Renewing OHIP with PR application under review

[DoctorWho]

Hi all,

I am a June 2014 applicant. My OHIP will expire in the end of the month.

Hoping to get it renewed, I went to the ServiceOntario center at 777 Bay Street last week. There I was turned down by an officer who told me that "they no longer do it" (meaning, issuing the OHIP to permanent residence applicants) and that I have to wait for "a confirmation that I have been granted permanent residence". However, I am fairly certain that that's not the case. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website plainly explains that "you may be eligible for the OHIP if [...] you have submitted an application for permanent residence in Canada, and Citizenship & Immigration Canada has confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residence in Canada."

Now, as I've mentioned, I am a June 2014 applicant. I've already done my medical exam, and my ecas status says "Medical results have been received". Needless to say, I have my Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR). I also have my GCMS notes that read: "RECOMMENDATION: Appears to meet requirements." I plan on having another go at getting my OHIP renewed this week. This time around, I will:

- bring a print-out from the Ontario Ministry of Health which I cited above;
- bring a copy of my GCMS notes;
- bring a copy of my AOR;
- ask to speak to a supervisor if an officer turns me down again; and
- ask to have the refusal in writing.

I am hoping that will do the trick.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any tips or words of advice?

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[devindia]

Hi .. I got my OHIP and SIN renewed last week on BOWP for 1 year. I don't think there shall be any issue with valid WP. What type of WP you have ?

Hi all,

I am a June 2014 applicant. My OHIP will expire in the end of the month.

Hoping to get it renewed, I went to the ServiceOntario center at 777 Bay Street last week. There I was turned down by an officer who told me that "they no longer do it" (meaning, issuing the OHIP to permanent residence applicants) and that I have to wait for "a confirmation that I have been granted permanent residence". However, I am fairly certain that that's not the case. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website plainly explains that "you may be eligible for the OHIP if [...] you have submitted an application for permanent residence in Canada, and Citizenship & Immigration Canada has confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residence in Canada."

Now, as I've mentioned, I am a June 2014 applicant. I've already done my medical exam, and my ecas status says "Medical results have been received". Needless to say, I have my Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR). I also have my GCMS notes that read: "RECOMMENDATION: Appears to meet requirements." I plan on having another go at getting my OHIP renewed this week. This time around, I will:

- bring a print-out from the Ontario Ministry of Health which I cited above;
- bring a copy of my GCMS notes;
- bring a copy of my AOR;
- ask to speak to a supervisor if an officer turns me down again; and
- ask to have the refusal in writing.

I am hoping that will do the trick.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any tips or words of advice?

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[saja_roy]

The OHIP renewal depends on your status. I am also a june14 PR applicant and had to renew my OHIP. I went to service Ontario and they renewed it based on the BOWP.

 

[DoctorWho]

Hi devindia and saja_roy,

Thank you for responding! I have an open post-graduate work permit. The gentleman at the ServiceOntario center said that if one is on a work-permit then they need to have a letter from their employer to validate their status as a resident of Ontario. (That was no news to me. That was how I'd been getting my OHIP renewed before. But my contract will expire in the end of April -- together with my OHIP.)

I applied for a BOWP in late March and am hoping to get it approved towards the end of April. I have heard of people getting their OHIP renewed with a new BOWP. if I am not mistaken, a BOWP usually says something like "Permanent residence application is being finalized", which is an obvious proof of your eligibility for PR.

When you went to renew your OHIP, did you take anything else with you apart from your BOWP?

 

[devindia]

I believe you will have to wait for your BOWP.. you need three docs.. I used T4 for address proof, WP for current status and , PP for id proof. also OHIP for WP is issued only on main Service Ontario center not on local center.

Hi devindia and saja_roy,

Thank you for responding! I have an open post-graduate work permit. The gentleman at the ServiceOntario center said that if one is on a work-permit then they need to have a letter from their employer to validate their status as a resident of Ontario. (That was no news to me. That was how I'd been getting my OHIP renewed before. But my contract will expire in the end of April -- together with my OHIP.)

I applied for a BOWP in late March and am hoping to get it approved towards the end of April. I have heard of people getting their OHIP renewed with a new BOWP. if I am not mistaken, a BOWP usually says something like "Permanent residence application is being finalized", which is an obvious proof of your eligibility for PR.

When you went to renew your OHIP, did you take anything else with you apart from your BOWP?

 

[tortau]

When I tried to renew my OHIP on my BOWP, I was asked to provide an employment letter to prove that I'm employed. Apparently some branches ask for it and some don't.

 

[sjulien]

My OHIP card application was denied in October or November 2014 on BOWP. Service Onatrio wants employment letter and duration of jobs etc..

So in second visit, I brought employment letter with OHIP renewal application forms, address proof(license).

Hi all,

I am a June 2014 applicant. My OHIP will expire in the end of the month.

Hoping to get it renewed, I went to the ServiceOntario center at 777 Bay Street last week. There I was turned down by an officer who told
me that "they no longer do it" (meaning, issuing the OHIP to permanent residence applicants) and that I have to wait for "a confirmation that I have been granted permanent residence". However, I am fairly certain that that's not the case. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website plainly explains that "you may be eligible for the OHIP if [...] you have submitted an application for permanent residence in Canada, and Citizenship & Immigration Canada has confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residence in Canada."

Now, as I've mentioned, I am a June 2014 applicant. I've already done my medical exam, and my ecas status says "Medical results have been received". Needless to say, I have my Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR). I also have my GCMS notes that read: "RECOMMENDATION: Appears to meet requirements." I plan on having another go at getting my OHIP renewed this week. This time around, I will:

- bring a print-out from the Ontario Ministry of Health which I cited above;
- bring a copy of my GCMS notes;
- bring a copy of my AOR;
- ask to speak to a supervisor if an officer turns me down again; and
- ask to have the refusal in writing.

I am hoping that will do the trick.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any tips or words of advice?

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[DoctorWho]

I believe you will have to wait for your BOWP.. you need three docs.. I used T4 for address proof, WP for current status and , PP for id proof. also OHIP for WP is issued only on main Service Ontario center not on local center.

Hi devindia,

What's a local center? As far as I know all ServiceOntario centers are just centers. There is no distinction between main and local centers. Which one did you go to?

 

[dbss]

On a Open work permit, Service Ontario will ask you to get a letter from your employer detailing the address of the business and place of work for the applicant (in Ontario) along with the time period of employment.

Reason: Open work permit does not specify the location of your work and health services are provincially regulated.

When I went for my OHIP, my letter listed the address of my employer and they mentioned that I will be working in the Toronto office. Since time period was indefinite, they issued me OHIP for the period of my work permit.

My friend who was on a contract went for OHIP as well and he was leaving his contract in 5 months, so he got his OHIP only for 5 months although his work permit was expiring in two years.

Reason: You may take up place of employment outside the province after contract as you are not bonded to an employer in your WP.

 

[dbss]

Hi devindia,

What's a local center? As far as I know all ServiceOntario centers are just centers. There is no distinction between main and local centers. Which one did you go to?

There is a distinction. For OHIP in Toronto, if you are not a PR or citizen, you can only go to Service Ontario at Yonge/Sheppard or 777 Bay Street. Even when you become PR, you will need to go to one of these locations and renew your health card. Henceforth, you can go to any Service Ontario centre.

 

[DoctorWho]

My OHIP card application was denied in October or November 2014 on BOWP. Service Onatrio wants employment letter and duration of jobs etc..

So in second visit, I brought employment letter with OHIP renewal application forms, address proof(license).

Hi sjulien,

That's the thing. From what I gather, according to the current Ontario Ministry of Health regulation, so long as you (1) filed an application for permanent residence and (2) were identified as an eligible applicant by Citizenship & Immigration Canada, you qualify for the OHIP, even though you may or may not be employed at the time. So you should not have been turned down when you went to ServiceCanada the first time.

However, not all ServiceOntario officers know about this, and your luck nearly entirely depends on how knowledgeable the officer helping you is.

 

[arorkama]

I got my OHIP renewed last year in July. They just asked me for work permit, address proof and a photo ID.
They did not ask any questions related to employment. I want to Service Ontario at Yonge and Sheppard.

Since my passport was expiring in Feb,2015 . so only got the BOWP for 7 months from June 2014 to Feb 2015. But my OHIP is still valid till June, 2015.

 

[DoctorWho]

Hi dbss,

Thank you for your response. From what I understand, what you described applies if you're on a work permit and have not yet applied for permanent residence. Once you have and your eligibility was confirmed by Citizenship & Immigration Canada, you no longer need to provide a letter of employment. However, as I said, not all ServiceOntario officers are aware of your technicality and can still refuse to extend your OHIP.

On a Open work permit, Service Ontario will ask you to get a letter from your employer detailing the address of the business and place of work for the applicant (in Ontario) along with the time period of employment.

Reason: Open work permit does not specify the location of your work and health services are provincially regulated.

When I went for my OHIP, my letter listed the address of my employer and they mentioned that I will be working in the Toronto office. Since time period was indefinite, they issued me OHIP for the period of my work permit.

My friend who was on a contract went for OHIP as well and he was leaving his contract in 5 months, so he got his OHIP only for 5 months although his work permit was expiring in two years.

Reason: You may take up place of employment outside the province after contract as you are not bonded to an employer in your WP.

 

[saja_roy]

Hi devindia and saja_roy,

Thank you for responding! I have an open post-graduate work permit. The gentleman at the ServiceOntario center said that if one is on a work-permit then they need to have a letter from their employer to validate their status as a resident of Ontario. (That was no news to me. That was how I'd been getting my OHIP renewed before. But my contract will expire in the end of April -- together with my OHIP.)

I applied for a BOWP in late March and am hoping to get it approved towards the end of April. I have heard of people getting their OHIP renewed with a new BOWP. if I am not mistaken, a BOWP usually says something like "Permanent residence application is being finalized", which is an obvious proof of your eligibility for PR.

When you went to renew your OHIP, did you take anything else with you apart from your BOWP?

I went with BOWP and employment letter. But the person on the Service Ontario just asked for my BOWP.

 

[dbss]

Hi dbss,

Thank you for your response. From what I understand, what you described applies if you're on a work permit and have not yet applied for permanent residence. Once you have and your eligibility was confirmed by Citizenship & Immigration Canada, you no longer need to provide a letter of employment. However, as I said, not all ServiceOntario officers are aware of your technicality and can still refuse to extend your OHIP.

Yes, that's true. The reason why I said it in this way (and maybe I should have added it) because although you have applied for PR, still you are in Canada on some kind of work permit I suppose...so you don't need to even let them know that you have applied for PR...If you are any other status then yes, you are right.