EI payment while out of country

[AlexMorris]

Hi,
I laid off last week just before going to annual vacation. From what I read in Canada.ca I am not eligible to receive EI while out of country, however also says: If you indicate that you have taken measures to be reached if an employment opportunity presents itself during your absence and that you are able to return to Canada within 48 hours, we will accept that you have proven your availability.

I’m confused, I will have a open return ticket to change as any opportunity arise.
Any suggestion?

 

[Chevy23]

You will not receive ei whilst out of the country. I am currently on ei, have used ei before and have left the country twice whilst claiming it.
Unless you are able to prove that you physically come back to Canada during your time out of Canada for an interview/job, then you will not receive payment.

Trust me on this, I've tried numerous ways around this. Fact is, if you are not in Canada you will not be paid. You can argue open return ticket, laptop for skype interviews, phone calls etc. They only care about your physical presence within Canada.

To be clear, you will not receive ei whilst out of the country. Also don't lie to them about your time out of the country, they do check border entries. It can take a while sometimes two years, but they always find out and then you have to repay what they paid you plus interest.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you in your job search

 

[AlexMorris]

You will not receive ei whilst out of the country. I am currently on ei, have used ei before and have left the country twice whilst claiming it.
Unless you are able to prove that you physically come back to Canada during your time out of Canada for an interview/job, then you will not receive payment.

Trust me on this, I've tried numerous ways around this. Fact is, if you are not in Canada you will not be paid. You can argue open return ticket, laptop for skype interviews, phone calls etc. They only care about your physical presence within Canada.

To be clear, you will not receive ei whilst out of the country. Also don't lie to them about your time out of the country, they do check border entries. It can take a while sometimes two years, but they always find out and then you have to repay what they paid you plus interest.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you in your job search

Thank you for your response. Is it possible to receive the EI upon my return? I'm planning to stay around 2-3 months?

 

[Chevy23]

To receive EI you have to prove that you are actively looking for a job which you aren’t doing on vacation. How long is your vacation?

This is not correct. You be confusing ei with welfare. You don not need to PROVE that you are actively looking for a job. You just need to be physically present, ready, willing and capable of working during your ei reporting period.

 

[AlexMorris]

To receive EI you have to prove that you are actively looking for a job which you aren’t doing on vacation. How long is your vacation?

My vacation initially planned for a month starting from Dec 6th, although after lay off I thought to stay longer maybe 2-3 months. Surely I will apply and try to get interviews during this time, moreover I'm waiting for some projects to start and discuss openings with my ex company.

 

[canuck78]

This is not correct. You be confusing ei with welfare. You don not need to PROVE that you are actively looking for a job. You just need to be physically present, ready, willing and capable of working during your ei reporting period.

Very good point. Missed that one.

 

[canuck78]

My vacation initially planned for a month starting from Dec 6th, although after lay off I thought to stay longer maybe 2-3 months. Surely I will apply and try to get interviews during this time, moreover I'm waiting for some projects to start and discuss openings with my ex company.

Also depends on if you receive severance or any vacation payout. That would delay when you qualify for EI.

 

[Copingwithlife]

Thank you for your response. Is it possible to receive the EI upon my return? I'm planning to stay around 2-3 months?

You want to call up Service Canada and the agent will black out the periods on your file so payment will not be issued.
And no, you won’t receive those payments when you return . As mentioned when you are doing your weekly reports one of the questions is are you actively seeking work , and are you readily available to work ? If you’re over seas how can you say yes to either ?
If you don’t declare you are out of the country , the system eventually will match up with your data you are out of the country , you filed your reports with false information, and you will be expected to repay those benefits , and possibly be subjected to higher required insurable hours in the future for any possible future claims .
Btw, the fraud branch of ESDC, Integrity Services can contact you SIX years after your claim
EI is to help you live while looking for work, not to fund extended vacations out of the country while not working
If you received severance , that will be applied first , and will reduce how many weeks you are eligible for EI payments. If it is a large payment, sometimes the amount of EI received is negligible
I got laid off after 27 years, received a substantial severance . I received four weeks of EI

 

[Chevy23]

Thank you for your response. Is it possible to receive the EI upon my return? I'm planning to stay around 2-3 months?

Yes upon your return. Your ei payments will stop during the period that you state you are out of the country. Upon your return to Canada you will be eligible for ei payments to restart. You will need to file a report online every two weeks whether in or out of the country for your claim to stay active.

I've never done it for 2-3 months before but as long as your circumstances are the same when you were granted ei when you return to Canada, then it shouldn't be a problem..

 

[AlexMorris]

Also depends on if you receive severance or any vacation payout. That would delay when you qualify for EI.

I will get 2 weeks termination pay and 2 weeks severance pay.

 

[Chevy23]

You want to call up Service Canada and the agent will black out the periods on your file so payment will not be issued.
And no, you won’t receive those payments when you return . As mentioned when you are doing your weekly reports one of the questions is are you actively seeking work , and are you readily available to work ? If you’re over seas how can you say yes to either ?
If you don’t declare you are out of the country , the system eventually will match up with your data you are out of the country , you filed your reports with false information, and you will be expected to repay those benefits , and possibly be subjected to higher required insurable hours in the future for any possible future claims .
Btw, the fraud branch of ESDC, Integrity Services can contact you SIX years after your claim
EI is to help you live while looking for work, not to fund extended vacations out of the country while not working
If you received severance , that will be applied first , and will reduce how many weeks you are eligible for EI payments

Calling service Canada will not help. It has to be done online. The online report is like a digital signature and has to be filed every two weeks. Im pretty sure service Canada are not going to 'black out' dates for you.
SIX years after your claim!! WOW, I know two years after for sure...lol
You can have an extended vacation on ei, you just wont be paid. They dont care what your doing AS LONG as they are NOT paying you.
When they pay then they care. I spent a month out of the country and kept filing my reports every two weeks stating that i was out of the country. When i returned to Canada i filed my report saying im back in Canada and my payments started back up.

 

[Anaysa]

Just wondering what is i apply right after i am laid off, maybe a day or two later and then go for a vacation. Since i will severanve enough for one month my EI would start only a month later before which i would likely be back. in that case is it ok to go and stillbe eligible for ei when i am back? like apply a day after lay off, leave for vacation right after applying and return before a month?

 

[canuck78]

Just wondering what is i apply right after i am laid off, maybe a day or two later and then go for a vacation. Since i will severanve enough for one month my EI would start only a month later before which i would likely be back. in that case is it ok to go and stillbe eligible for ei when i am back? like apply a day after lay off, leave for vacation right after applying and return before a month?

You can’t file for EI and then go on vacation. One of the requirements of the application is that you are actively looking and able to work. Apply once you’ve returned.

 

[Anaysa]

You can’t file for EI and then go on vacation. One of the requirements of the application is that you are actively looking and able to work. Apply once you’ve returned.

Thank you

 

[tanukib]

Hi, I was hoping you could tell me how your claim went, Anaysa.

I too got laid off and would like to go and visit my aging parents who live abroad for a month or two. It would be a good opportunity for me to understand how they are managing. I would register for EI, declare that I am abroad for the period that I am away and then hope to start payments on my return.

My questions are:

1. Did you have success with this?
2. Were the weeks you were away deducted from the total weeks you could claim? Ie if I am eligible for 22 weeks and I spend 5 weeks abroad (declared) would I be able to claim 22 weeks on my return, or only 17?

Thanks!