Does this constitute a criminal offence?

[mcu257]

Hi Guys,

I really need an expert advice on this situation regarding my ongoing PR application. I am a foreign worker on Postgraduate Work Open Permit
and already a beneficiary of OHIP. My wife came in on a visitor visa in September 2015 and as per the eligibility
criteria, a spouse of a foreign worker is eligible for the OHIP and so we were able to get one for her and she has since been benefiting
from it. However, along the line, we applied for a work permit for her, and unknown to us, we didn't include a letter from my employer and
my paystubs as a requirement, and so her application was refused, and her status as a visitor revoked/expired. We are now putting in an application for
her status restoration while we wait for a decision on the PR application.

Now, our dilema is, should she continue to use her OHIP, considering she has no status in Canada? Will this constitute a criminal offence that could go against our PR application?

 

[scylla]

She no longer qualifies for OHIP and should stop using it. It's not a criminal offence. However if she continues to use OHIP when she's not entitled to it then you can expect the province to go after her later for the costs of the care she received that she wasn't entitled to receive for free. Typically the money they go after you for is higher than what it would have been if you had just paid for the care out of pocket. So you're better off just paying for it yourself. Violating OHIP rules can also make be more difficult for her to get coverage again once she is in fact entitled to use it (i.e. they may take several additional months to review her file to ensure she does in fact qualify due to her past abuse of the program).

 

[andy108]

Hi Guys,

I really need an expert advice on this situation regarding my ongoing PR application. I am a foreign worker on Postgraduate Work Open Permit
and already a beneficiary of OHIP. My wife came in on a visitor visa in September 2015 and as per the eligibility
criteria, a spouse of a foreign worker is eligible for the OHIP and so we were able to get one for her and she has since been benefiting
from it. However, along the line, we applied for a work permit for her, and unknown to us, we didn't include a letter from my employer and
my paystubs as a requirement, and so her application was refused, and her status as a visitor revoked/expired. We are now putting in an application for
her status restoration while we wait for a decision on the PR application.

Now, our dilema is, should she continue to use her OHIP, considering she has no status in Canada? Will this constitute a criminal offence that could go against our PR application?

She does not qualify for it, this may cause issues in a longer term... if authorities would find out that a person who is not eligible is using it - but I agree as of now it should not be an issue.

 

[mcu257]

Thanks so much for your quick response, scylla & andy108!