Pregnant and just became a permanent Resident after 3 yrs.

[kianyaleszkovics]

I'm happy to say that I am finally a permanent resident. I am an American Citizen and I am 3 weeks away from my due date. Unfortunately My husband and I have a psycho for a Landlord and we hate where we live. We can't move now but my husband wants me to go back to america and have the baby because of the terrible stress we are under. I wanted to know If it is possible for me to give birth in the US and come back to Canada with no problem? What is the process? If My husband is Canadian doesn't that have alot to do with it? Please I need advice.

 

[rhcohen2014]

well i suspect you will need to pay for your delivery and doctor appointments, as health care is not free in the US, and requires you to have private insurance. it makes more sense to have a baby in canada where it is free, in my opinion. would your canadian healtcare reimburse you for any bills incurred if you delivered in the ER (which i assume is the only way you would deliver in the us now that you are 3 weeks from your due date)?

as for traveling as a pr, you are free to travel to and from canada. you are a permanent resident, so you can't be refused entry for having a baby in the US. i am confused as to what your question actually is?

 

[kianyaleszkovics]

Im sorry just so upset. I meant if my baby is born in the US can she become a Canadian citizen easy because of her father being a Canadian citizen? does she have to go through the same process I went through?

 

[rhcohen2014]

Im sorry just so upset. I meant if my baby is born in the US can she become a Canadian citizen easy because of her father being a Canadian citizen? does she have to go through the same process I went through?

oh! i see. if her father was born in canada, then yes, the baby would be a canadian citizen no matter where they are born, so no, the baby would not need to be sponsored for PR. you would just need to apply for a certificate of citizenship for the baby after it's born.

again, it seems to make more sense to have the baby in canada, so you don't have to deal with paying out of pocket and/or dealing with getting the citizenship certificate after birth.

 

[kianyaleszkovics]

Thank God! I know what you mean. But we are basically on the verge of being homeless and his family is so far away there is basically no help. I know it would be free here in Winnipeg but the problems we are having with our landlord harassing and threatening us the tenancy branch isn't doing anything to help us. We've even called the police but they wont get involved. I would hate to come back to this apt and bring my newborn baby here. We are looking for a place but there is nothing available only in the bad parts of town. I can apply for emergency medicaid in the states or just have to be billed. Are you sure about the information you provided? Do you know how long the Canadian citizenship certificate takes? What do you think I should do personally ? Thanx.

 

[bigredmoose]

Most provinces have a residency requirement of 3 months before you become eligible for health coverage. That's three months after you become a permanant resident, regardless of how long you've actually been in the province. The wait time for newborns is waived, however, as long as you can prove that you are a PR and that you live in the province.

If you don't qualify for health coverage, expect to pay thousands of dollars for a regular, normal birth. Tens of thousands if there are complications and longer stays.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Thank God! I know what you mean. But we are basically on the verge of being homeless and his family is so far away there is basically no help. I know it would be free here in Winnipeg but the problems we are having with our landlord harassing and threatening us the tenancy branch isn't doing anything to help us. We've even called the police but they wont get involved. I would hate to come back to this apt and bring my newborn baby here. We are looking for a place but there is nothing available only in the bad parts of town. I can apply for emergency medicaid in the states or just have to be billed. Are you sure about the information you provided? Do you know how long the Canadian citizenship certificate takes? What do you think I should do personally ? Thanx.

i would imagine you would need to prove residency in the US for "emergency medicaid", which i've never heard of. also medicaid is not an easy process, and takes time to be approved for from what i know. if you plan to give birth in a hospital, then you will definitely be billed, maybe even turned away. i would recommend double checking the hospital's policies before attempting such a thing. also, i would double check the province's rules about reimbursements for deliveries out of canada (Assuming you have provincial healthcare).

while i realize you don't want to return to your current apartment, i would recommend not making your life more difficult by trying to deliver a baby in the states. what is your plan for where to go when you get there? i would recommend staying put or traveling to your husband's family. if you plan to incur debt in the us, what's stopping you from traveling to where you have support in canada?worst case scenario is to get any apartment no matter where it is so you have somewhere to regroup and think about your next steps.

as for the citizenship certificate, people have said it takes a couple of months maybe? you will want to research how to do this on the cic website. though the site says 6 months, many people get it much quicker.

 

[bigredmoose]

If she *just* got PR, she doesn't have provincial health coverage. I just checked, Manitoba requires 3 months of PR first. Canadian hospitals tend not to turn away patients due to lack of coverage though. In the OP's shoes, I'd definitely have the baby in Canada. Keep in mind with the current exchange rate, a US dollar hospital bill will take a long time to pay off in Canadian currency!

 

[kianyaleszkovics]

Thanx for your advice. Maybe you are right. We might have to move anywhere for now. Its so hard on us. I'm searching for a place as we speak and its not easy especially in the Winter. We figured we would be ok here until we saved up for a house but the constant harassment is getting worse. I am going to try my best to look because I do want to have my baby in Canada. So provincial health coverage meaning having health coverage in any province takes 3 months?? Will i receive manitoba health here right away?

 

[rhcohen2014]

If she *just* got PR, she doesn't have provincial health coverage. I just checked, Manitoba requires 3 months of PR first. Canadian hospitals tend not to turn away patients due to lack of coverage though. In the OP's shoes, I'd definitely have the baby in Canada. Keep in mind with the current exchange rate, a US dollar hospital bill will take a long time to pay off in Canadian currency!

it depends on what the definition of "just" is. I "just" became a pr 5 months ago, and i have provincial healthcare. based on her latest response, it sounds like her "just" is less than 3 months, which was not obvious from the original post.

Thanx for your advice. Maybe you are right. We might have to move anywhere for now. Its so hard on us. I'm searching for a place as we speak and its not easy especially in the Winter. We figured we would be ok here until we saved up for a house but the constant harassment is getting worse. I am going to try my best to look because I do want to have my baby in Canada. Do you know anything about receiving your Manitoba health card? does it take a while to receive medical after you become a permanent resident?

I don't live in Manitoba. I would suggest finding the province's service agency website and checking out how to go about signing up for health care. as the other person mentioned, there is a 3 month wait period from the day you land as a pr. generally, you have to go to a service office in your area and there will probably be some sort of document requirement. so you need to google it and make sure you have the necessary items to sign up.

 

[bigredmoose]

Thanx for your advice. Maybe you are right. We might have to move anywhere for now. Its so hard on us. I'm searching for a place as we speak and its not easy especially in the Winter. We figured we would be ok here until we saved up for a house but the constant harassment is getting worse. I am going to try my best to look because I do want to have my baby in Canada. So provincial health coverage meaning having health coverage in any province takes 3 months?? Will i receive manitoba health here right away?

In Manitoba you must be a resident for 3 months before you are eligible for health care coverage. Your residency begins when you get your PR, so PR date plus 3 months is when you are covered. The time spent in the province as a visitor or on a work visa does not count. At the hospital where I work in Ontario (I can't find Manitoba rates online) we charge people in your situation $2,600 per day. Doctor's fees are separate from that.

Details about Manitoba eligibility are in the link below. I suggest you call your local hospital to find out how much they charge. Ask the finance dept, in my opinion admitting won't know the ins and outs.


http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/guide/2.html

 

[kianyaleszkovics]

I dont think thats true. I just looked it up and this is what i found. I am an american citizen.

If you move to Manitoba from another country, you may receive health care benefits (except personal care home benefits) from the first day of your arrival provided you have the appropriate documentation, i.e., permanent resident status, proof of Canadian Citizenship if Returning Canadian, et cetera.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I dont think thats true. I just looked it up and this is what i found. I am an american citizen.

If you move to Manitoba from another country, you may receive health care benefits (except personal care home benefits) from the first day of your arrival provided you have the appropriate documentation, i.e., permanent resident status, proof of Canadian Citizenship if Returning Canadian, et cetera.

did you find that on Manitoba's service agency website? if so, go by that information. if not, click on the link provided by the other member and double check the information you are reading. there are some provinces that don't have a wait period. since i'm not in manitoba, i don't know if it is one of them.

 

[Suryak86]

Here is an informative article on child birth costs in the USA. just a heads up

http://children.costhelper.com/baby-delivery.html

 

[bigredmoose]

OK, kianyaleszkovics here's what I would do.

Call Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors at this number: 1-800-392-1207
Tell them how long you've been living in Manitoba, what date you got PR and ask if that makes you eligible for coverage immediately.

I hope it does, but it definitely does not in Ontario.

I don't know why they would essentially waive the residency requirement for newly landed immigrants, but great for the OP if they do!