SH Korea said:
Thank you, Rossei. I thought there wouldn't be anything to worry about from this moment..
So, can he apply for OHIP as soon as he arrives in Canada? It's just that he has to wait for 3 months for it to be effective, right? I read the following at the OHIP website "to be eligible for Ontario health coverage, you must be physically present in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period; and be physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately after establishing residency in the province". According to this, if my parents leave in 3-4 months, although they apply for OHIP as soon as they landed and it becomes effective after 3 months, they won't be covered by OHIP anyway?.. Maybe I should extend their stay to 6 months and take the test when his OHIP becomes effective? Then, what happens after they go back to Korea? They won't come back for 2-3 years. If he's able to get this done in 4 months under OHIP coverage and leave Canada, will they charge us back later when they found out my dad wasn't present in Ontario for 153 days?.. I'm really confused...
Well, you can apply for OHIP as soon as you can provide 3 different documents:
1) Proof of PR Status 2) Proof of Residency and
3) Support of Identity. The earliest you can apply when you have an enlisted document as 2) proof of residency (mailed bank statement or Ontario Photo ID, for both of which it would take 4-5 weeks). You can use
CoPR as 1) Proof of PR Status and
Passport as 3) Support of Identity. No matter when you apply for OHIP, the insurance wouldn't come into effect before the applicant stays for at least 90 days in Ontario.
As there was this 90 day waiting period, I waited for my mom's PR card to arrive first. So, I used
- PR Card as
1) Proof of PR Status
- Ontario Photo ID ($35, takes 4-5 weeks) as
2) Proof of Residency
- Passport as
3) Support of Identity
To see the complete list of required docs for OHIP:
1) http://settlement.org/ontario/health/ohip-and-health-insurance/health-ohip-card/what-documents-do-i-need-to-apply-for-a-health-card-ohip/
2) http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/FormDetail?openform&ENV=WWE&NO=014-9998E-82
90-day waiting period for new immigrants: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/ohip_waiting_pd.aspx
OHIP Validity
1) You may be out of the province for up to 212 days in any 12-month period and still maintain your OHIP coverage provided that you continue to make Ontario your primary place of residence.
To maintain eligibility for OHIP coverage you must be an eligible resident of Ontario. This means that you must :
- have an OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration status;
- be physically present in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period;
- be physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately after establishing residency in the province;
- make your primary place of residence in Ontario.
2) OHIP may continue while you are absent from Ontario for more than 212 days in a 12-month period in certain limited circumstances, as long as you maintain your primary place of residence in Ontario. You may be eligible for continuous OHIP coverage during a longer absence when you are away from Ontario for vacation or other reasons for up to 2-years at a time which may be taken as a full two-year absence or as two one-year absences.
To be eligible for continuous OHIP coverage during your first absence of this type, you must typically be physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days in each of the 2 consecutive years before the absence.
You may be eligible to maintain your OHIP coverage during subsequent absences of this type. To be eligible for a further Vacation/Other Reason absence, you must meet the physical presence requirements in Ontario for at least 153 days in each of the 5 consecutive years before each subsequent absence.
Reason Continuous OHIP Eligibility
Study Outside Canada Duration of a full-time academic program (unlimited)
Work Outside Canada Five-year terms (provided specific residency requirements are met for 2 years between each term)
Charitable Work Outside Canada Five-year terms (provided specific residency requirements are met for 2 years between each term)
Vacation/Other Reason Two-year terms (provided specific residency requirements are met for 5 years between each term)
Ref: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/longer_absences.aspx
I would tell you to read from the above link to find what best suits your parents.