Health Coverage for American Spouse Before Becoming PR?

[elithx]

Hi there,


I will be getting married in September to my American Fiancee. We will be living in Ontario, Canada once we get married. She currently has Obama care. I am wondering if anyone knows if this coverage would be of any value during the wait till we get her PR status? If not, has anyone has any experience with getting private health insurance.

Any recommendation would be helpful

 

[km9203]

Hi there,


I will be getting married in September to my American Fiancee. She currently has Obama care. I am wondering if anyone knows if this coverage would be of any value during the wait till we get her PR status? If not, has anyone has any experience with getting private health insurance.

Any recommendation would be helpful

Will you be living in Canada, if so where? In Alberta, you can get health coverage when you receive your OWP (if you apply inland). In fact, the registry even told me that you can get it as soon as you submit your application if your spouse is Canadian.

 

[elithx]

Will you be living in Canada, if so where? In Alberta, you can get health coverage when you receive your OWP (if you apply inland). In fact, the registry even told me that you can get it as soon as you submit your application if your spouse is Canadian.

Sorry I should have clarified.

We will be living in Canada in Ontario.

(first post has been edited)

 

[dominokitty]

I'm not sure what it is like in Ontario, but I imagine it's similar to Alberta. I was able to get my husband an Alberta health care number by heading down to the registry office with proof of his valid legal status here and proof of our marriage. We used his open work permit but any valid temporary residence permit will do. Your fiancee could also look in to travel medical insurance through her credit card or whatever the Ontario version of the DMV is called (here it's AMA) to bridge the gap before you can add her to your healthcare.

 

[elithx]

I'm not sure what it is like in Ontario, but I imagine it's similar to Alberta. I was able to get my husband an Alberta health care number by heading down to the registry office with proof of his valid legal status here and proof of our marriage. We used his open work permit but any valid temporary residence permit will do. Your fiancee could also look in to travel medical insurance through her credit card or whatever the Ontario version of the DMV is called (here it's AMA) to bridge the gap before you can add her to your healthcare.

She won't be coming on any permit. She will just be "visiting" initially, and then once we send the family class application along with my sponsor application, we will be applying to extend her stay until the application for PR status is completed (likely longer than the usual 6 month an american is allowed to stay in Canada).

I hadn't considered travel insurance, but that would make sense. Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[Keok]

I'm not sure what it is like in Ontario, but I imagine it's similar to Alberta. I was able to get my husband an Alberta health care number by heading down to the registry office with proof of his valid legal status here and proof of our marriage. We used his open work permit but any valid temporary residence permit will do. Your fiancee could also look in to travel medical insurance through her credit card or whatever the Ontario version of the DMV is called (here it's AMA) to bridge the gap before you can add her to your healthcare.

This is not the case in Ontario. In Ontario, if you apply outland from the US, your spouse will become eligible for OHIP three months after landing as a PR. If you apply inland, she may be able to receive a work permit and OHIP before receiving PR, however, despite that, your best bet is applying Outland as a US as it will be a much shorter process than applying inland. Cases are moving incredibly quickly lately, a lot of applications have been processed in 1.5-4 months total lately instead of her waiting 4-6 months for OHIP & OWP

As for health coverage, have her call Obamacare Marketplace or whatever it's called and check. If they say there's no coverage, look into private insurance or even some credit cards cover travel insurance now. Or if you have benefits through work, she may be eligible - however, like my husband's company, it may only cover things that would not normally be covered by OHIP. I have made it 3 years with no health insurance, thank God nothing has happened but I would not recommend the stress to anyone!! Get some gap coverage and good luck with your application and future marriage

 

[CDNPR2014]

to clarify OHIP eligibility with the Inland OWP, the applicant does not get OHIP right away. The applicant must be able to prove they have worked for an employer for 6 mo. on the work permit first. So, as others have suggested, this is NOT a reason to apply inland. Outland is certainly the way to go for us applicants.

Unfortunately, in Ontario visitors are not eligible for OHIP.

as for her us healthcare, she won't be able to use it while in canada. if she needs to go to the doctor, she will have to pay for it out of pocket or use travel insurance. She would need to check with her us health insurance provider if they reimburse for medical needs when outside of the country. my guess is they don't and won't, and may even drop her if they realize she's out of the country for an extended period of time. Usually people get travel insurance if they plan to be in canada for more than a short term visit. the only thing generally not covered are already existing pregnancy and other conditions.

 

[Rob_TO]

even some credit cards cover travel insurance now.

Need to read the fine print carefully, as most credit cards just offer automatic insurance up to a specific amount of time away from your home country (I think around 30 days max).

OP needs private travel medical insurance from a Canadian company. Tons of broker sites to get these policies online. Here's one my wife used, we paid around $50 per month and we had no problems when making a claim. https://www.kanetix.ca/travel-visitors-to-canada

 

[keesio]

I'm not sure what it is like in Ontario, but I imagine it's similar to Alberta.

Alberta is one of the most lenient while Ontario is one of the most strict.

 

[screech339]

to clarify OHIP eligibility with the Inland OWP, the applicant does not get OHIP right away. The applicant must be able to prove they have worked for an employer for 6 mo. on the work permit first. So, as others have suggested, this is NOT a reason to apply inland. Outland is certainly the way to go for us applicants.

Unfortunately, in Ontario visitors are not eligible for OHIP.

as for her us healthcare, she won't be able to use it while in canada. if she needs to go to the doctor, she will have to pay for it out of pocket or use travel insurance. She would need to check with her us health insurance provider if they reimburse for medical needs when outside of the country. my guess is they don't and won't, and may even drop her if they realize she's out of the country for an extended period of time. Usually people get travel insurance if they plan to be in canada for more than a short term visit. the only thing generally not covered are already existing pregnancy and other conditions.

To clarify, inland applicants must reach AIP stage before qualifying for OHIP. Having a pilot OWP and working for 6 months does nothing to qualify for OHIP. Either you reached AIP stage to qualify for OHIP or you don't.

 

[CDNPR2014]

To clarify, inland applicants must reach AIP stage before qualifying for OHIP. Having a pilot OWP and working for 6 months does nothing to qualify for OHIP. Either you reached AIP stage to qualify for OHIP or you don't.

according to the OHIP website, it does...

"Open work permit holders (including those in CIC’s Post-Graduation Work Permit Program) may be eligible for Ontario health insurance coverage provided they are employed full-time for an employer in Ontario for a minimum of six months, have a valid work permit during this time, and they:

maintain their primary place of residence in Ontario; and are
physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days in any 12-month period; and are
physically present in Ontario for 153 of the first 183 days immediately after establishing residency in the province."

here's the link... http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/ohipfaq_mn.aspx


I realize it does say "may", so are you saying this OWP has something specifically written on it to disqualify a person from OHIP even after working for 6 mo? I haven't heard of people having issues with this. I'd be interested in stories that clarify this discrepency...

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I realize it does say "may", so are you saying this OWP has something specifically written on it to disqualify a person from OHIP even after working for 6 mo? I haven't heard of people having issues with this. I'd be interested in stories that clarify this discrepency...

The OWP issued with an inland app had "Case type 27" or something like that on it, which does not qualify for OHIP.

Pretty much every single person with the OWP that has tried to get OHIP has had this problem. There is a bih thread dedicated just to this issue.

 

[chris1302]

My husband was able to get his OHIP (has OWP through family class case 27).
All he needed was a letter from his employer stating that he is working FT hours, and WILL be employed with the company for atleast another 6 months. The letter also stated his start date.

They took his start date into consideration (he was lazy to go get it done) so he started June 25, 2016 (went to the OHIP office end of Sept) and he got it right away.
Maybe he was just lucky but the guy working there didn't seem to care and he didn't ask any questions. I think all they want is that the letter from employer have all the proper information.

It was an easy process for us.