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aashay12

Star Member
Jun 12, 2012
197
7
Category........
Visa Office......
buffalo transferred to ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
july 2011
Med's Request
25th october 2013
Med's Done....
yes
Interview........
no
Passport Req..
first week of january
VISA ISSUED...
24/1/14
LANDED..........
13 nov, a day before the visa expires
me and my wife have canada PR. My wife is pregnant as of now
i would like to know that if we come to canada and have the baby
what kind of benefits do we get for the new born child, we have
never worked in canada nor paid any tax.
Do we get the Employment Insurance (EI), Ontario Child Benefit, Universal Child Benefit.
and how much does it amount to, does it atleast cover the rent?
We are currently in the US and we are weighing the pros and cons of having the baby in Canada or USA.
All thoughts are welcome and would like to connect with new parents or expecting ones.
Thank you.
 
Unless you've worked in Canada you dont get EI
In order for you to get child benefits you need to physically reside in Canada
 
You will also have to meet the residency requirements for OHIP, including the three months delay in OHIP becoming available. You will have to reside in Ontario for quite a while in total or they could claw back any coverage payment.
 
zardoz said:
You will also have to meet the residency requirements for OHIP, including the three months delay in OHIP becoming available. You will have to reside in Ontario for quite a while in total or they could claw back any coverage payment.

But if they move to Alberta, they can have provincial health coverage immediately. However, they will have to reside in Alberta for quite quite a while in total or they could claw back any coverage payment.
 
steaky said:
But if they move to Alberta, they can have provincial health coverage immediately. However, they will have to reside in Alberta for quite quite a while in total or they could claw back any coverage payment.
I got the impression from the comment about "Ontario Child Benefit" that they were considering that province specifically.
 
thank you and helps put things in perspective above all.
I know for a fact that Canada is a better country to raise family
but i am always scared about the job situation within immigrant families
i know they struggle when they come from developing nations.
We dont want to dig into our savings to have a life in Canada
nor we want to be a burden on the province/nation to receive benefits.
So deciding to come there or not is becoming harder.
 
When you move to a new country, it is unavoidable to dig into your savings in order to pay for the moving costs, arrange housing and allow for some time to look for a job.

Of course it would be better if you already have a job lined up before you move. Have you searched for jobs? Why have you chosen Ontario? I think it would be a good idea to keep an open mind about which province to move to while you check your job opportunities. You can apply from where you are and set up interviews. Then go on short trips to do them. If you have high demand skills, you may even find an employer who is ready to help you with your moving costs.

For your child, you would be eligible for UCCB (Universal Child Care Benefit) which is $100 a month for each child under the age of 6 and CCTB (Canada Child Tax Benefit) which is $120.50 if your income is less than $25,000 a year but starts to get cut after that. As you are new in Canada, they will use your world income in the last 2 years to calculate. There is also NCBS (National Child Benefit Supplement) which is however only paid to low income families so you may not qualify for that. If you make less than 25,000 per year, you would get $186 per month.

Your wife can get EI maternity payments only if she manages to work 600 insurable hours in Canada before the baby is born. You are not eligible for EI unemployment benefits if you don't find a job because you would also need a certain number of hours worked before you would qualify.

As for health care, some provinces have a waiting time for newcomers before they get coverage, for example in Ontario you get coverage 3 months after you move and in BC 2-3 months (1st day of the 3rd month after your move). During the waiting period, you would have to pay your health care expenses out of pocket. Quebec has a 3 month waiting period with an exception for pregnancy and childbirth. Other provinces mostly give you first day coverage if you are moving from another country. However, most provinces also have an eligibility clause where you must commit to living in the province 6 months a year to be considered eligible. It has happened in some cases that people who have lived in a province for less than 6 months and then moved have been back charged by health care for the expenses they caused as they have been deemed not to have fulfilled their eligibility clause. Having a baby in Canada can cost thousands of $ so it is important to make sure you are covered and that you continue to be eligible to be covered. After more than 6 months in one province, you could move to another province and your old province health care will cover you while you wait for coverage in your new province.

If you choose for your child to be born in the US, you would have to sponsor him or her for PR if you decide to settle in Canada. As a PR, you are allowed to live outside Canada for up to 1094 days in your first 5 years as a PR and in any 5 year period after that so that is up to 3 years you can stay outside before you have to decide.
 
Leon
Thank you for the detailed information
So if we come to canada now and the baby is due in June
We definitely would be able to get the Ohip if not EI and CCTB
So the Ohip plan covers cover all the medical expenses like hospital,
Doctor check up, tests or its all out of pocket.
I just feel that as of how it's hard to make a decison and I don't know anyone in
Canada and it will be hard with the baby...to meet all the criterias
For example if I get sick or the wife gets sick and needs immediate attention
The 3 month window is scary as of now.
We can take chances when we are single or couple but not when we are having a baby.
The US is better option as of now, may be expensive but the baby gets a US passport.
I might spend 5000 to 10000 in US for that but it's better to trust a known devil than an unknown stranger.
 
Why are you set on Ontario? Ontario may not be the best province for you to find a job. You could go to AB and have better job opportunities plus no waiting time for health care.

As for getting EI, you first need to work before you can get it. Same for your wife. It is not a matter of just living in Canada for x amount of time to qualify. You need to work first.



aashay12 said:
Leon
Thank you for the detailed information
So if we come to canada now and the baby is due in June
We definitely would be able to get the Ohip if not EI and CCTB
So the Ohip plan covers cover all the medical expenses like hospital,
Doctor check up, tests or its all out of pocket.
I just feel that as of how it's hard to make a decison and I don't know anyone in
Canada and it will be hard with the baby...to meet all the criterias
For example if I get sick or the wife gets sick and needs immediate attention
The 3 month window is scary as of now.
We can take chances when we are single or couple but not when we are having a baby.
The US is better option as of now, may be expensive but the baby gets a US passport.
I might spend 5000 to 10000 in US for that but it's better to trust a known devil than an unknown stranger.
 
Leon,
I just thought its all same all over the country, so different provinces have different ways of Health benefits.
Looks alberta is better option, I guess as of now. So we could plan the move there, that sounds better than
The options we had before of Ontario.
I was preferring Ontario because everyone goes to Ontario, it's just like Ellis Island.
It's good to know that we have option of alberta.
Thank you Leon and everyone who participated.
 
FYI - to qualify for EI, you must first work a minimum of 410 hours (more in certain provinces). So you won't qualify for EI when you first come to Canada.
 
aashay12 said:
Leon,
I just thought its all same all over the country, so different provinces have different ways of Health benefits.
Looks alberta is better option, I guess as of now. So we could plan the move there, that sounds better than
The options we had before of Ontario.
I was preferring Ontario because everyone goes to Ontario, it's just like Ellis Island.
It's good to know that we have option of alberta.
Thank you Leon and everyone who participated.

So why would you want to go where all the immigrants go? So you can all sit there unemployed together? :)

The prairie provinces may not be as hip and cool as Ontario and BC but they have lower unemployment and they all have first day health care for newcomers while Ontario and BC have waiting periods. Think about it. You have PR of Canada and it is not bound to any province so you can settle where you want to.

However, if you do decide to have the baby in the US, the baby will have US citizenship and you can move to Canada later on with your baby and sponsor him or her for PR. If you go for Canadian citizenship at some point after living in Canada some years, you can apply for your child as well and they will have dual, US and Canadian.
 
aashay12 said:
me and my wife have canada PR. My wife is pregnant as of now
i would like to know that if we come to canada and have the baby
what kind of benefits do we get for the new born child, we have
never worked in canada nor paid any tax.
Do we get the Employment Insurance (EI), Ontario Child Benefit, Universal Child Benefit.
and how much does it amount to, does it atleast cover the rent?
We are currently in the US and we are weighing the pros and cons of having the baby in Canada or USA.
All thoughts are welcome and would like to connect with new parents or expecting ones.
Thank you.

The benefits of having your kid born in Canada is GREAT. You have to act quickly , bcoz airliners wont let your wife board the plane after 28 weeks. Dont make your child be born outside Canada. Your child will be an instant CANADIAN CITIZEN. Goto Nova Scotia, your benefits will start from DAY 1. you will not be paying a single dollar.
 
Singhlovcan,
Paaji, I would love to come to canada and do that, kid will be in much better hands..
Little personal story, I have been here in the US for more than 10 years and still have been stuck
In the green card process, which would take 3-4 years to come. So I just feel that I gave so much to this country and I never want my kids to go thru the same, I can eventually make the child Canadian at a later stage in life. If he/ she ever wants to come here the doors should always be open without any visa or paperwork. Canada is great country but everyone wants to come to US, rich or poor.....I would never look elsewhere if had the right papers.
 
If you decide to have your baby born in US before Landing in Canada then you have to inform your Visa office, changes in your family composition.

You will then be required to do medicals for your newborn and it might delay the processing of your application as your application will be reprocessed.