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onthemove2016

Newbie
Jan 2, 2016
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Hello, I was wondering if anyone here could help answer these questions.

If my wife applies inland and becomes pregnant at some point during the 12 month waiting period will she be eligible for health insurance? Not sure which province we will be in. We are both outside Canada at the moment.

Once she gets her OWP will the work she does during the 12 month application period before becoming PR count towards the hours worked to allow her to be eligible for maternity and parental benefits?

Thank you and good luck to everyone.
 
If my wife applies inland and becomes pregnant at some point during the 12 month waiting period will she be eligible for health insurance? Not sure which province we will be in. We are both outside Canada at the moment.

Critical that you know which province you will be living in as of course healthcare insurance and the rules as to whether and when she would be eligible can and do vary by province. For example, the rules for Ontario are:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-ohip-and-get-health-card#section-2

Have a read of those, my reading is that it is possible she could be covered after at least 5 months living there and provided your application for PR has been submitted and at least acknowledged (but only my quick reading!!).
 
Ontario would actually not be the best choice. Alberta provides the most flexibility when it comes to health care for visitors. I believe it would be possible for her to get OHIP in Ontario but she would need the OWP and a job for at least six months. Alberta has no such requirement, simply being the wife of an Alberta resident will be enough to get her on the provincial coverage.
 
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I looked at the Ontario information again... I couldn't find anything about a requirement for having the OWP and a job for six months. Only that she would need to physically present for 153 days.... approximately 5 months. It is my understanding that it takes 4 months to get the OWP. So if that is correct, it takes a six month work requirement out to 10 months which is almost the 12 month processing window. Furthermore, I read that it can take up to three months after being approved for coverage to begin. Anyone care to comment on this? Thanks.
 
I looked at the Ontario information again... I couldn't find anything about a requirement for having the OWP and a job for six months. Only that she would need to physically present for 153 days.... approximately 5 months. It is my understanding that it takes 4 months to get the OWP. So if that is correct, it takes a six month work requirement out to 10 months which is almost the 12 month processing window. Furthermore, I read that it can take up to three months after being approved for coverage to begin. Anyone care to comment on this? Thanks.
Being present in Ontario for 153 days of the year is not the only requirement. Please see requirements here, not sure what has already been linked but this page lists them out very clearly including what I mentioned about the work permit : https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-ohip-and-get-health-card#section-2

There is no waiting period in Alberta and visitors are eligible for health care. if you have a choice as to which province you will settle and you are decided on pregnancy before she gets PR, Alberta is a no brainer.
 
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It looks like the work permit is under this heading:
"You must also meet at least one of the following additional requirements."

but also under that heading is this:
"have applied for permanent residence, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has confirmed that:
  • you meet the eligibility requirements to apply
  • you have not yet been denied"
So it is unclear to me that working for 6 months is absolutely essential in this case.

That being said... I will definitely now think about Alberta, which I hadn't considered before. Thanks for information on that.
 
It looks like the work permit is under this heading:
"You must also meet at least one of the following additional requirements."

but also under that heading is this:
"have applied for permanent residence, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has confirmed that:
  • you meet the eligibility requirements to apply
  • you have not yet been denied"
So it is unclear to me that working for 6 months is absolutely essential in this case.

That being said... I will definitely now think about Alberta, which I hadn't considered before. Thanks for information on that.
Meeting the eligibility requirements is also known as AIP which comes ten months into the inland application.

I understand you want to be hopeful about this but I lived in Ontario as a visitor for over a year and unfortunately am very familiar with what is required to be eligible. :)
 
This forum is great and so are you. Thank you.

Will now commence further research on Alberta, B.C. and potentially other provinces.