PR FSW Ulcerative Colitis + Infliximab (Biosimilar)

[brenoalves]

Hello everyone, I got an ITA on 15/08 and sent my PR application 30/08. I am going crazy here thinking about the medical inadmissibility. Does anyone here went through a similar application lately and got the results of the medical exam?

I calculated my costs to be arround 23,992 CAD:

36x Infliximab CAD 528,00 / CAD 19,008 (I used to take 3 vials every month but actually changed that recently to every 8 weeks, but it's too recent).
2x GP Consultation CAD 157,00 / CAD 314,00 per year
1x Colonoscopy CAD 2,000 per year
2x Blood Tests CAD 100 / CAD 200,00 per year
12x Infusions CAD 2,400 per year (In here I pay nothing just guessed a value).

Don't know if the numbers are close to reality, but here in Brazil I go to the doctor every 6 months only, 2 blood tests and the infusions are covered by Celtrion (The company that makes the medication).

I fought hard for this invitation... Just need some good news. Thank you all.

 

[canuck78]

Hello everyone, I got an ITA on 15/08 and sent my PR application 30/08. I am going crazy here thinking about the medical inadmissibility. Does anyone here went through a similar application lately and got the results of the medical exam?

I calculated my costs to be arround 23,992 CAD:

36x Infliximab CAD 528,00 / CAD 19,008 (I used to take 3 vials every month but actually changed that recently to every 8 weeks, but it's too recent).
2x GP Consultation CAD 157,00 / CAD 314,00 per year
1x Colonoscopy CAD 2,000 per year
2x Blood Tests CAD 100 / CAD 200,00 per year
12x Infusions CAD 2,400 per year (In here I pay nothing just guessed a value).

Don't know if the numbers are close to reality, but here in Brazil I go to the doctor every 6 months only, 2 blood tests and the infusions are covered by Celtrion (The company that makes the medication).

I fought hard for this invitation... Just need some good news. Thank you all.

Yes approval is possible although not guaranteed. The bigger issue is you may not be able to see a GI for 6+ months and you may not be able to find a GP like millions of other Canadians. This will be problematic given the rigorous nature of your treatment. Canada doesn’t have a national pharmacare system so depending on your job and whether it provides extended health benefits and the province you live in your drug costs could be pretty high. There tends to be provincial coverage if you surpass a certain percentage of your income but it is still a decent deductible. Some provinces also have an up to 3 month wait period before you qualify for provincial healthcare.

 

[brenoalves]

Yes approval is possible although not guaranteed. The bigger issue is you may not be able to see a GI for 6+ months and you may not be able to find a GP like millions of other Canadians. This will be problematic given the rigorous nature of your treatment. Canada doesn’t have a national pharmacare system so depending on your job and whether it provides extended health benefits and the province you live in your drug costs could be pretty high. There tends to be provincial coverage if you surpass a certain percentage of your income but it is still a decent deductible. Some provinces also have an up to 3 month wait period before you qualify for provincial healthcare.

Hi canuck78, thank you for you answer.

Wow, this is really concerning. I can't really go that long without seeing a doctor and restarting my treatment. I have predicted 6 months without medication so I would cover that cost for that long if necessary, but can't really go much further without help of the goverment. I have been thinking about going to Alberta and the AHCIP is effective shortly after you apply, there's no waiting period for those arriving from abroad. There is also health benefits from Alberta blue cross that helps with the costs of the medication.

I don't really expect the province to fully cover the costs you know... I just want to be able to continue my treatment and provide a better life for my family.

Well... Let's see how it goes haha.

 

[canuck78]

Hi canuck78, thank you for you answer.

Wow, this is really concerning. I can't really go that long without seeing a doctor and restarting my treatment. I have predicted 6 months without medication so I would cover that cost for that long if necessary, but can't really go much further without help of the goverment. I have been thinking about going to Alberta and the AHCIP is effective shortly after you apply, there's no waiting period for those arriving from abroad. There is also health benefits from Alberta blue cross that helps with the costs of the medication.

I don't really expect the province to fully cover the costs you know... I just want to be able to continue my treatment and provide a better life for my family.

Well... Let's see how it goes haha.

Alberta healthcare is a disaster at the moment although most of healthcare in Canada is a mess. If you arrive and use healthcare right away then you essentially become stuck in that province for quite a while since typically when you move provinces the previous province covers your healthcare costs for 3 months. If you didn’t meet the residency requirements to qualify for healthcare in the first province they may refuse to cover the 3 months and want you to repay for the months you received a care in their province. These rules are partially in place to prevent people from moving to a province where they can access healthcare immediately and then move to another province.

Just an idea what to expect. May actually by 9-12 months after a referral.

https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/comments/1b0n848

 

[brenoalves]

Alberta healthcare is a disaster at the moment although most of healthcare in Canada is a mess. If you arrive and use healthcare right away then you essentially become stuck in that province for quite a while since typically when you move provinces the previous province covers your healthcare costs for 3 months. If you didn’t meet the residency requirements to qualify for healthcare in the first province they may refuse to cover the 3 months and want you to repay for the months you received a care in their province. These rules are partially in place to prevent people from moving to a province where they can access healthcare immediately and then move to another province.

Just an idea what to expect. May actually by 9-12 months after a referral.

https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/comments/1b0n848

Well it's worse than I thought then... even if I can pay for the meds, there's no way getting them because I wouldn't be able to see a doctor to prescribe them... If that really happens, I guess the only solution would be flying back to Brazil every two months to get the medication while I wait for an appointment. That's crazy, but doable, since the costs to travel here and back would be the same as buying the medication.

 

[canuck78]

The unemployment rate in Canada and in most of Alberta is pretty high especially for newcomers so unless you have employment lined up it may be really tough. Would add that in many jobs getting time off to attend regular medical appointments especially as a new employee can be extremely difficult. Not sure how you would get time off to go to Brazil if you can’t get time off to go to a medical appointment. You may be unable to secure a family doctor at all which is problematic as well. I have medical background, was very aware of how the Canadian healthcare system worked, have a GP (even though she is pretty useless I fear for the day she retires) and when I developed a chronic condition I found the system difficult to deal with and I essentially manage my own care, can police for errors, live in a large centre, have realistic expectations, have a flexible schedule, etc. I have zero idea how others manage. The sad part is they likely don’t and people don’t get access to care in a timely manner, go without certain treatments because it is too expensive or not covered, etc. Between the economy, the housing market and our healthcare crisis this is a very tough time to move to Canada especially if you have health issues. Sadly I expect it will get worse not better.

https://www.albertadoctors.org/advocacy/strategic-priorities/system-leadership-and-partnership/abs-family-medicine-crisis/#:~:text=Across the province, upwards of,the point of effective treatment.

 

[brenoalves]

I don't think work will be much of a problem. I am a software engineer and I don't have to leave my work here in Brazil right after moving away. Already had some contact with companies in Canada, but sadly, because I wasn't allowed to work in Canada, I wasn't able to secure any jobs from here. But your answers here are really concerning. It makes me feel sad because I put a lot of effort in this process. Had to learn languages, raise a lot of money because the canadian dollar is 4.2x times the Brazilian currency, worked like crazy, not even sure I will get my PR and now this health issue.

Would you recommend thinking about another province?

 

[canuck78]

I don't think work will be much of a problem. I am a software engineer and I don't have to leave my work here in Brazil right after moving away. Already had some contact with companies in Canada, but sadly, because I wasn't allowed to work in Canada, I wasn't able to secure any jobs from here. But your answers here are really concerning. It makes me feel sad because I put a lot of effort in this process. Had to learn languages, raise a lot of money because the canadian dollar is 4.2x times the Brazilian currency, worked like crazy, not even sure I will get my PR and now this health issue.

Would you recommend thinking about another province?

Realistically there are healthcare issues across Canada although certainly worse in certain areas. The IT market has softened quite a bit so even getting a job as a software engineer may be difficult. Is there a reason you want to move to Canada especially if you have a good standard or life and assume extended family in Brazil?