Delivery in Canada as PR then back to hometown?

[mastfadi]

Hi,

Me and my wife have received our Immigrant visa last month which is due to expire in July 2015 at the time when the medicals expire which basically means that I need to get there before July 2015 to get the PR card. However we are not ready to move permanently yet and want to postpone the shifting to at least 2 year from now. We are concerned now about one big factor that is what to do in case my wife gets pregnant, as we need to go for a baby now. I will mention my concerns in two parts below

1)I have read from a lot of places in these forums that if one delivers the baby in home country while having the PR for Canada, it is a long process to sponsor your baby to get the PR , I am not sure how likely the chances ate that you are denied the visa for the baby? Can you please tell me what complication are involved in having a baby and then applying for the PR /sponsoring the baby?

2)If we go to Calgary to deliver the baby, then I have the option to apply for AHCIP coverage which I get the same day I land, If we use the coverage provided by AHCIP for delivery expenses in Canada and then come back to home country for a long time (exceeding the 6 month minimum duration you should stay in Alberta in 12 months period), how likely is that the AHCIP comes after you to ask for the expenses back? I have seen only a few people in these forums who consider this a health coverage fraud and ask people to stay at least 6 months in respective provinces to avoid such instance however there is no example in this whole forum (except one from BC years back) in which anyone has been charged back considering the fact that the person has not stayed 6 months in a year to fulfill the residency obligations for provincial health coverage.
Here I am not only requesting to all of you to let me know if the provincial health care system ever came after such a person, but also please tell me if anyone has done so and never had any issues with the authorities so that I can figure out how likely can I go for this option, as delivering a baby costs alot in Canada which is difficult to afford.

Appreciate your time in replying and help me out here

 

[scylla]

1) There's no chance the baby will be refused PR. The complications with the process are that one of you must be in Canada to file the application and remain in Canada while the application is being processed. If you are from a non-visa exempt country, then your baby may or may not be granted a TRV/TRP to come to Canada with you. If not TRV/TRP is granted, this means one of you will need to remain back in your home country with the baby while the other travels to Canada to handle the PR paperwork.

2) I don't think anyone here can give you the chances that the province will come after you. However is certainly does happen (we've seen a few cases on this forum where the province has gone after the parents for the money). I know there was one case on this forum where someone was charged somewhere between $30K and $40K for a pretty straight-forward birth because they had the child and then left.

 

[Leon]

In order to be eligible for Alberta Health Care, you need to be residing in AB.

You can see this here: http://www.health.alberta.ca/AHCIP/registration-requirements.html

Eligible residents

An eligible resident of Alberta is a person who is:

- Legally entitled to be or to remain in Canada and makes his/her permanent home in Alberta;
- Committed to being physically present in Alberta for at least 183 days in a 12 month period;
- Not claiming residency or obtaining benefits under a claim of residency in another province, territory or country;
- Any other person deemed by the regulations to be a resident not including a tourist, transient or visitor to Alberta.

When you are not intending to live in AB for 6 months a year, applying for a health card anyway and using it would be considered fraud. In Canada, health care fraud is a crime.

For example, you can read this bulletin about health care fraud: http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/AHCIP-Bulletin-Gen-88-2014.pdf

This bulletin is intended to promote awareness and to prevent possible fraudulent events.

Fraud is defined as an act of deception or misrepresentation by an individual(s) in order to obtain benefits that they normally would not have been eligible for. Fraud is an offence defined in Section 380 of the Criminal Code of Canada and anyone found guilty of fraud may face up to 14 years imprisonment. In addition, the finding of fraudulent conduct may result in reporting of that conduct by Alberta Health to the relevant professional college or association as well as recovery of the wrongfully paid amounts by way of other legal proceedings commenced by Alberta Health.
..

The following are some common examples of fraudulent behavior in the healthcare system.
..
Non-Residents – obtaining Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan coverage through misrepresentation about their status as a resident of Alberta or Canada.

Here is an article about investigations into health care fraud: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/Alberta+health+fraud+unit+probes+questionable+billing/9692614/story.html

According to Wilson, about 50 per cent of fraud reviews are related to people who aren’t eligible for coverage or an Alberta health card.

I don't think anyone can give you the odds of getting caught but if you do get caught, you don't just face paying back what they covered for you, you could face criminal charges as well. Another thing is that hospitals often bill health care differently (more) than patients who pay out of pocket so there have been cases where people have been back charged by health care for up to 4-5 times more than they would have paid if they had paid out of pocket.

Your other options would be:

1. to move to AB and settle there before the baby is born
2. to go to AB, have the baby and pay out of pocket, then return to home country
3. to go through the process of sponsoring your child for PR which as you said, can be tedious and take a long time
4. to postpone having a baby until you are ready to move

 

[mastfadi]

Your other options would be:

1. to move to AB and settle there before the baby is born
2. to go to AB, have the baby and pay out of pocket, then return to home country
3. to go through the process of sponsoring your child for PR which as you said, can be tedious and take a long time
4. to postpone having a baby until you are ready to move

Leon and Scylla,

I am so glad that you have responded to my query in such detail. Now undoubtedly, I will not take such a step after having read that it can be really considered a fraud to avail the health benefits in such a manner.

But now more I think about it, I am thinking of the options for private insurances,I will again divide my questions into two

1) firstly we can't get pregnant and then ask for insurance coz the theory of pre-existing conditions kicks in. How about going to Canada now, we are planning this for coming Eid, get a private insurance that covers pregnancy and all the charges related to it, get back to home town, go for a baby , and then come back to Canada for delivery? Are there any insurances which cover all maternity related costs and will this insurance be valid if I travel to home country and then come to Canada back again?.

2)Is there also any option that if my wife gets pregnant before taking any insurance ? then we can at least ask for an insurance for any unexpected maternity health issues like premature birth or anything which would need long admission into the hospitals which simply multiplies the bill. Is there any insurance which can cover these unseen charges if we get insured only after getting pregnant?.

Again, I would really appreciate your reply to help me out here.

 

[Leon]

I am not an insurance broker but haver is and you can see haver contact info here talking about insurance and giving a link: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/urgently-need-help-ohip-eligibility-t230502.0.html;msg3337891#msg3337891

So apparently there is insurance that you can get before she gets pregnant that would cover it and after she gets pregnant, she could at least get insurance to cover emergencies.

 

[haver]

@mastfadi
There is one visitors plan available that covers the prenatal care up to $10,000 and the delivery (all up to 80%) but the visitor's due date has to be at least 10 months in advance. That plan also covers one eye exam and one regular check up year on top of all the emergency coverage that all companies offer. Pregnancy is no considered a pre-existing condition but all visitors plan exclude it from coverage. There is also one plan available for those who are already pregnant but it only covers emergencies and only up to 31 weeks. If you decide to go home during the coverage these plans become null. Hope that helps