Hi, there!
So, I've applied for residency inland and for my OWP. I should get the OWP, if all goes well, by the end of May. I have health coverage in Alberta based on the fact that I'm married to a permanent resident, and said coverage expires on April 14, which is the day when my visitor status expires (six months since I entered Canada from a visa exempt country.)
I called Alberta Health today to inquire about getting the one time extension that I should be eligible for while waiting for my OWP (I basically need to cover the month - month and a half between April 14 and getting the OWP sometime in May).
I was told that normally they give extensions, but not to people who have visitor status based on a passport stamp, i.e. people from visa exempt countries. The person told me that if I had a visitor visa or something like that, I'd get the extension, but since I only have the stamp, I don't qualify and I need to wait to get my OWP.
And that just makes no sense to me. What difference does it make whether I'm from a visa exempt country or not? I mean, of course I only have the stamp. Anyone from a visa exempt country, be it the US, the UK, Germany, etc would only have the stamp. Are all these people ineligible for the extension?
Basically I'm just posting to see others' experiences and whether this is true or I just got unlucky with the person I got on the phone and I should try again/go to the office in person.
Thanks!
So, I've applied for residency inland and for my OWP. I should get the OWP, if all goes well, by the end of May. I have health coverage in Alberta based on the fact that I'm married to a permanent resident, and said coverage expires on April 14, which is the day when my visitor status expires (six months since I entered Canada from a visa exempt country.)
I called Alberta Health today to inquire about getting the one time extension that I should be eligible for while waiting for my OWP (I basically need to cover the month - month and a half between April 14 and getting the OWP sometime in May).
I was told that normally they give extensions, but not to people who have visitor status based on a passport stamp, i.e. people from visa exempt countries. The person told me that if I had a visitor visa or something like that, I'd get the extension, but since I only have the stamp, I don't qualify and I need to wait to get my OWP.
And that just makes no sense to me. What difference does it make whether I'm from a visa exempt country or not? I mean, of course I only have the stamp. Anyone from a visa exempt country, be it the US, the UK, Germany, etc would only have the stamp. Are all these people ineligible for the extension?
Basically I'm just posting to see others' experiences and whether this is true or I just got unlucky with the person I got on the phone and I should try again/go to the office in person.
Thanks!