Can I apply for cpp-d while living out of country?

Hello. I recently moved to Mexico from Canada. I was born and raised in Canada though. A major part of my move was based on health. I have Myalgic Ensephalomyelitis (M.E.) as well as a combination of autoimmune diseases. I had to stop working my regular job back in 2012 because the M.E. makes it impossible to maintain any semblance of a schedule. I started my own company and worked from home doing graphic design until February 2020. I have paid double CPP during those years. Paying both the employer and employee contributions.
A couple of reasons why I had to move out of country:

  1. My husband, who was my carer, died suddenly in 2017. My condition is extremely aggravated by cold weather and changing barometric pressure levels. I lived in Calgary at that time and stayed through the winter without my husband. It was incredibly difficult because I can’t take care of myself well when the condition flares up and it flares a lot during winter. I couldn’t afford to hire a caregiver so I moved from Calgary to Vancouver Island in the spring of 2018 to try and mitigate the flare ups due to weather.

  2. Living on Vancouver Island worked a bit better than Calgary. I continued with my contract work until February of 2020. The contract, with a non-profit group, ended. I know I can’t find other contract work enough to support myself. There isn’t much work out there and it’s impossible for me to commit to specific schedules due to health. I don’t know until I wake up in the morning if I’ll be okay that day or just in a ton of pain and fatigue. The pain and fatigue are made worse by physical activity as well as social interactions. After losing my contract my only income is $550 per month in a survivor benefit from my husband’s CPP.

  3. I moved to Mexico because the climate is far more lenient to my health condition. Also, I hoped I could afford to hire help with cooking/cleaning. My health is more manageable here. I am still very limited on how much I can do but the pain I feel daily is significantly reduced in this climate.

I had considered applying for CPP-D before leaving Canada. I was put off by finding out how difficult it is to get accepted. But now that I think about it more I am.a bit angry because I’ve paid into that system my while adult life so I should be able to access the disability insurance. So now I want to apply but don’t know if there are ramifications due to living in Mexico now. I’ve only been here 2 months so far (as of March 1st 2020).

I have got the Disability Tax Credit since 2012 so the government dis recognize that I’m disabled. Please advise.

I don’t know so I would phone Service Canada.
I suspect you have to live here to get it BUT there might be a similar program in Mexico.

Can you collect Canada Pension if you live outside of Canada?
You can receive your OAS pension benefit payment outside the country if you : resided in Canada for at least 20 years after turning 18; or. lived and worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Canada and you meet the 20-year residence requirement under the provisions of that agreement.Sep 27, 2018

How long a Canadian citizen can stay out of the country?
90 days
Usually a maximum of 182 days, or about six months during a 12-month period. Those days can be amassed during one trip or they could be the sum of several trips. People from countries other than Canada are allowed to stay a maximum of 90 days.Mar 6, 2017

Can I receive CPP disability outside of Canada?
The CPP disability program has agreements with similar programs in other countries. You can transfer the credits between these programs. This can allow you to have enough contributions to qualify for CPP disability , if you haven’t worked recently in Canada , but did work in another country.

Could you post a link to this one?

This is not exactly what the OP asked but may be useful to someone.

You worked in another country

The CPP disability program has agreements with similar programs in other countries. You can transfer the credits between these programs. This can allow you to have enough contributions to qualify for CPP disability, if you haven’t worked recently in Canada, but did work in another country.
CPP Disability Payments 2023: Dates, Eligibility, Amounts & More

This might also be useful:

I would talk to a lawyer before moving out of Canada.

Thank you for the link.