Pregnancy

[BMWXC60]

Hello All,

First of all i have been following this forum from the past 9-10 months and i have to admit it has been very helpful.Thanks to all the people who take the effort of being so kind to reply to queries without gaining anything from it.This is highly appreciated.

Now, people i am in a situation.We landed , did all our paper work in October 2009 , got our PR's,SIN cards and bank cards.We landed in Ontario.We (my wife and myself) are not in Canada right now and both are working individuals.My wife is carrying our first child and she is 2 months pregnant.We didn't apply for the health cards at that time as we were told that its not allowed if we are not staying there permanently(at that time).

We do have proof of residence(which we gave to the bank + PR card receival etcc...) but no rent contract.Can we fly down and apply for OHIP and then come back again?

If yes, how much time does this whole process take?

I know OHIP is valid only after 3 months from the moment we landed, its been roughly 9 months now, is it ok then to apply now?

We dont mind coming there by say another 4 months from now, again , if we get to apply now and get the baby delivered in Canada.

Appreciate kind replies from all the pro's in here.

Thanks again

Cheers

 

[steaky]

From I what understand, you need at least 3 months physical residence waiting in Ontario in order to be eligible for OHIP. If in your case you reenter Canada 9 months after your first landing, perhaps you can consider to move to Alberta to deliver your baby. For more info about healthcare in Alberta, read this recent post:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/healthcare-in-ab-t47955.0.html

 

[Leon]

You are not really eligible for OHIP until you've lived in Ontario for 3 months and you must live in Ontario at least 5 of the first 6 months after you establish residency and you must stay in Ontario at least 5 months a year, see http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/ohipfaq_dt.aspx#Q1

If you go now to apply for OHIP, you first have to stay for 3 months until you get it and then you must stay on to keep your residency requirement of 5 out of 6 months to keep your OHIP. If you cheat on OHIP and they find out, you will have to pay yourself for the time you got coverage that you shouldn't have.

You could move to one of the provinces that covers you from day 1 if you move from another country. Those would be pretty much any province except Ontario, BC, NB (they are changing this) and Quebec (I think they have exceptions for pregnancy though). Whatever province you are contemplating moving to, make sure you look up their health care and find out if you would indeed be eligible for health care from day 1.

 

[lovebug]

Dear Leon,

From your reply to BMWXC60, i understand as follows;

• People who leave Canada / Ontario after first landing without applying for the Health Card could go back and stay there for more than three months, then apply for the health card, and they would be covered as soon as they get one, am I correct? If not, what’s the date when the coverage starts? Do we have to stay for additional 2 months (3+2=5) after completing 3 months to get the coverage?

• Is it possible that pregnant women PR’s outside Canada could go back in their 5th or 6th month of pregnancy, and by the time the baby in due, hopefully they would be covered if they applied right after completing 3 months of stay? If yes, how long does it take to get the card after submitting the application?

• Once the card is issued, we must remain in Ontario for at least 5 months each year in order to keep our coverage, right?

Please advise if this understanding is correct or not.

Thanks!

 

[Leon]

You should get the card right away once you have been in Ontario for 3 months and can prove it but it seems that they are saying that you need to stay in Ontario for at least 5 months in your first year. I do not know if they take it to mean the 3 plus 2 = 5 and then you can leave or if they mean 3 + 5 and then you can leave.

It is also a question how closely they follow who is in Canada and who is not. Immigration doesn't always know. Theoretically it might be possible for someone like them who has landed, then left Canada to come back, convince OHIP that they were in Canada the whole time and get their OHIP card right away but it's risky because if OHIP finds out at some point that they didn't qualify for OHIP, they can back charge them.

I think it would be best to ask OHIP directly what the requirements are but it's still risky for a woman who is 5 or 6 months pregnant moving to ON and hoping to get covered before the baby is born. What if the baby is born early and there are complications? She could have thousands of $ in bills to pay.

 

[lovebug]

Thanks Leon, I think it’s best to ask OHIP the exact requirements as you have suggested.

The best case would be that all are covered after 3 months of stay, then one could try to minimize the risk by purchasing private insurance (if available) for the time being.

 

[lovebug]

Dear Leon, one more question plz…
For giving birth, is it enough that only mother is covered? or both parents must have valid Health Cards?
Regards

 

[Leon]

It is enough that the mother is covered. The mother is the one who is giving birth. The father will (hopefully) not need any medical attention.

 

[lovebug]

Great, thanks a ton!
u r the gem of this Forum!! ;D
Cheers!