what should I do? soon to be wife on work permit is pregnant

[hello8888]

my current g/f just finished school on study permit, and now have the 3 year temp work permit, but does not have a job, we were planning for a fall wedding and then apply for PR, but we just found out she's pregnant.

Ontario health coverage requires the work permit holder to be employed at least 6month before being covered under OHIP, so do you guys suggest we do?

if we apply for PR, spousal sponsorship how long does it usually take before she can get status/OHIP coverage? would it make a difference if we got married or apply as common law?  from service canada's website it seems pretty straightforward, but would it be a lot faster for the application process if we went through a lawyer?

we are in Ontario but near the Quebec border, if needed we can move to the Quebec side, according to the Immigration Quebec site http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/immigrate-settle/temporary-workers/arriving-settling/documents/health-insurance-card.html 

Currently, temporary workers must have a work permit of more than six months in order to have access to the health insurance plan. Temporary workers are subject to a maximum three-month waiting period before being able to benefit from the plan. They must therefore register with the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec as soon as they arrive so as not to delay their eligibility.

does this mean as long as their under temprorary worker permit they automatically get insured after 3 month? even without a job?

last thing is does anyone know which private insurance company is best for this kind of situation? the coverage would be extrememely high correct? since claim for birth/checkups is pretty much guaranteed?

[OneLuckyCookie]

Hey there,
first of all I would get private health insurance until your gf can get OHIP coverage (which will take at least three months). Second, your gf should be eligible for health care coverage in both Ontario and Quebec after three months as far as I know (just wrote my Bachelor's Thesis on this). Even without a job. Coverage is based on several different factors. Check this link and scroll down to 3.1 Eligibility: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/cha-lcs/2008-cha-lcs-ar-ra/page1-eng.php#ON
If she gets the permanent residence, she will probably still be subject to the three months waiting period and you will have to wait for the PR to be granted which will most likely take a few months.
As far as I've read in this forum, lawyers do not speed up the process. They might be able to help you put your application together more effectively, but they do not have any influence over the processing time itself.
As for applying as common law or spouse: it depends mostly on meeting the requirements. If you have not lived together for a consecutive 12 month period than you are not eligible to apply as common law and could, therefore, consider getting married and applying as spouses.
I can't really help you with the private insurance...
Hope this helps a bit! =)

[diddagirl]

Hey there,
first of all I would get private health insurance until your gf can get OHIP coverage (which will take at least three months). Second, your gf should be eligible for health care coverage in both Ontario and Quebec after three months as far as I know (just wrote my Bachelor's Thesis on this). Even without a job. Coverage is based on several different factors. Check this link and scroll down to 3.1 Eligibility: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/cha-lcs/2008-cha-lcs-ar-ra/page1-eng.php#ON

Hey oneluckycookie,

I thought the same thing initially, however he said his g/f is on a post graduate work visa- which from what I saw on the OHIP website- falls under special immigration rules for health care, and do in fact need to have a job for 6 months first. Seems so silly since someone coming here on a 1 yr swap visa even could get health care before even the three months is up!

To the original poster- How far along is your girlfriend? Could she get a job now and be able to work 6 months prior to the baby being born? In addition to the health care, it would also be great for her to work so that she would be eligible for maternity leave pay...

[hello8888]

Hey oneluckycookie,

I thought the same thing initially, however he said his g/f is on a post graduate work visa- which from what I saw on the OHIP website- falls under special immigration rules for health care, and do in fact need to have a job for 6 months first. Seems so silly since someone coming here on a 1 yr swap visa even could get health care before even the three months is up!

To the original poster- How far along is your girlfriend? Could she get a job now and be able to work 6 months prior to the baby being born? In addition to the health care, it would also be great for her to work so that she would be eligible for maternity leave pay...

a month or or two at the most, so she says.....

would any employment count for the 6month? or does the job have to fall under certain category? Worst case shes going to a fast food joint for 6month? She graduated in Aug and is active sending resumes, going to job fairs and such, but no luck so far.

[diddagirl]

a month or or two at the most, so she says.....

would any employment count for the 6month? or does the job have to fall under certain category? Worst case shes going to a fast food joint for 6month? She graduated in Aug and is active sending resumes, going to job fairs and such, but no luck so far.

There doesnt seem to be any restrictions regarding the type of employment (from what I can tell anyways)... so if she works at even a fast food place or something like that for now- at least she will be contributing to her unemployment hours for maternity leave, as well as towards the 6 months of employment for the OHIP requirement.  Then hopefully she will be able to find another job, more suited to her degree and can work there....
I know this economy is tough, and certainly in your case with a baby on the way and not many employment options. Good luck and hang in there... main thing is obviously to get her working in some way so that she qualifies for health care and could make some money once the baby is born.

[Leon]

If you apply for PR for her, if you apply inland, she could have first stage approval in 6 months if all goes well and PR maybe in a year or so and if you apply outland, it depends on her country of nationality, could be as fast as 4 months or as long as a year.  It's not a lot of time to play with.

What you need to do is talk to OHIP directly, explain your situation and find out exactly what the deal is.  If they tell you she has to work for 6 months before she's covered, call Quebec health and ask them.  I am pretty sure I read on the Quebec website that they make an exception on the waiting period for pregnancy and childbirth but ask them.

We can only tell you what we think but ultimately it's the health care you will have to deal with so you might as well ask them directly right away.

[hello8888]

I did a search on inland vs outland

for outland, the processing office we send our application to is wherever her passport is issued right?  my g/f is from China so going to Beijing?  According to this website http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/05-fc-spouses.asp#asia , cases will be finalized between 3-5 month, is that 1st stage approval or the whole process? so basically its 40 days in Mississuaga for sponsor approval then off to Beijing for 3-5month vs inland at least 5 month to get to stage 1? 

then I read this http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/faq/immigrate/sponsor/spouse-faq12.asp which is the summary for disadvantages/advantages or inland vs outland
since shes on a TFW for another 2.5 years with multiple entry visa, the only disadvantage for her to do a outland is that she might be called for a interview in Beijing(which from the readings I have done on this forum, is not likely unless something on the application is suspicious or is it random interviews?) while shes pregnant, in our case she might be close to due or at least 5-6month in if the process is the fastest at 3month. 

Lastly question for all you experts is what do you suggest for our situation. Do you guys think its worth the risk of going to a interview in Beijing to save couple of month to a year or more in processing time? For inland whats after stage 1? because she will be eligible for health care when she gets to stage 1? the interview will be the last step before stage 1 is completed correct?

is the right to appeal important? I mean if they reject it inland, does it mean theres no point in applying with the same documents again? if we get rejected outland does it mean we can request for another interview or something?

thanks

[Leon]

For outland, you would send your application to Mississauga where they process the sponsor part of it and they will then send it to China.  The timeline you found is the complete processing in China.  After the Mississauga part of 40 days or so, you would wait for another 3-5 months to get the PR itself.  There is no first stage approval for outland.  Like you said, if she's called for an interview, it might be a bit touchy with the timeline because she may be in the stage of pregnancy that she's not ok to fly.  You could ask them to postpone the interview until she's ok to fly but then it would mean no PR and no insurance until after the baby is born.  It's also a question if OHIP would want her to wait 3 months after she gets her PR.

For inland, you send your application to Vegreville.  If they like it, they will give you first stage approval in about 6 months and I do believe in many provinces she's eligible for health care at that point, you would have to ask OHIP.  However, if they don't like your application and they feel the need for an interview, it can really delay your application.  They would at that point send it directly to your local CIC office without the first stage approval and you may have to wait up to 3 years to get one depending on the caseload of the local office.  That means no healthcare.

I think you need to talk to OHIP and Quebec about your situation.  You don't have to give them your name, just hypothetical questions.

The Quebec healthcare does offer free services for people waiting to qualify for healthcare if they are pregnancy and childbirth related and some other exceptions, http://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/citoyens/assurancemaladie/arriver/ext_can.shtmlsee so if OHIP doesn't want to pay, you should really look into the option of moving to Quebec.  Each province has their own rules, some provinces even would have covered her from the time she came as a student.  Quebec may cover her just based on her work permit without her working for 6 months first, then she would only have a 3 month waiting period after moving there and childbirth and pregnancy related problems covered from day one.

The questions you should be asking OHIP:

1) Are there any exceptions for pregnant women and childbirth for their waiting period?

2) If she gets her PR, would she have to wait 3 months before getting OHIP?

3) If she gets inland first stage approval, would she have to wait 3 months before getting OHIP?

The questions you should be asking Quebec:

1) If you move there, will she qualify for insurance just based on her work permit?

2) If not, will she be covered immediately if she gets PR or first stage approval, at least for the pregnancy related expenses?

Note also that if you move to Quebec, it may slightly prolong your sponsorship application because Quebec has to approve it too.

[hello8888]

For outland, you would send your application to Mississauga where they process the sponsor part of it and they will then send it to China.  The timeline you found is the complete processing in China.  After the Mississauga part of 40 days or so, you would wait for another 3-5 months to get the PR itself.  There is no first stage approval for outland.  Like you said, if she's called for an interview, it might be a bit touchy with the timeline because she may be in the stage of pregnancy that she's not ok to fly.  You could ask them to postpone the interview until she's ok to fly but then it would mean no PR and no insurance until after the baby is born.  It's also a question if OHIP would want her to wait 3 months after she gets her PR.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the quick response and all the information, I will be calling OHIP and Quebec Health today at work.

the % of applicants that get called for a interview for outland is it totally random or only when they find something suspicious?  if the interview is called how long of a notice would they give her ahead of time, do both of us have to attend or only the applicant?  Also if we apply as married instead of common-law, would we still have to provide as much documents for the whole year? or is a married certificate good enough?

[Leon]

They will definitely call you for an interview if they find something not in order but I don't know if they also have a random sampling of other cases as well.  I don't think so.  I don't know how long they would give you.  Only the sponsored spouse has to attend.  If you get married, you do not have to prove that you have lived together for a year but you still need to prove that your marriage is real and not for PR.

[hello8888]

hi Leon,  with OHIP, they said in order for her to be eligible for OHIP, she need employment for 6+month, and need a letter from the company stating they will hire her for more than 6month+ full time.

I came upon one of the old threads you replied
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t16685.0.html

I called Quebec health as well today and the agent told me she will have to wait 3month and thats only if she's got a closed working permit with the company shes working for on the permit, I will call again tommrow since her English wasn't very good just to confirm.   

I will call Nova Scotia as well, since on their site states
People moving to Nova Scotia from outside the country, who hold a Work Permit, are eligible to apply for MSI upon their arrival in Nova Scotia, provided they will be remaining in Nova Scotia for at least one full year and have signed a declaration. The worker cannot be absent from Nova Scotia for more than 31 days

but with my luck, probably its for certain type of work permits also....

Will also call the local hospitals to see how much checkup/delivery/hospital will cost without coverage, and is still debating to apply inland or outland.

but any more tips would be extremely helpful.

[Leon]

Ask Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta as well.  I know AB covers students and pretty much everybody who comes from overseas from day 1 although she would be moving from Ontario so she would probably have to wait for 3 months but call them too and ask.

[saralune]

Just a question...? If she is pregenant will she be able to under go a medical for the sponsorship ? ????