Can I sponsor my husband if I'm a PR from outside Canada?

[Otilia3107]

Hello. Things are a bit complicated. I been traveling the pass year and a half and been outside of Canada for 11 months.
When I came back to Canada I found out that my health card is not valid anymore because supposedly I was not allowed to be outside of the country longer than 7 months out of one year and have health benefits. I spoke to someone from service ontario and after she spoke to me like i'm some criminal trying to take advantage of the system she they told me that if I need to re-apply and will take about 3 months to get a new health card. She also told me that I can not be outside of Canada longer than 30 days in a period of 6 months.
The thing is that I just got married, about to start the sponsorship for my husband and I also found out I'm 3 weeks pregnant.
Now I don't really care about the health benefits as I can get private health insurance but I was wondering if I do that than wouldn't it be affecting the sponsorship for my husband as from what I understand if I am a PR I need to reside in Canada to be able to sponsor.
I don't know what to do. Either to agree to stay in Canada and not be able to go see my husband when I want or to just say ok I don't need heath care and just go to my husband's country where healthcare is cheap. But Than I don't want to risk the sponsorship. Any advice?

 

[sylvain1]

Hello. Things are a bit complicated. I been traveling the pass year and a half and been outside of Canada for 11 months.
When I came back to Canada I found out that my health card is not valid anymore because supposedly I was not allowed to be outside of the country longer than 7 months out of one year and have health benefits. I spoke to someone from service ontario and after she spoke to me like i'm some criminal trying to take advantage of the system she they told me that if I need to re-apply and will take about 3 months to get a new health card. She also told me that I can not be outside of Canada longer than 30 days in a period of 6 months.
The thing is that I just got married, about to start the sponsorship for my husband and I also found out I'm 3 weeks pregnant.
Now I don't really care about the health benefits as I can get private health insurance but I was wondering if I do that than wouldn't it be affecting the sponsorship for my husband as from what I understand if I am a PR I need to reside in Canada to be able to sponsor.
I don't know what to do. Either to agree to stay in Canada and not be able to go see my husband when I want or to just say ok I don't need heath care and just go to my husband's country where healthcare is cheap. But Than I don't want to risk the sponsorship. Any advice?

So, to answer the initial question, no as a PR, you cannot sponsor from outside Canada. But you are back here in Canada, so you can sponsor him.
Can he come soon to Canada? If yes, you could apply inland and apply for an open work permit for him. He would receive the OWP in about 4 months.
If you apply for him using the Outland route, then he can only come to visit you here, he won't be allowed to work.
Outland are usually processed faster, but inland, he could be with you for the whole process.

Regarding health insurance, Quebec has the same rule. My wife must be physically present in Canada for at least 6 months a year, otherwise she will lose the coverage and have a 3 months waiting time after coming back.

 

[Rob_TO]

Hello. Things are a bit complicated. I been traveling the pass year and a half and been outside of Canada for 11 months.
When I came back to Canada I found out that my health card is not valid anymore because supposedly I was not allowed to be outside of the country longer than 7 months out of one year and have health benefits. I spoke to someone from service ontario and after she spoke to me like i'm some criminal trying to take advantage of the system she they told me that if I need to re-apply and will take about 3 months to get a new health card. She also told me that I can not be outside of Canada longer than 30 days in a period of 6 months.
The thing is that I just got married, about to start the sponsorship for my husband and I also found out I'm 3 weeks pregnant.
Now I don't really care about the health benefits as I can get private health insurance but I was wondering if I do that than wouldn't it be affecting the sponsorship for my husband as from what I understand if I am a PR I need to reside in Canada to be able to sponsor.
I don't know what to do. Either to agree to stay in Canada and not be able to go see my husband when I want or to just say ok I don't need heath care and just go to my husband's country where healthcare is cheap. But Than I don't want to risk the sponsorship. Any advice?

As a PR you must be physically residing in Canada in order to sponsor your spouse. You can take short/temporary vacations, but shouldn't push anything longer than a month. If IRCC thinks you are no longer residing in Canada so no longer an eligible sponsor, they can simply cancel his PR app.

For healthcare, yes there is a 3 month waiting period before you'll be covered. And during the first 6 months back, you can't leave Ontario for more than 30 days else the 3 month waiting period will start again at 0 when you return.

Since you are already pregnant, you will not find any private insurance product that will cover regular pregnancy related check-ups, nor the delivery later on. So you should really make sure you stay qualified for OHIP.

Your best option is if your husband can come to Canada and stay here while the PR app is processing. If he can't then you will face a very tough situation by needing to be residing in Canada to sponsor him as well as to maintain OHIP coverage so may need to be separated a long time.

 

[Otilia3107]

So, to answer the initial question, no as a PR, you cannot sponsor from outside Canada. But you are back here in Canada, so you can sponsor him.
Can he come soon to Canada? If yes, you could apply inland and apply for an open work permit for him. He would receive the OWP in about 4 months.
If you apply for him using the Outland route, then he can only come to visit you here, he won't be allowed to work.
Outland are usually processed faster, but inland, he could be with you for the whole process.

Regarding health insurance, Quebec has the same rule. My wife must be physically present in Canada for at least 6 months a year, otherwise she will lose the coverage and have a 3 months waiting time after coming back.

He will need a visa to come to Canada and I doubt they will give it to him...
I was just wondering if the Heath Care services are connected in any way with Immigration. Because I don't want the immigration to say I am not living in Canada because of the issue with the health card.

 

[warriorprince]

He will need a visa to come to Canada and I doubt they will give it to him...
I was just wondering if the Heath Care services are connected in any way with Immigration. Because I don't want the immigration to say I am not living in Canada because of the issue with the health card.

First of all congratulations.
The rules state that you should be in Canada when you sponsor your spouse. Based on your response, that is the case and you are not planning to move out of Canada during the rest of the year. Do not over think and I would suggest to chose either of the two route inland or outland application based on your circumstances. I would suggest that your husband applies for a visit visa now without declaring the information about your pregnancy. If the visit visa is approved, he can come visit and apply inland. Worst case, he is refused and you have to apply for an outland sponsorship. Either way, the approval process is relatively fast now and the official timeline is about 12 months.

I would suggest preparing for both the applications right away so you know which way to proceed.

This is what I would have done in your case but every one of us has different circumstances. Consider your own path based on your judgement.

 

[Otilia3107]

First of all congratulations.
The rules state that you should be in Canada when you sponsor your spouse. Based on your response, that is the case and you are not planning to move out of Canada during the rest of the year. Do not over think and I would suggest to chose either of the two route inland or outland application based on your circumstances. I would suggest that your husband applies for a visit visa now without declaring the information about your pregnancy. If the visit visa is approved, he can come visit and apply inland. Worst case, he is refused and you have to apply for an outland sponsorship. Either way, the approval process is relatively fast now and the official timeline is about 12 months.

I would suggest preparing for both the applications right away so you know which way to proceed.

This is what I would have done in your case but every one of us has different circumstances. Consider your own path based on your judgement.

Thank you. I wonder wouldn't he have more chances of getting a visa if they know I'm pregnant and i need his help here? My family is not in Canada so i'm basically alone here.

 

[Kotishii92]

Thank you. I wonder wouldn't he have more chances of getting a visa if they know I'm pregnant and i need his help here? My family is not in Canada so i'm basically alone here.

Absolutely not! To obtain the visa he must prove strong ties to the home country so the officer is convinced when is time he wil go back... This could be a stable work place, letter from the boss or something like this... Mentioning something like pregnancy and that you are alone in the country will just prove them that he has no intention going back.
Congratulations to you and your husband about the baby! It's a wonderful news!! Take care of you and your baby and don't over stress!
But you absolutely need to be in the country to sponsor him when you are PR as everybody else already stated.
Good luck!

 

[Otilia3107]

Absolutely not! To obtain the visa he must prove strong ties to the home country so the officer is convinced when is time he wil go back... This could be a stable work place, letter from the boss or something like this... Mentioning something like pregnancy and that you are alone in the country will just prove them that he has no intention going back.
Congratulations to you and your husband about the baby! It's a wonderful news!! Take care of you and your baby and don't over stress!
But you absolutely need to be in the country to sponsor him when you are PR as everybody else already stated.
Good luck!

Yes that makes sense. Thank you for your help.

 

[Rob_TO]

I was just wondering if the Heath Care services are connected in any way with Immigration. Because I don't want the immigration to say I am not living in Canada because of the issue with the health card.

No, they are not connected.
However if you submitted an app to sponsor your spouse and then left Canada for an extended time, IRCC could find out about this on their own and cancel the PR app under assumption you're no longer residing in Canada, all completely separate from your healthcare situation.

And as I mentioned above, it's in your best interest to maintain your OHIP eligibility and not leave for more than 30 days, since you will not find any private insurance to cover your pregnancy related costs and eventual delivery if you intend to have the baby in Canada.

Note if you do not have the baby in Canada, this creates a whole new set of difficulties as you would then need to sponsor the baby for PR. So if the baby can't get a TRV or TRP to come to Canada as a visitor, you would need to physically live here and be separated from your baby for a long time while their PR app is processing.

 

[Otilia3107]

I called again today Service Ontario and spoke to someone else. This time was a nice woman on the phone and she explain to me how things work. She said I can get extended time on my healthcard as long as I let them know in advance in writing. She also advice me to search for midwifes in Toronto. It's a non profit company that offers healthcare to people without health coverage. I called them and they said they will cover everything for me free of charge including all the tests, ultrasounds, doctors if I need and delivery. And the deliver can be at any hospital I chose. They will also help me for at least 6 months after the baby is born and I will have a midwife to help me with anything I need durring pregnancy... That's pretty amazing in my opinion.The reason I'm writing this is just to inform someone who might be in the same situation as me.
I think this might be a better solution for now until I can bring my husband here. At least I am not limited to 30 days travel in a period of 6 months. I am not planing to go for longer than 5-6 days maybe once a month or every 2 months but in the same time what if something happens and than i need to be there longer? I don't want to get charged with fraud just because I might have an emergency and need to pass the 30 days limit. What do you guys think?

 

[scylla]

Good in theory - more difficult in practice. Midwives tend to be difficult to find in Ontario (not enough of them). I would start looking asap if you want to go that route. With a midwife, if the birth is at home, it's free. If there are complications and the birth has to be moved to a hospital, then the birth is either covered by OHIP (if you have valid coverage) or you have to pay for it (if you don't have OHIP coverage).

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I called again today Service Ontario and spoke to someone else. This time was a nice woman on the phone and she explain to me how things work. She said I can get extended time on my healthcard as long as I let them know in advance in writing. She also advice me to search for midwifes in Toronto. It's a non profit company that offers healthcare to people without health coverage. I called them and they said they will cover everything for me free of charge including all the tests, ultrasounds, doctors if I need and delivery. And the deliver can be at any hospital I chose. They will also help me for at least 6 months after the baby is born and I will have a midwife to help me with anything I need durring pregnancy... That's pretty amazing in my opinion.The reason I'm writing this is just to inform someone who might be in the same situation as me.
I think this might be a better solution for now until I can bring my husband here. At least I am not limited to 30 days travel in a period of 6 months. I am not planing to go for longer than 5-6 days maybe once a month or every 2 months but in the same time what if something happens and than i need to be there longer? I don't want to get charged with fraud just because I might have an emergency and need to pass the 30 days limit. What do you guys think?

As scylla said, any complications and you are on the hook for the hospital bill if you don't have OHIP.

Also note that regardless of whether you have health coverage or not, leaving Canada for more than a month can risk your sponsorship application.

 

[Otilia3107]

Hmmm.... yes I think you guys are right. I guess we will have to sacrifice for now. 6 months will go fast anyway. Just the problem after 6 months I will be 7 months pregnant and I will not be able to travel anyways. Oh well... it is what it is.

 

[Rob_TO]

I called again today Service Ontario and spoke to someone else. This time was a nice woman on the phone and she explain to me how things work. She said I can get extended time on my healthcard as long as I let them know in advance in writing.

This is determined on a case by case basis. The usual rule is that when you re-establish residence in Ontario, you should not leave for longer than 30 days in the next 6 months, or else you'll lose OHIP and need to start the 3 month waiting period again.

You can certainly request an exemption in advance from the OHIP office if you intend to travel outside Canada more than 30 days, however there is no guarantee OHIP will accept your excuse for travel or allow you the exemption. So just be prepared and don't take what you were told as a certainty.

She also advice me to search for midwifes in Toronto. It's a non profit company that offers healthcare to people without health coverage. I called them and they said they will cover everything for me free of charge including all the tests, ultrasounds, doctors if I need and delivery. And the deliver can be at any hospital I chose. They will also help me for at least 6 months after the baby is born and I will have a midwife to help me with anything I need durring pregnancy... That's pretty amazing in my opinion.

Lots of not so accurate information here.
While it's true midwife services are free of charge even if you don't have OHIP, other things like lab work/blood tests and ultrasounds may need to be paid for out of pocket, depending on the specific midwife office and what their policy is for non-OHIP clients.
They will NOT cover doctor costs. If all goes to plan with a midwife, you will not see a doctor even once for all your pregnancy and delivery. If you have any complication requiring a doctor, the midwife will no longer be able to accept you as a client and you'll need to go under the care of an OB which will be very expensive with no OHIP.

The delivery is also not at "any" hospital you want. Typically you choose a midwife office based on your home location. That midwife office will typically have privileges at 1 local hospital, and that is the one you must use if you want a hospital birth with the midwife.
Guaranteed free delivery is with a complication-free home birth.

In the hospital, if no OHIP you may need to pay some fees to the hospital depending on the length of stay there.

This all being said, midwives are still a way better choice than typical OB/doctor for a routine pregnancy, even if you have OHIP. My wife and I used one and couldn't have been happier since the service was so personal and friendly. As mentioned though they fill up FAST, so those that don't request a midwife the second they find out they're pregnant, often find none are available in their area.

Even if you got a midwife, I would still be exceptionally careful that you for sure maintain your OHIP coverage. If you lose OHIP, and find you or your baby have a complication requiring medical care, you could be out tens of thousands of dollars or more in hospital bills.

 

[Otilia3107]

This is determined on a case by case basis. The usual rule is that when you re-establish residence in Ontario, you should not leave for longer than 30 days in the next 6 months, or else you'll lose OHIP and need to start the 3 month waiting period again.

You can certainly request an exemption in advance from the OHIP office if you intend to travel outside Canada more than 30 days, however there is no guarantee OHIP will accept your excuse for travel or allow you the exemption. So just be prepared and don't take what you were told as a certainty.



Lots of not so accurate information here.
While it's true midwife services are free of charge even if you don't have OHIP, other things like lab work/blood tests and ultrasounds may need to be paid for out of pocket, depending on the specific midwife office and what their policy is for non-OHIP clients.
They will NOT cover doctor costs. If all goes to plan with a midwife, you will not see a doctor even once for all your pregnancy and delivery. If you have any complication requiring a doctor, the midwife will no longer be able to accept you as a client and you'll need to go under the care of an OB which will be very expensive with no OHIP.

The delivery is also not at "any" hospital you want. Typically you choose a midwife office based on your home location. That midwife office will typically have privileges at 1 local hospital, and that is the one you must use if you want a hospital birth with the midwife.
Guaranteed free delivery is with a complication-free home birth.

In the hospital, if no OHIP you may need to pay some fees to the hospital depending on the length of stay there.

This all being said, midwives are still a way better choice than typical OB/doctor for a routine pregnancy, even if you have OHIP. My wife and I used one and couldn't have been happier since the service was so personal and friendly. As mentioned though they fill up FAST, so those that don't request a midwife the second they find out they're pregnant, often find none are available in their area.

Even if you got a midwife, I would still be exceptionally careful that you for sure maintain your OHIP coverage. If you lose OHIP, and find you or your baby have a complication requiring medical care, you could be out tens of thousands of dollars or more in hospital bills.

Yes thank you. I have an appointment in couple weeks and I will go speak to them and find out more information that I need. For now I'm just going to stay here and make sure my pregnancy goes well.