THANKS A BUNCH FOR THIS VERY COMPLETE ANSWER!

Reed wrote:
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tragicallyhip wrote:
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Quoted from www.ssa.gov
"If I leave the US, can I continue to receive benefits?

Answer
If you are a United States citizen, you can travel or live in
most foreign countries without affecting your eligibility for
Social Security benefits. However, there are a few
countries—Cambodia, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and many of the
former U.S.S.R. republics (except Armenia, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania and Russia)—where we cannot send Social Security checks.

If you are not a United States citizen, the law requires us to
stop your payments after you have been outside the United States
for six calendar months unless you meet one of several exceptions
in the law which will permit you to continue receiving benefits
abroad. These exceptions are based, for the most part, on your
citizenship. For example, if you are entitled to worker’s benefits
and are a citizen of one of the many countries with which the
United States has a reciprocal arrangement to pay each other’s
citizens in another country, your Social Security benefits may
continue after you leave the United States (see a list at
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/intern...r_ss.html#what ).

If you work outside the United States, different rules apply in
determining if you can get your benefit checks.

Most people who are neither U.S. residents nor U.S. citizens will
have 25.5 percent of their benefits withheld for federal income
tax.

For more information about receiving benefits abroad, we recommend
you read the booklet, Payments While You Are Outside the United
States (Publication No.05-10137) from
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/intern...l/your_ss.html.
"


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(remove N0SPAM from address to reply)

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By the way, you paid into nothing. You paid a tax; period end of report.

I have a question perhaps someone in this NG can help me with.

I am a Canadian who has been working in the US in H1B status for the
last 7 years. I have applied for adjusted status as a permanent
resident and will remain working in the US probably for another ten
years. My question is as follows:

Having paid into the social security system for 17 years as a HCE (and
17 years only), if I should have to return to Canada, what will happen
to the money I paid into the system?

1. You get back what you paid in and nothing more.
2. You qualify for US social security when you hit 65, even if you're
no longer in the US
3. Diddley squat. Thank you for your numerous years of contributions
but you get nothing.
4. There is some kind of "social security equity" agreement between
Canada and the US which results in a transfer credit for the money you
paid into the US system to the Canadian system and you are credited
with the 17 years you worked in the US.

Any one know for sure?

TIA