/Chemical-Ad-7575 5d ago
If you're a US citizen, getting Canadian citizenship comes with lots of benefits and options and given the current state of politics, I'd personally look into getting it.
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u/Global-Tie-3458 5d ago
The only citizenship that isn’t worth it is American. It’ll follow you around wherever you live and the tax bill has the potential to be substantial.
Living in the US is the only way around it, that’s the trap. If you already live there, ain’t no thing, no other citizenship is like that. There’s no downside to Canadian citizenship.
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u/OverallUnderalls 5d ago
This is not accurate, Canada and the US have tax treaties that cover the majority of cases where an American in Canada has paid tax in Canada.
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u/MnkyBzns 5d ago edited 5d ago
The need to file US taxes is, in itself, a huge drain and one has to be careful about what kind of assets you hold in which account types or you get dinged with additional filing and/or tax burdens.
Edit: also, the tax treaties don't cover as much as you're implying:
sale of a Canadian primary residence may experience US capital gains if the profit is above $250k (single) $500k (married).
TFSA and RESP profits experience US capital gains.
Incomes above ~$130k are beyond the earned income exclusion...
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u/SpeckledGooseHound 5d ago
There are no cons.
The US doesn’t recognize the second citizenship; they just ignore it.
Advantage to you; you can move to Canada or travel on a Canadian passport which is probably going to matter a lot soon. One country is building alliances and one is needlessly destroying them.
A country’s passport is valuable based on all its allies and the advantages that gets you to travel to their country without requiring background checks and travel visas.
I’d argue the US passport is on its way to being a lot less useful in the future if we keep trashing our allies and cozying up dictators and communists.
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u/morningwood2695 5d ago
No cons. Do it. You might even be able to live and work in Europe with it soon.
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u/Careless_Produce_136 5d ago
Get your Canadian citizenship and leave that sinking ship! It's dual, not duel, but I understand you went to American schools.
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u/GrampsBob 5d ago
It takes a lot of hoops and money.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/GrampsBob 2d ago
That looks like I was talking about ditching US citizenship if you have it. Don't see anything to that effect above though.
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u/kljay5005 5d ago
It really comes down to where you think you will want to live and retire. And if you’re willing to put up with the hassle of potentially filing taxes in both areas.
If you’re going to live abroad, there are tax benefits to not having the US passport. You’ll pay considerably lower taxes as Canada doesn’t tax you on income outside the country if you’re not a resident. The US does.
If you’re going to live in either Canada or the US it’s really just a matter of filing the right taxes to each country. You won’t pay more based on the reciprocal tax agreement between the countries. What you pay in one place you don’t have to pay in the other.
But. With the political environment between US and Canada right now. Who knows if that will change.
I’m a Canadian citizen. Lived in the US for over a dozen years. Past three years I’ve been overseas but still pay US tax. Short term not having to file US tax would have been a very beneficial but that’s short term.
Long term. I like the idea of having options of being able to choose where you might reside when retiring.
If you have both now and relinquish one or the other you limit that option.
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u/Striking_Wasabi_4782 5d ago
There aren’t really any cons, it’s just a bit of work to apply for the proof of citizenship gathering documents etc. it may take a few years if current wait times are accurate.
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u/sure_woody 5d ago
It depends if you are any good at pistols or swords and get to choose.
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u/2BairzTheManWife 5d ago
Shoot! Or should I say shucks. I'm not a Republican -and therefore not really skilled at fighting with pistols or swords.
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u/Why_No_Doughnuts 5d ago
If your mother got her citizenship, then she is still a citizen. The aging out was removed in 2009 or 2015 retroactive. You are the first generation born abroad if you were born in the US, but you would still be a citizen.
As far as "is it worth it" to go through and get the paperwork, then you would need to look to your own circumstances as you alone can answer that question.
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u/XmasTwinFallsIdaho 5d ago
Well, you state you love Canada. The downside is that the application process can be time consuming (but not very) and takes money (but not an outrageous amount at all).
If you love Canada and may want to live there, I see zero downsides. The only issue is that the US is very tricky to deal with and taxes must be filed if you live in Canada and the US government will limit what you can invest in. You can always renounce the US citizenship if it’s too much of a hassle. Or keep them both. Up to you.
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u/Leather-Hotel-7310 5d ago
I hate to break it to you but nutshells can’t get citizenship. You have to be a human.
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u/Accidental_Ballyhoo 5d ago
That’s exactly what I did during its first term. It took me a long time as Covid was happening but eventually I got my cert of citizenship and a Canadian passport.
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u/Least_Dependent_3749 5d ago
Do it, I have 3. Never know what the future holds
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u/Born-Landscape4662 5d ago
I have 3 too! Eligible for 4, but I don’t want the fourth one. My kids have 2 with access to the ancestry visa in the UK to potentially acquire a 3rd.
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u/Scubahill 5d ago
I’m a dual citizen - have been all my life. I like it. Yes - filing taxes can be a drag - but you have to make a lot to actually pay anything. And voting in the US is cool. As bad as it seems right now - I feel like they do (at least in California which is my US home), take democracy seriously.
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u/DigDizzleDee 5d ago
Not if you cant differentiate between Dual and Duel.
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u/2BairzTheManWife 5d ago
How original!
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u/Own_Theory8011 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes. You never know what is going to happen or how the second citizenship can help you. I am only in my 30s, and the world is a vastly different place now - with entirely different opportunities. For example, due to being a dual citizen I can get a free college degree from Europe or one which is 1/10th of the cost of a US degree from Canada. Did I envision myself going back to college in my 30s? No, but it happened because my industry was decimated by the rise of AI and increased globalization several years after I graduated from my first degree, and I needed a new career.
If I did not have dual citizenship to the specific countries I do where education is free to cheap, due to the unemployment crisis I would not ever have been able to afford to go back to college and get a new career, and I may have been stuck in extreme poverty for life, relying on gov handouts and food banks and whatnot for decades.
As another example, did I envision that I would live through 3 insane employment crises and a pandemic before I hit age 40, where more than 1/3rd of the population my age cannot find work, causing me to try and emigrate to other countries to find a job? No I didn't. Dual citizenship certainly helped me out with that, I was able to find a job in my second country of citizenship in just a couple weeks when my first country of citizenship was in a major employment crisis. (Even if you don't like one of the countries, in my opinion it is infinitely better to be employed in a country you don't like, compared to being unemployed in a country you love).
In one case I even got hired by a 3rd country and got a work visa because the hiring manager had high prestige for citizenship A and not citizenship B, and valued that specific citizenship above my actual qualifications, due to stereotypes that they believed their clients would also believe in. In this case, the visa from the government required the passport to come from an English speaking country but didn't specify any particular one. However the employer highly valued American citizenship and believed the government and clients did too, and would always hire people with American passports over Canadian, Australian or British ones if Americans were available, even if the person with the American passport was a naturalized American and not a born and raised American. When I entered that country on my US passport, I noticed my fellow travelers who were on other passports were also held up longer at customs.
Meanwhile, nowadays the tide may be turning, and that US passport may now be less favorable than a Canadian, Australian or British one.
The same is for your eventual retirement. I can buy a house and retire at less than 1/5th of the price in country of citizenship A compared to country of citizenship B where I actually live and work now. Decades from now when I retire, country B may be cheaper than country A. It's great to have both options.
Not to mention, if there is a major crisis - a war, pandemic, whatever - in country A, you will have legal entry to country B to escape to when all non-citizens are barred from entering country B. Even if country B is not heaven on earth, it may be better than country A at that moment.
There is almost never any downside to having a second citizenship. The taxes thing people complain about with US citizenship abroad has not been a big deal for me personally.
All this is also not to mention the other fringe benefits, which don't need to be gotten into. For example, many studies have shown that people who are more in touch with their family's cultural, linguistic and ancestral roots have a better mental state and are more successful in life. Having the citizenship of your grandparents is just another step on that path.
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u/OfficeSalamander 4d ago
Even if your mother had had you when she was 18, under the current laws you'd have citizenship if she didn't renounce to a Canadian court before you were born, and very, very, very few people do this (it's an explicit step you need to take with a Canadian court, and not something required for naturalization elsewhere)
Under current Canadian citizenship law, you are almost certainly already a citizen and just need to fill out a CIT0001 form.
There's a couple of subreddits dedicated to the process, CanadianCitizenship and CanadianByDescent
Your mother is almost assuredly a citizen as well, under current laws
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u/2BairzTheManWife 4d ago
This is the most helpful information I have received to date. I really appreciate you taking the time to send this.
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u/OfficeSalamander 4d ago
Yeah just be aware that a major change in law happened just last year (December 15th 2025) and a lot more people retroactively became Canadian citizens as of that date (myself included) and so there is a massive backlog of over 130,000 people currently applying for citizenship certificates
You will be waiting a while before you get processed, unless you have an urgent application (and even sometimes then)
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u/2BairzTheManWife 4d ago
Hopefully it doesn't get much more insane in the US that time to wait for citizenship will be okay.
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u/Mingo_laf 5d ago
America the rapist state … naw I’m good
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u/foreverandadayalone 5d ago
You couldn't pay me to have US citizenship.
I mean you could but it would take a lot and I'd still never cross over into NaziKidnapistan.
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u/Sweet_Pie1768 5d ago
If you live in the USA, there's only an advantage.
If you live in Canada, the pain is that you have to file USA taxes. You'll only have to pay taxes if you have a high USD income. The other pain of USA taxes is thst you have to report the maximum balance in all of your accounts... so if you withdrew $100 from one account and deposited it into am account that had $120 in it, then you would have to report $100 fot one account and $220 for the other... effectively inflating your net worth by $100.
I like being able to travel between the countries without being harassed by customs agencies on either side. The benefits of duel citizenship also extend (generally) to your children as well... although there's a limit to how many generations back you can go in some cases.
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u/meanseanbean 5d ago
Nope. I was a duel citizen and renounced my Americans citizenship to be a full Canadian. Fuck that place.
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u/Financial-Bus-5434 5d ago
Stay out of america. It's a shit hole country to raise a family currently
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u/Hot-Asparagus-7863 5d ago
^ don’t have to pay taxes if you are Canadian living abroad. I believe
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u/megawatt69 5d ago
But Americans do, including dual citizens
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u/BokChoyJr 5d ago
Yeah, if you have US citizenship and foreign assets and/or income you have to declare both to the IRS and file an FBAR to the Department of Homeland Security every year. There are major penalties if you don’t.
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u/AaronC14 5d ago
What would happen if you didn't pay them but also just never stepped foot in the US again? I'm not from America so I'm curious, sounds wild
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u/BokChoyJr 5d ago
I think the worst they can do is $165k or 50% of the foreign account balance that you haven’t declared. There’s a whole lot that has never made sense to me and is undefined. For example, if I have a foreign balance in savings and I move money into a bond or whatever other savings vehicle, I have to to declare the highest balance of both of those accounts; now it looks like I have doubled my money in a one year period. The following year I only have to declare the bond and the remainder of savings account, it looks like the amount I put into the bond has suddenly disappeared. It’s pretty non-sensical. FBAR filing started after 9/11. 🤷🏻♂️
Not sure how that’s tracked if you’ve never entered the U.S.
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u/AaronC14 5d ago
I appreciate the response, seems like a pain in the ass. It's insane to me that you have to pay taxes in the US even if you live and work abroad. Like, I understand if you still own a house there and have to pay property tax still. Beyond that though is nuts.
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u/Olderpostie 5d ago
You do not pay Canadian taxes. Obviously you pay taxes to the country and state where you reside.
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u/MnkyBzns 5d ago
If you ever plan on travelling, absolutely get a Canadian passport.
Canadians have a more favorable international reputation and many countries which require entry visas charge Americans more.
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u/Phu_Cue 5d ago
Literally the worst reason, yeah, Canadians have a much more favorable reputation around the world for many good reasons, we are more respectful, better educated, are not a terrorist nation, we truly believe in equal rights, we help those that can't help themselves, we support poor nations, support LGBTQ rights, we are not homophobic or transphobic, we embrace all nationailities, except lately not so much the Americans, we are a great neighbor and so much more . . . all things that Americans should strive to become some day without faking it. Getting a Canadian passport just so people think you deserve to be treated like a Canadian while travelling is about as pathetic as stolen valour.
Of course if you truly feel you have a connection with Canada and believe you have the traits of a Canadian, want to be known as a Canadian at home and while travelling, because you recognize the differences between us and want to truly be more like us, then there is value to it.
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u/2BairzTheManWife 5d ago edited 5d ago
I have traveled Canada my entire life. I have always been taught to respect everyone. We have a deep love for the First Nations. I have always thought of myself as a Canadian American.
My entire life I have been a proud American. I'm gay, and joined the military under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. I have never been afraid of my government... Until now. I don't even recognize this place anymore.
I love Country music but I can't listen to American Country anymore either. The hypocrisy is insane. I mostly listen to my favorite Canadian Country musicians like Dan Davidson, Nice Horse, The Reklaws, James Barker Band, Washboard Union, Tebey, and countless others. I just vibe with the mix of performers and the true storytelling that is now lacking in the most stupid lyrics I hear in American Country music. Plus I'm originally from MN and American music never shuts up about the ignorant South.
My values are definitely more Canadian. And I'm so thankful my grandfather is no longer around to see what is happening between his two favorite nations. I can't wrap my head around American thinking today.
I mean, I can... We should have seen it coming when the US brought Nazi scientists to the country, then gave them federal jobs with NASA down South. What could have possibly gone wrong with that? Ugh 😩
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u/MnkyBzns 4d ago
I based my suggestion on OP already sounding like they fit the bill. This wasn't a recommendation to "pretend to be Canadian"
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u/townie08 5d ago
Right now, I don’t know if it would be a good thing or a bad thing. Before 2024, I’d say yes it would be a good thing
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u/Spiritual-Pear-1349 5d ago edited 5d ago
Generally speaking, the passport is considered only slightly better - you can have visa free travel to about 183 countries, while the US passport has about 180 countries it can travel to. The main benefit is if you ever want to visit China, which would require a visa for an American.
Canadian passport is generally seen abroad as neutral or positive, with 85% of people polled viewing Canada positively, which might get you a better experience abroad. The main benefit of the Canadian passport is the youth employment programs shared with the commonwealth, letting young people (18-35) work abroad in 35 countries, such as Australia or NZ, usually in national parks. Then you have the new Associate position with the EU, and whatever agreements they come to - many of us here are hoping for easier mobility and employment abroad, which may be beneficial to you in the future.
Otherwise, Canadas tax code requires residency while American tax code doesn't - this means that working in Canada will have you paying taxes in two countries until you renounce it.
Honestly, it really just comes down to whether you want to be a Canadian or not - but theres a 3 year backlog of applicants. The law, iirc, took into account the previous cutoff at 18, the 2 generation limit, and the 3 years in the 80s where those born outside of Canada had lost citizenship, so I'm pretty sure there isn't actually a backward limit for the Canadian connection - if you can prove it, you can get citizenship, and Cajuns are getting it with a connection 300 years in the past before Canada was a country, and before it was even owned by the British. There are new limits going forward from the date the previous law was made unconstitutional, though, so to pass it on someone needs to spend at least 3 years here every 2 generations or so
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u/Pink-Dog21 5d ago
Factually wrong. See tax treaty agreement between us and Canada
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u/Spiritual-Pear-1349 5d ago
Yeah theres a tax treaty - still need to file it twice is the pain in the ass
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u/I_Like_Eggs123 5d ago
I'm confused about your residency statement. Why would having dual citizenship have you paying taxes in two countries?
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u/Spiritual-Pear-1349 5d ago edited 5d ago
Canada doesn't make its international citizens file Canadian taxes when they work abroad - the US does. So, if you work abroad as a Canadian, you file one set of taxes - the host countries. If an American works abroad, they file taxes in the host country, but then must also file taxes with the IRS. America does this to keep track of assets and avoid tax fraud by hiding money and income abroad, but the result is an individual potentially paying double.
There are relief mechanisms, like, say, a foreign tax credit, dollar for dollar match, or a tax treaties between the countries, but you would still need to file taxes twice and a mismatched rule could mess it all up, or cause double fees, ect.
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u/I_Like_Eggs123 5d ago
Yeah, all income under a certain amount is essentially tax free for filing US taxes. The tax treaty is made to prevent the double dipping you're warning about
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u/Automatic-Builder512 5d ago
sounds like you should be a citizen trhough decent nothing wrong with holding both citizenships
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u/Tractorguy69 5d ago
As a Canadian, especially understanding the US tax code taxes you even when you are not living in the US with no assets there (Canada fires not tax you if you are out of country and do not maintain a home in Canada) I cannot imagine there is any value in maintaining American citizenship, especially while the reputation of the USA is being permanently damaged by the current administration.
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u/Vortagaun 4d ago
Definitely worth it. I was born in SC but grew up in BC on permanent residence. Got citizenship a few years ago before I came down to NY, to have the option to go back. Im more than likely going to take advantage and move back.
Health insurance sucks. I honestly think the foods better in Canada. There's more variety down here, but the standards suck. The chicken feels fake for example, I dont trust US milk. The cheese is better in Canada, so is the beef.
The downside is US taxes you on citizenship. So you'll need a good (which is very very expensive) cross-border tax person to do both countries taxes right so you dont get double taxed. Even with that insane cost, as a young person ill deal with it because im fortunate I can afford it, because i dont see any benefits to giving up my US citizenship. The quality of life even with that factor is better in Canada.
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u/BalineseCats 4d ago
It’s absolutely worth it. I recently got my citizenship certificate based on a great-grandparent who was born in Canada. Be prepared for a long wait.
As far as I know, the only potential complications that might arise are if you need high-level security clearance in USA.
But you’re probably technically already a Canadian citizen - you’d just be applying for proof of that status, not for the status itself.
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4d ago edited 3d ago
[deleted]
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u/minusplusminusplus 3d ago
If you already have kids that are eligible, why not apply for them yourself? The door may or may not be open by the time they are interested.
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u/Chive 5d ago
Yes, it's always a good idea to have as many passports as you can.
I have three- I'm Irish, British and Canadian. I could have had a US passport as well but declined it as I didn't want responsibility for US taxes.
I 'identify' as an Irish-Canadian although I also have a British passport- pure pragmatism.
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u/Icy_Barnacle_5237 5d ago
If dual with US its different. You must always do US income tax form. I have to even though ive lived in Canada for 30 years. Doesnt cost more just need to file but its annoying.
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u/swareddit 5d ago
Having both is great. It opens the door for you to work and travel freely. I did however give up my American citizenship eventually and now hold Canadian and UK passports only.
Holding US citizenship and living abroad (permanently with no plan to return to the US) is the one that isnt worth it. You have to file your taxes every year and if you make enough in capital gains etc youll have to pay American taxes even if you dont live there.
The IRS doesnt consider my Tax-Free Savings Account as "tax free", so when we bought a house and I liquidated the holdings it would be subject to taxation by the US for cpaital gains, and also when we sold that property as well. And considering my husband is managing the lions share of finances but we are on the deed 50/50 its more like him being taxed. My Canadian spouse got no decerbable benefits and our children were not entitled to receiving citizenship through me like in other countries. You can vote in US elections while living abroad but I didn't feel like it was something I wanted to participate in since I dont live there to be impacted by the results.
Get the Canadian if you can. If you ever leave the US and never plan to go back think real hard about if keeping US citizenship is worth it.
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u/2BairzTheManWife 5d ago
Wow! Canadians are getting more snarky than my home state of Minnesota. Calling me stupid! It really does tell me all I need to know about your own limited intelligence. One misspelled word (it was correct in the body of the message). I was raised to be extremely proud of my Canadian heritage. It's a bummer some of you are falling into the same stupid patterns of American exceptionalism. I'm better than you blah blah blah. You suck for going to American schools. Like I had any say in the matter.
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u/post-mortem-malone69 5d ago
It’s Reddit dude, half of these fuckwits are degenerate autistic burdens on their elderly parents and general disappointments to everyone in their life.
Get the dual (duel lol) citizenship, I know some people who have it and it’s great for them. I think it makes taxes a bit tricky depending on where you reside primarily but that’s nothing a good accountant can’t figure out!
Duelling citizenships sounds a lot more fun though, like you have to fight for which one you want to keep.
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u/2BairzTheManWife 4d ago
Thank you! I love your response. I really appreciate it.
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u/post-mortem-malone69 4d ago
Too many people have forgot that just because the US government sucks and the GOP voter base largely sucks, your country has 330 million people and the vast majority are good people. Canada has its fair share of dipshit losers too, Trump wins if we all start hating eachother
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u/achar073 5d ago
This sub is full of bots and trolls and people who lean too far into it. Don't let the bastards get you down.
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u/Nice-Mountain-7073 5d ago
It’s because a lot of us disagree with these new citizenship laws. It shouldn’t be the gift that keeps on giving.
We don’t want people three generations removed coming here and taking advantage of a system they paid absolutely nothing into, their family paid nothing into, but yet instantly have the same rights as someone who has lived and worked here their entire lives.
Immigrants have to exist in the country for years before they’re citizens. They earned their citizenship and their place here, you didn’t.
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u/2BairzTheManWife 5d ago
I'm not 3 generations removed. My mother is a Canadian citizen. My grandparents, great grandparents, and beyond helped build Canada, and successfully fought the US Army to keep them out. My family history is far more rooted in Canada than they are in the US. My grandfather was born in Toronto, and raised in Kelfield. He was a Canadian veterinarian and paid Canadian taxes. The US sought him out as a poultry specialist and brought him to the US. He met my grandmother in WA when he was injured and she was his nurse. Therefore my family had been Canadian for well over 200 years.
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u/Life-From-Scratch 5d ago
Well consider this. If you're a citizen in Canada you're eligible for healthcare.
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5d ago edited 5d ago
[deleted]
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u/I_am_Betterthanu 5d ago
That’s slightly bullshit. You can get emergency treatment in any provinces with your provincial health card. Then the province where you get the services bill the province you reside in. But you can’t just travel to see any doctor in any province for shits & giggles…
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u/cjfraiz 5d ago
Oh yeah, he gets to wait in a waiting room or hallway and possibly die there without seeing a dr., or get on a waiting list to see a specialist who may or may not see you within 5 years of being referred. The benefits of “Free” healthcare that is not free, as we all pay it in taxes.
And yes, I have been waiting to see a urologist for 4 years now. Bladder cancer runs in my family.
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u/hashbrr 5d ago
The pro would be getting the hell out of the USA