Moving to Toronto for Work and Wife is Pregnant

hi ,

i will be moving to toronto for work shortly and my wife will be joining me as a dependent. She is pregnant and will be due in January 2016. i have read a lot of posts relating to child birth without OHIP. However i am not very sure whether its better to have the baby delivered in canada or my home country. preferably i would like the delivery to be in canada as it would save me the stress of missing my child’s birth. since we are on a work permit and if we have the child delivered in canada is the child eligible for OHIP?
what is the costs approximately for having a baby delivered in toronto(period from one month before delivery till child is born and discharged)? Also regarding midwives i read that we need to register and book in advance for their services.
Its also too late to buy private insurance now.
So any advice will be appreciated as its becoming a very difficult decision to take .
thank you.

Best regards.

Your company should give you insurance to cover maternity. If they do not you will have to buy insurance asap. The total cost would be around $5-6k if Ceserean or less if child is delivered normally. There are doctors fee which is very high without insurance however your wife can always choose a midwife (who are registered and trained) and can explain them her situation.
I am a recently landed immigrant with waiting period of 3 months for OHIP so I will be bearing the cost of child birth incase my baby decides to come early then my health card, so I did my research. Hope this helps! A moderator can answer better though! Good luck

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

It is great that you are looking into this type of information beforehand. We can appreciate that this would be a difficult decision to make.

In terms of OHIP eligibility, you can find some information in our Settlement.Org Who is eligible for OHIP? article.

Here is an excerpt,

You mentioned that you will be coming to Ontario for work. You may want to confirm if your status makes you eligible for OHIP in your case based on these requirements listed and the additional requirements for OHIP.

If she does not qualify for OHIP, she may qualify for some free and low cost services through a midwife or community health centre.

With midwives, you may have to pay out of pocket for some or most of the services and tests you receive.

You may find it helpful to read our I am pregnant and don’t have OHIP. What health care can I get? article.

You can also contact 211 for free referrals to other community services in the area where you will be.

Regarding whether or not your child will be eligible for OHIP, if your child was born in Canada, they will be eligible for OHIP.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org

Thank you for your reply farayha 17. Well any idea on what could be the expenses involved if v decided to have the baby in Canada? U mentioned 5-6k which is much lower compared to what people have suggested otherwise. We are a little hesitant on using a midwife. Are u planning to use one?
All the best with your child birth too. Wish you all the luck . If possible share with us any important advice since we are facing similar problems. Any info will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers.

Best regards.

Hi Anna ,
Thank you for your reply. I have read through the articles suggested by you and would like to share that me and my wife will be eligible for OHIP.
Well we are not too sure and a little sceptical about using the services of a midwife. If we decided to have the delivery in a hospital what are the expenses we may have to consider and is there any hospital that you could recommend to us?we will be moving to Ontario near markham.
Thank you.

Best regards.

Hello,

You are very welcome.

Thank you for sharing your additional questions with us.

In terms of costs for pregnancy and delivery when you do not have OHIP, our Settlement.Org I am pregnant and don’t have OHIP. What health care can I get? article states:

In terms of additional information regarding costs, you may also wish to read similar threads in our forum, such as:
Giving Birth in Ontario: How much does it cost?

OHIP Coverage; about to arrive and pregnant

In terms of recommending hospitals, unfortunately, we are unable to do that.

However, you mentioned that you will be near Markham, Ontario. You may want to look into or contact the nearest one.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org