Is it too late to apply for EI benefits?

[riteside]

Hi,
I live in Toronto and was working on a term-employment basis from Nov-2018 till Mar-31-2019 and paid all EI deductions.
I was not aware I was eligible for the EI benefits.
Am I eligible to apply for EI benefirs now (Sep/Oct-2020)?

Your advice is greatly appreciated as I am not able to find a clear answer on GC Web site.

Thank you!!

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your question with us.

According to Employment and Social Development Canada, if you delay filing your claim for benefits for more than four weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits. For information specific to your situation, it may be best that you contact Service Canada directly using their service request form.

Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the Employment Insurance call centre is experiencing high call volumes. It is encouraged that people use self-serve options to access their programs and services online if possible.

Given the circumstances, you may also be eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. The eligibility criteria for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is as follows:

The benefit will be available to workers:

• Residing in Canada, who are at least 15 years old;
• Who have stopped working because of reasons related to COVID-19 or are eligible for Employment Insurance regular or sickness benefits or have exhausted their Employment Insurance regular benefits or Employment Insurance fishing benefits between December 29, 2019 and October 3, 2020;
• Who had employment and/or self-employment income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months prior to the date of their application; and,
• Who have not quit their job voluntarily.

You may also find helpful information in the Steps to Justice articles, Who can get the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and how do I apply?.

We hope this information is helpful, and if you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team