Thank you for this! I didn't realise you could apply after receiving AOR. Did you just take in a copy of the AOR email your sponsor received?
has anyone received notification that the sponsors eligibility was being reviewed? mine still says
Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start reviewing your eligibility.
Wow! that's awesome, I called the center in Ontario after I received my AOR and they told me that I have to wait until I get the DM letter which is basically towards the end of the PR application process. So on Ontario's website it states:
three separate, original (not photocopies or printouts of electronic documents) identification documents:
- one that proves your Canadian citizenship or OHIP-eligible immigration status (e.g. Canadian birth certificate, Permanent Resident Card )
What document did you show for this section? Just print of AOR letter?
Sorry for the late reply, but here goes:
So if you are a BC resident this document provides pretty much all the information you need:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/health-drug-coverage/medical-services-plan/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/are-you-eligible/covering-a-spouse-or-child-who-is-an-applicant-for-permanent-resident-status-in-canada.pdf
In addition to that I've also added a letter of explanation and a copy of our statutory declaration of common-law union.
Crucially, also note that the account change form you have to fill out depends on whether you have an individual MSP or if your sponsor's MSP is managed by his or her employer.
In our case, my partner's MSP is managed by her benefits coordinator at her employer, which meant we submitted all the documents directly to that person and they took care of the rest.
To sum it up you will need:
- the filled out change form (either individual or group plan depending on your situation as mentioned above)
- copy of payment receipts for the PR fees
- copy of your current immigration document (work permit or visitor record most likely)
- copy of your passport and all of its marked pages
- a print out of your online account with IRCC showing the current status of your PR application and when it was received
- if you hold US citizenship, a copy of your birth certificate (I don't know exactly why but it's listed under the required documents)
- optional but strongly advised by the benefits coordinator: copy of a civil status document
Finally, there was one minor confusing hiccup during the application process. The benefits coordinator of my partner's employer insisted that I need to apply for a BC Services Card first before I can send in the application, which was backed up by the BC Health website. After going to my nearest ICBC, they told me that I can't actually apply for a BC Services Card before BC Health has determined my eligibility, so the information given on the website is inaccurate, at least for my case. In the end, I actually received my BC Services Card in the mail and didn't have to do any further steps after sending out the application (it won't have your photo).
My apologies for this slightly wordy explanation of the application process through my lens. In the end it was actually very straightforward except for that one bit of confusion. All in all filling out the form and gathering the documents took up maybe 1-2 hours. Clearing up the confusion about the services card delayed the process by a couple of days. After actually submitting the application with the benefits coordinator it took about 4 weeks for the card to arrive in the mail.
And once again: This information applies to BC residents ONLY!
