Worked abroad? Those years may still count

If you lived or worked in another country before coming to Canada, those years may help you qualify for Old Age Security. Canada has social security agreements with many countries. Depending on the agreement, your periods of residence or contributions abroad may be combined with your Canadian residence to meet OAS's minimum eligibility requirement.

Those foreign years do not increase the amount of your Canadian OAS pension. If an agreement helps you qualify, your OAS amount is still generally based on your years of residence in Canada after age 18. For example, 16 years of Canadian residence generally produces 16/40 of the full basic pension even if foreign periods helped you meet the minimum requirement. Review the official explanation and examples.

The details vary by country and by agreement. In particular, Canada's agreements with China, Israel, and the United Kingdom are limited and do not help you qualify for Canadian benefits. Use Service Canada's country-by-country agreement list and check the page for the country where you lived or worked. Service Canada makes the final decision based on your residence history, contribution record, and the agreement that applies.