Things to do after arriving in Canada

[alexru]

After 2 years of long application process, my spouse will be finally arriving in Canada next week.

Before this, I just have few questions, as Canada’s official website is very vague, and doesn’t clearly answer the question I have.

1. PR Card - Do they automatically receive this upon crossing the border? (As in do we still have to apply for the spouse or is this process automatically done at the border control?)

2. OHIP - we will be residing in Ontario, and we are looking to get the health card, but the official website says that we need a proof of the spouse’s residency in Ontario. Is this still necessary for new PRs? If so, how do we prove this for newly landed PR?

If anyone can also share some pointers for the newly arrived PR, it’d be very much appreciated!

Thank you in advance

 

[armoured]

Congratulations.

1. The submission/application for the PR card should be done by the CBSA officer during landing procedures at the border. You might have your spouse ask. Note they can only do this if they have mailing/residential address and the correct photos. Ideally this should be the address where they will be residing.

2. The COPR and some kind of address proof should be enough. For your spouse, I would hpe that they'd accept your proof of address and some proof of marriage to be enough, but I don't know. If not - open a bank account, put her on utility account, insurance, anything really.

 

[alexru]

Congratulations.

1. The submission/application for the PR card should be done by the CBSA officer during landing procedures at the border. You might have your spouse ask. Note they can only do this if they have mailing/residential address and the correct photos. Ideally this should be the address where they will be residing.

2. The COPR and some kind of address proof should be enough. For your spouse, I would hpe that they'd accept your proof of address and some proof of marriage to be enough, but I don't know. If not - open a bank account, put her on utility account, insurance, anything really.

Does that mean for PR, my wife should bring physical copy of her passport photo with her?

 

[armoured]

Does that mean for PR, my wife should bring physical copy of her passport photo with her?

When she did her passport submission to get the visa and copr to travel to Canada, she received instructions to submit several photos for PR cards along with the passport. When she got the package back, I believe there should have been one or two of those PR photos returned with her. It's those she should travel with.

If she has any doubt, have her just go out and get new ones made and take those with her.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/pr-card/apply-renew-replace/photo.html

Note, they ARE picky about the photo specifications - exactly as in the instructions. (Which is why you submit photos along with the passport, they are supposed to check them)

 

[alexru]

When she did her passport submission to get the visa and copr to travel to Canada, she received instructions to submit several photos for PR cards along with the passport. When she got the package back, I believe there should have been one or two of those PR photos returned with her. It's those she should travel with.

If she has any doubt, have her just go out and get new ones made and take those with her.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/pr-card/apply-renew-replace/photo.html

Note, they ARE picky about the photo specifications - exactly as in the instructions. (Which is why you submit photos along with the passport, they are supposed to check them)

She was only asked to submit her passport and not the photos, but good thing you told me, I will have her take the photo first thing tomorrow.

thank you very much for your advice!

 

[Copingwithlife]

After 2 years of long application process, my spouse will be finally arriving in Canada next week.

Before this, I just have few questions, as Canada’s official website is very vague, and doesn’t clearly answer the question I have.

1. PR Card - Do they automatically receive this upon crossing the border? (As in do we still have to apply for the spouse or is this process automatically done at the border control?)

2. OHIP - we will be residing in Ontario, and we are looking to get the health card, but the official website says that we need a proof of the spouse’s residency in Ontario. Is this still necessary for new PRs? If so, how do we prove this for newly landed PR?

If anyone can also share some pointers for the newly arrived PR, it’d be very much appreciated!

Thank you in advance

OHIP requirements listed here

https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-ohip-and-get-health-card

If you’re in Toronto try to go to the Service Ontario office @ Bay/College

 

[armoured]

She was only asked to submit her passport and not the photos

That's really weird....

 

[alexru]

That's really weird....

Sorry, You were right, I just asked her again, and turns out they did give her the photos, so we are all good.

 

[steaky]

After 2 years of long application process, my spouse will be finally arriving in Canada next week.

Before this, I just have few questions, as Canada’s official website is very vague, and doesn’t clearly answer the question I have.

1. PR Card - Do they automatically receive this upon crossing the border? (As in do we still have to apply for the spouse or is this process automatically done at the border control?)

2. OHIP - we will be residing in Ontario, and we are looking to get the health card, but the official website says that we need a proof of the spouse’s residency in Ontario. Is this still necessary for new PRs? If so, how do we prove this for newly landed PR?

If anyone can also share some pointers for the newly arrived PR, it’d be very much appreciated!

Thank you in advance

1)You need to get the PR card from the mail. I saw people had been waitinng for this up to 6 months from the landing date. So no automatically receive this upon crosing border.

 

[armoured]

1)You need to get the PR card from the mail. I saw people had been waitinng for this up to 6 months from the landing date. So no automatically receive this upon crosing border.

Yes, good point - the CBSA on landing does the application for you. We got all of ours in about six weeks, I think. They seem to generally be pretty good lately at getting them to the recently-landed within 60 or 90 days but there have been cases with problems.

 

[canuck78]

As long as your spouse plans on meeting the residency requirements to qualify for OHiP he can apply for OHIP. He needs to be in Ontario for the 5 out of the first 6 months, be present in Ontario 6 months out of the year and make Ontario his permanent home. The residency requirements for future years are slightly more relaxed. If you plan on leaving for long periods of time you must inform OHIP. If you don’t meet the residency requirement you are required to reapply even if you still have a valid health card or you could be asked to repay for any care you weren’t entitled to receive. To qualify for healthcare you must have a valid healthcare and be compliant with the residency requirements of your province. He can go and sign up for a bank account, driver’s license if he qualifies for one and can get an appointment or could sign up for a phone plan, etc. all things that can provide proof of his residency in Ontario. If you are renting a home you can also ask your landlord whether it would be possible for you to add your spouse to the lease.

 

[dillydally89]

OHIP requirements listed here

https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-ohip-and-get-health-card

If you’re in Toronto try to go to the Service Ontario office @ Bay/College

Me and my spouse will get our COPR soon, as new immigrants via Express Entry for Ontario and we intend to do our soft landing in Canada asap.
Is the 3 month waiting period still in effect?
How long does it take to get your OHIP health card if you are eligible and you apply for it?
We are looking to deliver our baby in Toronto, (7 months now) and if we can get the OHIP card, then nothing like it.

 

[canuck78]

Me and my spouse will get our COPR soon, as new immigrants via Express Entry for Ontario and we intend to do our soft landing in Canada asap.
Is the 3 month waiting period still in effect?
How long does it take to get your OHIP health card if you are eligible and you apply for it?
We are looking to deliver our baby in Toronto, (7 months now) and if we can get the OHIP card, then nothing like it.

You can only get OHIP card if permanently moving to Ontario not during a soft landing. If you are 7 months pregnant and haven’t received COPR or stamping yet it seems a bit of a pipe dream to make it to Canada for the birth especially if you don’t permanent housing arranged, no doctor, etc. Babies don’t only come at 40 weeks. Many come earlier. If you are able to somehow get stamping and be still deemed safe to fly by your OB you may arrive in Ontario in the middle of the winter potentially with no housing, no furnishing or baby items, no job, etc. Finding housing for newcomers is very tough at the moment and may take 1-2 months minimum to secure housing in many places and be able to move in. You will also have to arrive and find a GP to refer you to an OB and that could take a few weeks just at a time where you should be monitored more closely. You could be staying in an Airbnb or hotel and showing up in the hospital in labour without an OB so you’ll be delivered by whoever is on call. Would at least wait to see when you get COPR and stamping before making any plans. Do you have significant savings? Many are having to offer many months of rent in advance to secure housing especially without secured employment and credit and rental history.

 

[dillydally89]

You can only get OHIP card if permanently moving to Ontario not during a soft landing. If you are 7 months pregnant and haven’t received COPR or stamping yet it seems a bit of a pipe dream to make it to Canada for the birth especially if you don’t permanent housing arranged, no doctor, etc. Babies don’t only come at 40 weeks. Many come earlier. If you are able to somehow get stamping and be still deemed safe to fly by your OB you may arrive in Ontario in the middle of the winter potentially with no housing, no furnishing or baby items, no job, etc. Finding housing for newcomers is very tough at the moment and may take 1-2 months minimum to secure housing in many places and be able to move in. You will also have to arrive and find a GP to refer you to an OB and that could take a few weeks just at a time where you should be monitored more closely. You could be staying in an Airbnb or hotel and showing up in the hospital in labour without an OB so you’ll be delivered by whoever is on call. Would at least wait to see when you get COPR and stamping before making any plans. Do you have significant savings? Many are having to offer many months of rent in advance to secure housing especially without secured employment and credit and rental history.

Thank you for your inputs. You're right, my bad i didn't mention I do have family there (1st and 2nd generation citizens), so housing and living is not a concern.
We have some savings, and we could do a normal birth on cash, but are worried if there's any complications or C-section, the hospital bills may end up eating almost all our savings. Also, we don't intend to move there permanently in this visit, only to give birth - and if not birth - just a soft landing and move permanently sometime next year. Family members who have visited just for giving birth, are advising me against it, since I have PR, and they didn't, so they had no option if they wanted to secure the passport for the baby.

It does look too tight and rushed, and we may just fly in and out and deliver in our home country, where everything is already covered in our health insurance.

 

[canuck78]

Thank you for your inputs. You're right, my bad i didn't mention I do have family there (1st and 2nd generation citizens), so housing and living is not a concern.
We have some savings, and we could do a normal birth on cash, but are worried if there's any complications or C-section, the hospital bills may end up eating almost all our savings. Also, we don't intend to move there permanently in this visit, only to give birth - and if not birth - just a soft landing and move permanently sometime next year. Family members who have visited just for giving birth, are advising me against it, since I have PR, and they didn't, so they had no option if they wanted to secure the passport for the baby.

It does look too tight and rushed, and we may just fly in and out and deliver in our home country, where everything is already covered in our health insurance.

First you will have to find a hospital and doctor willing to accept a private patient. Most OBs have full practices ao don’t accept private patients and some hospitals also don’t accept private pay patients. Typically you are required to put down a significant deposit to register with a hospital for a birth. A vaginal delivery with an epidural and 2 days in the hospital for delivery and recovery will be around 10k although haven’t seen recent billing so it could be more due to inflation.. If for example you hemorrhage and need to go to the ER to stop the bleeding that can add another multiple thousand dollars because of staff and OR costs for less than an hour. This implication is not that uncommon. If you have a long labour and add another day to your stay in hospital that can be another 1-2k. Some of the older hospitals have semi-private or private rooms so there can be an increased fee for both. A ward room is free. A c-section can be 15k because you need the OR, an epidural and another day in the hospital while for vaginal delivery is typically stay around 24 hours after delivery if everything is ok. If you think you go into labour and go to the hospital only to be sent home after being checked because you aren’t in active labour that is likely 1K. There are so many unknown potential charges. Some may get lucky and have an uncomplicated fast delivery but if you don’t have an extra 10k which is probably the minimum you’ll need to pay for a vaginal delivery with an epidural and would be in serious financial issues if you had to pay more then delivering in Canada is probably not a good option. At this point you haven’t received COPR so it may not even be an option. Then you would also have to wait to get your dhild’s birth certificate and then apply for a passport so you’d hsve to remain in Canada for up to a few months and many doctors wouldn’t recommend flying with a newborn before they’ve had any vaccinations and on a extremely long haul flight. You could also face issues after delivery from significant fluid retention, to an infections, etc. if you had an episiotomy or 3-4th degree tear sitting on a flight for over 10 hours will not be fun, etc. People don’t often openly talk about all the fun things that can happen due to childbirth and some have minimal issues but it’s stressful enough without worrying about whether you can afford to go to the hospital.