Random Government benefits questions

[killborn]

I am a US citizen in a serious relationship with a Canadian citizen. We are working towards our 12 months of living together (I am visiting her for the duration) for me to qualify for common law before we move forward with a PR application. We have also discussed options for starting a family in the future during this process.
A friend of hers who is working on a PR application mentioned that were she to sponsor me for PR as a spouse, she would lost her government benefits (maternity leave etc). It's sounds absolutely absurd, but figured I would run it by the forum and see if there is any sort of truth this or anything to be concerned about?

Thanks in advance.

 

[scylla]

No - maternity benefits certainly won't be lost or impacted. Neither would health care coverage or employment insurance.

However sponsoring someone and then going on welfare/social assistance either during the process or within three years of the sponsored person become a PR would be an issue.

The friend will have to be more specific regarding what benefits she is talking about.

 

[killborn]

Thank you very much. I believe the concern is over my partner losing her medical or maternity benefits. She has a good job with additional top up healthcare coverage through her employer, so am not sure if by taking maternity leave it implies that she is going on welfare or social benefits?

 

[scylla]

Maternity leave is not welfare/social assistance.

There will be no impact to health care (either what's offered by the province or any employer top up).

Friend doesn't sound too informed... Might want to be careful about getting any advice from her regarding the PR process given she seems to have misconceptions about benefit basics.

 

[killborn]

Thanks again. Hence why I plan to use an immigration specialist.. but do like to use this forum as a means to prepare.

 

[Rob_TO]

Completely separate from the PR application, but once you become common-law and she changes her tax status with CRA, they may start combining your income and hers together to determine her "family" income. So if she was getting any benefits/credit from the government based on her income as "single", she may not be eligible for those same benefits with family income as "common-law" with you.
But all this depends on many different factors.

 

[killborn]

Thanks for that bit of info, will take into consideration. At the moment, I am still working for a US company in the US. I work from home and travel to see clients. I will have to see what my options are down the line. The ideal would be to work local once I have some status.

 

[Sheps]

I would hazard a guess that the benefits she was speaking of were the GST credit and the Working Income Tax Benefit, both of which drop and eventually disappear once you get over 40k? 50k? Something like that.

 

[Morganhannah]

Yes it would effect the gst credit if you make more then a certain amount with the incomes combined, which is what I was told when calling CRA to change my marital status but that's all I'm aware about.