screech339 said:
For some reason I wasn't surprised by that. A lot of people getting OWP under the pilot program was going to having difficulty in getting OHIP since it doesn't prove that the applicant is actually qualified for PR under principle like AIP does.
A few people applied for OWP under the pilot program probably doesn't really want to work or has no intention to work but to get access to OHIP before AIP stage.
I wasn't surprised to see a flood of applicants applying for OHIP the moment they received their OWP even though they haven't been approved at AIP stage.
I'm a little surprised. I thought the reason CIC started the pilot program was because they were working miserably slow and wanted to let people live normal lives after having waited a year and a half and gotten nothing.
You get AIP after you're accepted as a sponsor. What criteria do sponsors even fail? Does it take this long to determine if I'm recently divorced or if I'm on social assistance? Just check with CRA, it should take 15 minutes to approve a sponsor. That's besides the point.
Living in Ontario without OHIP is incredibly annoying. The entire health care system is built on the basis that you have OHIP. Yes you can get supplemental travel insurance, but like you even pointed out you can scarcely get drug/dental/vision/anything coverage without having OHIP. Very few clinics accept anything but OHIP. It's incredibly annoying.
Anyone can spin this as the ungrateful immigrant coming to wonderful Canada and complaining about the land of plenty, but this is unfair.
I'm a Canadian citizen, and my wife has no right to health care even after living here for 1.5 years and applying for PR over a year ago.
If I was a foreign worker with a Work Permit, my wife would be entitled to an OWP and Health Care.
If I was a foreign student with a Study Permit, my wife would be entitled to an OWP and Health Care.
Honestly, I don't care how hard we're trying to attract Foreign Workers and Students. I'm a Canadian home owner, still making a single wage to support my family, still paying property, federal, provincial, and bonus medical taxes, just like any other family. Except only half of my family is eligible for Health Care. Why the prejudice against us?
My mother wasn't employed full time, my grandmother wasn't employed full time, my great grandmother wasn't employed full time. No one accused them of being mooches because they weren't working.
We're living off one income, and paying taxes off that one income, and we live here full time.
What exactly is the logic here? Everyone is only allowed one spouse, there's no real way to cheat this system.
I don't see how we're freeloaders just because my wife doesn't work full time.