Provincial Health Insurance in BC. When am I eligible? (live in caregiver)

[Nanny in BC]

Hi there.
I need a help regarding provincial health insurance in BC. Please someone kindly help or give me an advice.

I've got my initial work permit under live in caregiver program recently. So I am going to start working as a nanny.

I know that people who moved BC will have to wait three months (?) until be eligible to get the benefit of MSP.
I moved to BC from another province approximately 6 month ago and got work permit recently. So I have been in BC for almost 6 months already. But until I got my work permit, I was holding a student permit first month, then I applied extension visa as a visitor and got approval for waiting my work permit approval in Canada. That means I've already been in BC as student/visitor for 6 months.

Now my question is that am I eligible to get benefits of MSP right away? Or do I have to wait for couple of months? I really want to know about it because as live in caregiver, our employers have to provide private health insurance for us until we are eligible for MPS. As some people know, live in caregiver likely will apply PR after working for two years. I will apply it, too. So this issue is very important for me for my future application of PR, I think.

Please help me! I am in Vancouver. I wanted to go to an office in person to ask my questions. But I could not find any offices. I believe that people can ask those questions only through telephone. I tried to call centre, too. But it is always busy and cannot reach any agencies

I also wanted to know that how/when people can know an exact day of starting coverage of MSP. I wonder how employer figures out that when they don't need to pay to private insurance company for us. What if they forget to pay for us, what will be happen???

PLEASE please help me!!
Thank you very much in advance. I appreciate you read such long explanations.

Nanny in BC

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi

As far as I know, the time you spent as a visitor is not counted towards the waiting period, as you were not an eligible resident during that time. The waiting period will start from the date you received your work permit; it is the balance of that month plus 2 more months.

From MSP's website:

The date residency is considered to have been established is determined by the Ministry of Health, based on a number of factors, including the type of immigration status held. For some persons the wait period doesn’t start when they arrive in the province - it starts later. For example, a person who arrives as a tourist or visitor may later receive a change in immigration status in Canada that qualifies the person for MSP coverage

You need to call MSP to confirm.

 

[user828]

Who is Eligible?

To qualify for MSP coverage, an individual must be a resident of British Columbia. A resident is a person who:

is a citizen of Canada or is lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence,
makes his or her home in B.C., and
is physically present in B.C. for
at least six months in a calendar year, or
a shorter prescribed period*,
and includes a person who is deemed under the regulations to be a resident but does not include a tourist or visitor to British Columbia.

*Note: Effective January 1, 2013, eligible B.C. residents (citizens of Canada or persons who are lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence) who are outside B.C. for vacation purposes only, are allowed a total absence of up to seven months in a calendar year.

Certain other individuals, such as some holders of study and/or work permits, or working permits on working holiday programs — which are issued under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and are valid for a period of six or more months — may be deemed residents. Tourists or visitors to B.C. do not qualify.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I'm unsure of what it is that you're trying to say user828. There is no doubt that the OP will qualify for coverage with her work permit; rather, OP's question is whether the time as a visitor counts towards the waiting period.

Are you trying to say that you think the time as a visitor will count or that it will not?

 

[Nanny in BC]

Thank you both to answer/give me those information. I appreciate it.
My employer called MSP twice to make sure the procedure under my circumstance. And she was told same things both time that I've already passed waiting time, but I have to wait two months until I get the insurance coverage. So it means they can accept people as residences who are just visitor status, but changed a condition as worker/student later? Anyway, if I will have been waiting more than two months at end, I will update again! Thanks again. I will delete my account for the present.
Nanny in BC