6 Immigrant Tax Return tax and accounting engagements in full — what the client came to us with, what we did, and what it was worth. Each one is specific to immigrant tax return work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Missed incentive claimed
$145,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — First-Time Home Buyer, Brampton
Client: A first-time home buyer · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$145,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A first-time home buyer in Brampton, Ontario assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. Three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them.
The result
$145,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 2 · Planning that cut the bill
$38,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Gig-Economy Driver, Barrie
A gig-economy driver in Barrie, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them.
The result
The change saved $38,000 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
11-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $137,000 — Taxpayer with US-Source Dividends, Mississauga
Client: A taxpayer with US-source dividends · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$137,000
Filed with24 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for immigrant tax return weeks away, a taxpayer with US-source dividends in Mississauga, Ontario was carrying foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier. The exposure if the date slipped was around $137,000.
What we did
We pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 24 days to spare. $137,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 4 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $107,000 Cut From A 3-Year Backlog — Two-Income Household with Rental, Saskatoon
Client: A two-income household with rental property · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$107,000
Backlog cleared3 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a two-income household with rental property in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan called, 3 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance. Each filing replaced an arbitrary assessment with a real one.
The result
The account is current. Filing on real numbers rather than CRA estimates reduced the balance by $107,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 5 · CRA review defended
Audit Defence Closed In 3 Weeks, $79,000 Cleared — Recently Separated Taxpayer, Victoria
Client: A recently separated taxpayer · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$79,000
Review duration3 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A recently separated taxpayer in Victoria, British Columbia was selected for review after a rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on immigrant tax return came to $79,000.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them. Every figure in the response traced to a source record the auditor could verify without asking a second question.
The result
The review closed with no change. $79,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 6 · Cash and remittance control
Remittance Schedule Corrected, $40,000 Refunded — Employee with Foreign Investment, Toronto
Client: An employee with foreign investment accounts · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$40,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at an employee with foreign investment accounts in Toronto, Ontario were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more.
What we did
We reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $40,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe representative engagements of this type; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client names and identifying details are omitted for confidentiality.
