Pregnant while entering Canada with COPR

[GaneshkumarM]

Dear All
I will be entering Canada along with my wife who is 32 weeks pregnant, with COPR and i guess it will take few days to get the medical card sanctioned. My worry is, In rare case, if any complications related to pregnancy occcurs and my wife need to get hospital admission, will the cost be covered by the government, as we will be having PR visa at the time of entry?
Will the baby be fully covered for all the medica expenses?.
I tried to get some insurance for all the above, but I cant find one which, If someone knows, kindly suggest. Thanks in advance

 

[autoscriptor]

Unless you are landing to live in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland & Labrador, expect to bear the total cost of the hospital charges for the delivery. The healthcare coverage for the baby itself is different if your destination is Ontario, Quebec, or BC. In Ontario and Quebec, the baby's health coverage is entirely separate from the parent(s). B.C. was not very clear about that. They do say that the baby will have their own MSP care card, but they also said it will take six to eight weeks before it's sent to parents. But from experience, you can call and get the Personal Health Number over the phone. You can then ask if the PHN has been activated. During that period, your child is covered under your medical number.

From BC Health

The B.C. Medical Services Plan (MSP) has a special registration form for babies. It should be completed and sent within 60 days of your baby's birth.

You can get the form online, or from your hospital or midwife. Follow the directions, submit the completed form - and you're done.

Your baby's very own B.C. CareCard will be sent to you six to eight weeks after the MSP office receives the completed form. In the meantime, your baby can receive medical coverage under your medical number. Visit the Ministry of Health website for more information about baby enrolment in MSP.

 

[YVR123]

Dear All
I will be entering Canada along with my wife who is 32 weeks pregnant, with COPR and i guess it will take few days to get the medical card sanctioned. My worry is, In rare case, if any complications related to pregnancy occcurs and my wife need to get hospital admission, will the cost be covered by the government, as we will be having PR visa at the time of entry?
Will the baby be fully covered for all the medica expenses?.
I tried to get some insurance for all the above, but I cant find one which, If someone knows, kindly suggest. Thanks in advance

Where will you live in Canada? Each province has its own policy for Healthcare coverage and waiting period.

 

[Copingwithlife]

Dear All
I will be entering Canada along with my wife who is 32 weeks pregnant, with COPR and i guess it will take few days to get the medical card sanctioned. My worry is, In rare case, if any complications related to pregnancy occcurs and my wife need to get hospital admission, will the cost be covered by the government, as we will be having PR visa at the time of entry?
Will the baby be fully covered for all the medica expenses?.
I tried to get some insurance for all the above, but I cant find one which, If someone knows, kindly suggest. Thanks in advance

Why don’t you just search the healthcare requirements of the province you’re going to be residing in ? Like eligibility ?
I’d be more concerned on getting a Dr. But too each their own

 

[canuck78]

Dear All
I will be entering Canada along with my wife who is 32 weeks pregnant, with COPR and i guess it will take few days to get the medical card sanctioned. My worry is, In rare case, if any complications related to pregnancy occcurs and my wife need to get hospital admission, will the cost be covered by the government, as we will be having PR visa at the time of entry?
Will the baby be fully covered for all the medica expenses?.
I tried to get some insurance for all the above, but I cant find one which, If someone knows, kindly suggest. Thanks in advance

As already said where you plan on settling will determine your ability to have medical coverage. There are residency requirements to qualify for provincial healthcare so you can’t move to one province to have your baby and then relocate. For example in Alberta you and your baby would need to commit to live in Alberta for a year to qualify for healthcare although you would qualify right away. You will not find travel medical insurance policies that will cover pregnancy especially at this stage. You would have had to purchase and activate the policy before getting pregnant normally to have coverage and even then not all policies cover pregnancy until labour and delivery. Travelling at this point comes with potential risks of having to pay for care although your wife would have access to healthcare even if you can not pay upfront. Would also expect that it will likely be a few weeks before your wife is able to see an OB. She will need to get a health card, find a GP willing to see her and get an appointment and then go and then get a referral to an OB. Getting an appointment to see an OB as a new patient may take a few weeks.

 

[GaneshkumarM]

Thanks everyone for the valuable reply. We will be settling in winnipeg and our port of entry is via toronto. Can someone guide me, specific to settling in winnipeg, Manitoba. Thanks you all.

 

[YVR123]

Thanks everyone for the valuable reply. We will be settling in winnipeg and our port of entry is via toronto. Can someone guide me, specific to settling in winnipeg, Manitoba. Thanks you all.

Looks like no waiting period for MB health coverage (unlike BC)

https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/eligibility.html

These are part of the requirement:
make your home in Manitoba
are physically in Manitoba six months (183 days) in a calendar year
--- this means in the calendar year (so I think as long as you plan to stay for at least 6 months, it's ok)

Permanent Residents
You may apply for Manitoba Health coverage from the date you arrive in Manitoba. In order for Manitoba Health to review and make a decision about your application, the following is required: proof of Permanent Resident Status and proof of residence in Manitoba.

 

[GaneshkumarM]

Thanks a lot for your guidance.

 

[canuck78]

Looks like no waiting period for MB health coverage (unlike BC)

https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/eligibility.html

These are part of the requirement:
make your home in Manitoba
are physically in Manitoba six months (183 days) in a calendar year
--- this means in the calendar year (so I think as long as you plan to stay for at least 6 months, it's ok)

Permanent Residents
You may apply for Manitoba Health coverage from the date you arrive in Manitoba. In order for Manitoba Health to review and make a decision about your application, the following is required: proof of Permanent Resident Status and proof of residence in Manitoba.

Both the state woman and the baby would need to be in Manitoba for 6 months. People often forget that baby’s need to meet the RO as well.

 

[canuck78]

Always shocking to me to discover that people haven’t looked into whether they would qualify for healthcare before booking things like flights or even deciding to apply for various forms of immigration. Although it is great news that OP will qualify for coverage right away there are still quite a lot of obstacles. Luckily it appears as through the due date is not during the winter so this family does not have to worry about all the extra things that are involved in protecting a baby from the cold and worry about transportation since taking public transportation with children during a Winnipeg winter can be dangerous at times. You will still need to have a car seat and a nurse will make sure you have a car seat that meets safety standards in Canada and that your child is buckled in properly when you leave the hospital. There will still be a delay of multiple weeks before OP is likely to be able to see an OB in Canada. Would suggest bringing all your medical information especially regrading the pregnancy with you to Canada. All the prenatal testing is the most important information. It is unlikely to be able to get into a midwifery practice if your spouse wanted to be cared for by a midwife because their practices are usually full. Most OB practices are also full but an OB is required to accept your wife as a patient. Your wife and your soon to be born child will need to try and find a GP accepting patients. There is a very good chance that you will not be able to find a GP accepting new patients so will have to go on a waitlist or multiple waitlists. I would put your family down on waitlists or try to find GPs as soon as your get your health card. I would suggest that the family see one GP or at least attend the same GP clinic if possible. In Canada the majority of paediatricians no longer provide longterm healthcare to healthy children and paediatricians typically treat children with chronic health issue or long acute illnesses. There are still some clinics that treat healthy children but would focus on finding a GP to provide healthcare to your baby once they are born. Do you have jobs secured? Family in Canada who can house you? Finding rental housing, especially affordable housing, at the moment can be very hard. There is a lot of competition for available units especially at a price point that most people can afford. Without a job or credit history many newcomers are doing things like offering to pay 6 months in advance to try and secure the rental unit. Others are offering more than the listed price. How difficult it will be to try and secure a rental will depend on your own circumstances and the location. Many locations in Winnipeg have been less impacted by the housing bubble in Canada although prices have gone up especially in the past 5 years as many people consider moving to other regions or Canada or invest in real estate in other regions of Canada. The rental market operates on a 1-2 months notice system so many rental properties are not available immediately. Some are vacant but in some counties rental properties are all available immediately.