Childbirth in canada after softlanding

[canuck78]

There are residency requirements with each provincial medical system even if you have a valid card you need to stay at a minimum 6 months to qualify for healthcare or you could be asked to pay all costs. You should look each provincial website. It will take a few months or more to get all the requirements for the baby to leave. Flying with a small baby isn't really suggested because they have not been immunized.

 

[canuck78]

Pregnancy and childbirth may not be covered by your international insurance. Usually only for emergencies.

 

[jddd]

This was last year so don’t take it as a sure thing but my cousin gave birth in Edmonton so I have an idea.

The birth needs to be registered by the hospital, in my cousin’s case, she was asked to wait until after 2 weeks before she applies for a birth certificate. The hospital has 10 days to send the registration out, that’s why they told her 2 weeks.

She applied 3 weeks after though and she got it after another 2 weeks.

If you plan on using Alberta health care to give birth for free, you need to INTEND to stay there for 1 YEAR. If you leave before 1 year is up, they may very well ask you to pay back all costs related to your child’s birth. I would highly advise not to abuse their health care system because they are very serious about ensuring their residents comply. Per my cousin, there have been numerous reports of the government going after those who did not maintain residency as committed.

Personally, I think it is only right that one not utilize the free health care system if they do not plan to contribute to the economy of the province by paying taxes.

Moving from outside Canada
If you are moving, immigrating, or returning to Alberta from outside Canada, you might be eligible for coverage from the date establish residency in Alberta.

You must apply within 3 months of establishing residency and provide all the required documents.

If your AHCIP application is not received within 3 months of when you arrive and establish permanent residency in Alberta, the effective date of your coverage will be determined when your application is processed. Learn how to apply for AHCIP.

If you have an immigration document from Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, you might be eligible for AHCIP coverage. Your eligibility depends on:

• the type of entry document you have
• any restrictions listed on the document
• the length of time allowed in Canada
• your commitment to live in Alberta for 12 consecutive months

 

[Amysaa]

This was last year so don’t take it as a sure thing but my cousin gave birth in Edmonton so I have an idea.

The birth needs to be registered by the hospital, in my cousin’s case, she was asked to wait until after 2 weeks before she applies for a birth certificate. The hospital has 10 days to send the registration out, that’s why they told her 2 weeks.

She applied 3 weeks after though and she got it after another 2 weeks.

If you plan on using Alberta health care to give birth for free, you need to INTEND to stay there for 1 YEAR. If you leave before 1 year is up, they may very well ask you to pay back all costs related to your child’s birth. I would highly advise not to abuse their health care system because they are very serious about ensuring their residents comply. Per my cousin, there have been numerous reports of the government going after those who did not maintain residency as committed.

Personally, I think it is only right that one not utilize the free health care system if they do not plan to contribute to the economy of the province by paying taxes.

Moving from outside Canada
If you are moving, immigrating, or returning to Alberta from outside Canada, you might be eligible for coverage from the date establish residency in Alberta.

You must apply within 3 months of establishing residency and provide all the required documents.

If your AHCIP application is not received within 3 months of when you arrive and establish permanent residency in Alberta, the effective date of your coverage will be determined when your application is processed. Learn how to apply for AHCIP.

If you have an immigration document from Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, you might be eligible for AHCIP coverage. Your eligibility depends on:

• the type of entry document you have
• any restrictions listed on the document
• the length of time allowed in Canada
• your commitment to live in Alberta for 12 consecutive months

Thank you so much for the detailed response. The decision to move towards Alberta was in no way motivated by the fact that we need some healthcare. As I mentioned before that I had decent insurance coverage which covers complete maternity including inpatient outpatient and everything. I came on this forum to seek advice and I am thankful for every comment and piece of advice given. Maybe you guys have experienced a lot of people trying to abuse or misuse the healthcare system, but I am not one of them. I am sorry but It felt like I am being judged here.
Not every immigrant is intending to abuse the system, I can say that for myself for sure. I do not feel the need for this constant reminder of not abusing the system. We are constantly reading about life in Ontario and Alberta in different forums, youtube channels, and there is a lot of factor for choosing where to move other than just instant healthcare.
That being said, last couple of weeks were very intense and we had a miscarriage and our insurance covered everything without us paying anything. So, this thread could be helpful for anyone else who has a similar situation. I apologize for my text if anyone felt bad.

 

[jddd]

Thank you so much for the detailed response. The decision to move towards Alberta was in no way motivated by the fact that we need some healthcare. As I mentioned before that I had decent insurance coverage which covers complete maternity including inpatient outpatient and everything. I came on this forum to seek advice and I am thankful for every comment and piece of advice given. Maybe you guys have experienced a lot of people trying to abuse or misuse the healthcare system, but I am not one of them. I am sorry but It felt like I am being judged here.
Not every immigrant is intending to abuse the system, I can say that for myself for sure. I do not feel the need for this constant reminder of not abusing the system. We are constantly reading about life in Ontario and Alberta in different forums, youtube channels, and there is a lot of factor for choosing where to move other than just instant healthcare.
That being said, last couple of weeks were very intense and we had a miscarriage and our insurance covered everything without us paying anything. So, this thread could be helpful for anyone else who has a similar situation. I apologize for my text if anyone felt bad.

First, sorry to hear about your miscarriage. I hope you are resting well.

Second, I think people misunderstand our factual straightforward advice as “judgement” and I can see why. Here’s the reality: those that do have seen or heard the worst outcomes and we think constant reminders help not just the person we are responding to but others who may not have known that what they are about to inadvertently do will be a mistake.

Example: I just replied to a question in another forum where someone was asking if she should be providing her room mate who pays for a room in her house rent receipts. I replied with links from the CRA and what happens to people who do not declare income. Turns out, she did not know that even if it were just rooms she was renting out, and not covered by the province’s tenancy act, it has nothing to do with her taxes. She just honestly did not know.

So we repeat the facts to get our points across and we do not sugarcoat because we are mostly adults here and it is not our responsibility to be “sweet and gentle” but to be as factual as possible though we still make mistakes which is why we try our best to reference our answers with where we know them from. We get the world of immigration is overwhelming but if all everyone did was say “we understand you, everything you are doing is fine and everything will be approved” then it doesn’t really help right? If people know what the worst can be, that will help prepare them in ensuring they avoid making mistakes that gets them in such predicaments.

 

[Amysaa]

First, sorry to hear about your miscarriage. I hope you are resting well.

Second, I think people misunderstand our factual straightforward advice as “judgement” and I can see why. Here’s the reality: those that do have seen or heard the worst outcomes and we think constant reminders help not just the person we are responding to but others who may not have known that what they are about to inadvertently do will be a mistake.

Example: I just replied to a question in another forum where someone was asking if she should be providing her room mate who pays for a room in her house rent receipts. I replied with links from the CRA and what happens to people who do not declare income. Turns out, she did not know that even if it were just rooms she was renting out, and not covered by the province’s tenancy act, it has nothing to do with her taxes. She just honestly did not know.

So we repeat the facts to get our points across and we do not sugarcoat because we are mostly adults here and it is not our responsibility to be “sweet and gentle” but to be as factual as possible though we still make mistakes which is why we try our best to reference our answers with where we know them from. We get the world of immigration is overwhelming but if all everyone did was say “we understand you, everything you are doing is fine and everything will be approved” then it doesn’t really help right? If people know what the worst can be, that will help prepare them in ensuring they avoid making mistakes that gets them in such predicaments.

Yes, I understand your intention. Thank you for additional clarification. What you are doing here is great. I appreciate it.

 

[canuck78]

Thank you so much for the detailed response. The decision to move towards Alberta was in no way motivated by the fact that we need some healthcare. As I mentioned before that I had decent insurance coverage which covers complete maternity including inpatient outpatient and everything. I came on this forum to seek advice and I am thankful for every comment and piece of advice given. Maybe you guys have experienced a lot of people trying to abuse or misuse the healthcare system, but I am not one of them. I am sorry but It felt like I am being judged here.
Not every immigrant is intending to abuse the system, I can say that for myself for sure. I do not feel the need for this constant reminder of not abusing the system. We are constantly reading about life in Ontario and Alberta in different forums, youtube channels, and there is a lot of factor for choosing where to move other than just instant healthcare.
That being said, last couple of weeks were very intense and we had a miscarriage and our insurance covered everything without us paying anything. So, this thread could be helpful for anyone else who has a similar situation. I apologize for my text if anyone felt bad.

I am sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Miscarriages are often covered by insurance but not deliveries. One is considered an emergency and the other predictable care. I think all Canadians don't appreciate any form of birth tourism. Many obtain PR give birth in Canada and never return. Unless someone is living in Canada and has no plans to leave right after birth you can see why Canadians would be defensive. Your questions were about giving birth and leaving as soon as possible. Even if you were a PR you have not settled in Canada so it could easily become a birth tourism situation.

 

[steaky]

I am sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Miscarriages are often covered by insurance but not deliveries. One is considered an emergency and the other predictable care. I think all Canadians don't appreciate any form of birth tourism. Many obtain PR give birth in Canada and never return. Unless someone is living in Canada and has no plans to leave right after birth you can see why Canadians would be defensive. Your questions were about giving birth and leaving as soon as possible. Even if you were a PR you have not settled in Canada so it could easily become a birth tourism situation.

I disagree. Perhaps you don't appreciate, doesn't mean other Canadians don't appreciate any form of birth tourism.

 

[Amysaa]

I am sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Miscarriages are often covered by insurance but not deliveries. One is considered an emergency and the other predictable care. I think all Canadians don't appreciate any form of birth tourism. Many obtain PR give birth in Canada and never return. Unless someone is living in Canada and has no plans to leave right after birth you can see why Canadians would be defensive. Your questions were about giving birth and leaving as soon as possible. Even if you were a PR you have not settled in Canada so it could easily become a birth tourism situation.

I do not know, why is it so hard for you to believe that maternity, even delivery could be covered by insurance. I do not want to disclose any further, I did have worldwide coverage allowing me to avail it in any part of the world. Secondly, you are admitting that there is some judging. So, your advice may not be completely factual and may be biased in some sense. In my defense, I made it clear, my intentions are to live in Canada.

Furthermore, please kindly spare me the judging at least from now since I cannot do "birth tourism" as you called it. I do have a pending situation that kept me from settling immediately. Otherwise every day, I am thinking about moving there. It hurts me more since I made up my mind to move there but because of the pending issues, I need to wait for a couple of months.

 

[Amysaa]

I am leaving this thread since this situation does not concern me anymore. Thank you so much for all your advice and maybe someone else could benefit from the discussion. Based on the discussion I have advice for new immigrants who did soft landing to be careful and plan the pregnancy so that it happens when they move there completely. This can save them from worrying about TRV or sponsorship of the newly born, and also the healthcare coverage or insurance related problems (If you do not have such insurance). Good luck.

 

[ferysonu]

You may also want to check with the airline if you are okay to fly especially if you are flying closer towards your due date .
Also for employer benefits, do check if the worldwide insurance only covers emergency travel and medical assistance?
Typically benefit providers only support local child birth costs.
Also keep in mind that employer insurance are benefits i.e your employer pays for it(ie if you make a claim for 100$ it is paid by the employer and not the insurance company) . The insurance company only administers the claims and take a small % as admin fee. Smaller employers insure, because they do not want to take the risk .
So if you have a complication (hopefully not) and if the insurer doesn't cover it, the employer has to approve for it to be covered.
So depending on the bill, the employer can take that call!

Agreed, To top that most Insurance Companies Exclude say "Worldwide, except North America" so better read all prior to decision, as they know NA is very expensive in Medical.

 

[Copingwithlife]

I disagree. Perhaps you don't appreciate, doesn't mean other Canadians don't appreciate any form of birth tourism.

We shall see what happens to birth tourism if the government changes in the fall