Canadian citizen, planning to move to another country upon retirement. Finalize retirement options before leaving Canada rather than after leaving Canada. If you intend to purchase an annuity, do it before you leave Canada because you will not be able to do it after taking up residence in another country.

Canadian life insurance companies prefer to do business with Canadians who reside permanently in Canada, have a permanent Canadian address, and have a Canadian bank account. If you complete your annuity purchase before leaving Canada, you sidestep any of the issues related to non-residency. 

If you have registered savings and you plan to retire to another country, then at least transfer your registered investments to a Canadian life insurance company before you leave. The reason for this is to set up a contractual obligation between you and an insurance company that has an annuity as one of their retirement options.