Pretty common, sadly. Breadwinner gives up PR status, moves back overseas & supports family via tax free gifting. #Vanre will have a field day with this on twitter, as people are always on about the number of folks declaring poverty level incomes and claiming the various benefits available to said demographic while living in mansions.

For one thing, Meng says that she once immigrated to Canada, but relinquished permanent residency in 2009. Nevertheless, she and her husband went on to purchase the 28th Avenue home that year.

“She had a Care Card [medical services card]. She had a BC [British Columbia] identification card. She had a social insurance number … she has historically had links to Canada,” Martin told the BC Supreme Court hearing.

Meng technically returned to China as a resident nine years ago, but some of her family stayed behind in Canada for years. One of her sons from a previous marriage, now aged 16, attended school in Vancouver from 2009 to 2012, according to Meng’s deposition, while her and Liu’s daughter, now 10, attended kindergarten in Vancouver at some point.

Liu, meanwhile, was living in Vancouver at the time doing a master's degree.

“She acknowledges that after 2012, the children no longer resided here, however even after the children stopped attending school [in Vancouver] ‘my children spend many weeks, even months here during the summer’,” Martin said, quoting his client’s affidavit.

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