Job Discussion Forums

yodetta · Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 68 Location: California, USA

greetings,

i haven't travelled yet, but am wondering what happens to my U.S. state residency (CA resident) if away for more than a year? For example, if after a year or two of teaching abroad I wish to return stateside to attend graduate school, will i still have my California residency, or will my residency status be the same within any state?

i appreciate your help with this. Question

yodetta

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Do you have family/friends in California whose address you can use?

d

yodetta · Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 68 Location: California, USA

d,

my family is on the east coast. while i've got friends here, i'm not absolutely certain about the permancy of their address, though some will undoubtedly remain here. how does this factor in?

i've lived in California for over 10 years. i don't think i would lose my residency by being abroad for one year, but not sure what happens if i stay longer than that......and depending on the outcome of the next presidential election, who knows what i'll decide to do... Shocked

yodetta

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I am actually in a similar situation--born and raised in CA (lived there all my life except for my TEFLing years-damnit, I am a RESIDENT!), but haven't really had an address since I was 17, when my parents moved to Oregon. I have managed to keep residency by using friends' and ex-boyfriend's addresses, although I have had to shift my permanent address a few times.

As long as you've got friends who will be around long enough for you to get back into school, you should be OK. I think...

d

yodetta · Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 68 Location: California, USA

So...are you saying that I should list my friend's address as my "permanent" mailing address until I get back, and claim the foreign address as an official "temporary" address? I just need to be clear on the mechanics of mail here.

wow...this picture is much too large...sorry.

Yodette

James_T_Kirk · Joined: 20 Sep 2003 Posts: 357 Location: Ten Forward

I'm no lawyer, but here's what I believe to be true: If you have a California driver's license, you should be fine. Even if the address on this license is some old apartment address or something, this is your legal permanent address. If you have your mail sent to your family on the East Coast, that is simply your mailing address. If you go abroad, you maintain residency and voting privileges in the last state that you lived in, which, in your case, would be California. I hope this helps, and if I am wrong, I hope someone will speak up.

Cheers,
Kirk

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

ben_tesl · Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 1 Location: Los Angeles

For residency purposes, I suppose your only concern is what state you will pay taxes in. Up to $78,000 USD is tax exempt from federal taxes; the states handle this matter differently.

I have heard that California is aggressively pursuing California residents who live overseas for in-state taxes. Their reasoning is that since your last place of domicile was in California, you will return to CA and should pay annual state taxes for your time overseas.

Residency is usually defined by where you have a drivers license, voter regiistration, and domicile.

Regards,
Ben

misteradventure · Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Posts: 246

The big ones are these:

If you declare residency in another state of the Union, you lose your CA residency.

If you vote in another jusrisdiction, you lose it.

The rules for the UC system are here:

http://www.registrar.ucsb.edu/residenc.htm

What has worked for some in the past are to APPLY for admission (usu. as an undergrad) and take no courses. This gets you into their computer. If you show up with a CA driver's license and are in their 'system' , nobody blinks an eye.

States have been known to try to tax people who have already left (e.g. living in Iowa now, but lived in CA during the month of January of the previous year.) Also, there are different definitions of 'residency' for tuition, vs. state income tax vs. motor vehicle rules... SO, you can see how goofy the whole thing is.

Just go for it. If you decide to never come back, all of this angst is for nothing. If you do come back, deal with the situation then.

I've never known a school to double check my residence history, so long as I have some documentation to support my claims. Keep in mind that you INTEND to only work overseas TEMPORARILY and do not intend to surrender your residency.

If you went to study overseas for a year, they'd still consider you a resident. So you happen to be getting a paycheck... Lucky break for you!

keepthepenny · Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 8

If you plan to inform prospective graduate schools of your experiences overseas (which I highly recommend, all of the graduate programs that I have looked into have specifically mentioned experience working overseas as a plus!) it may be hard to also argue that you've been spending the last two years in the state of California. Wink

Then again, maybe they won't put two and two together.

Either way, most graduate schools (at least that I've seen in my research) allow you to "work toward" instate residency during your first year as a student-- unlike undergrad programs! So as someone else wisely suggested, enjoy your time abroad and don't sweat it 'til it matters.