Health card validity

[shyam.7944]

I came to Canada as a student in 2015, I then became a permanent resident last September. The thing is that, I applied and received my health card around first week of January, and I went to my home country for over a month and got married. I came back in March and started my new full-time job. I was just looking on the website and it says, I need to stay for a minimum of 153 of 183 in order to be eligible for a health card. I'm not sure what that means. Does it mean that my card is not valid anymore?

Your response is highly appreciated.

 

[canuck78]

I came to Canada as a student in 2015, I then became a permanent resident last September. The thing is that, I applied and received my health card around first week of January, and I went to my home country for over a month and got married. I came back in March and started my new full-time job. I was just looking on the website and it says, I need to stay for a minimum of 153 of 183 in order to be eligible for a health card. I'm not sure what that means. Does it mean that my card is not valid anymore?

Your response is highly appreciated.

Yes if you were gone for over a month during the first 6 months you didn’t qualify to apply for a health card and could be asked to pay back any medical care you used.

 

[shyam.7944]

Yes if you were gone for over a month during the first 6 months you didn’t qualify to apply for a health card and could be asked to pay back any medical care you used.

But I already have a health card. I received it before I left to my home country. What happens now?

 

[mad_hatter]

If OP had gone to school in the same province that OP is residing now. OP would have satisfied the 6 month requirement.

 

[canuck78]

If OP had gone to school in the same province that OP is residing now. OP would have satisfied the 6 month requirement.

I stand corrected. You are right. Residency was established if poster went to school in Ontario.

In general having a valid health card does not actually mean you are entitled to receive “free” services. Confusing I know. You are expected to let OHIP know if you plan on leaving Ontario for long periods of time. Also helps prevent fraudulent use of OHIP services. For example if a Canadian citizen has been out of Ontario for 3 years and return to Ontario and gives birth to a child 2 months after returning the government should ask them to pay the government back for all the care they received. How often that actually happens is a different story. If you don’t use your card for a while OHIP often freezes cards and you have to prove that you are alive and still living in Canada. If there is some sort of inconsistency the internal auditing program should pick it up and freeze your card until you verify it was indeed you using the card.