OHIP and Travel

[ForumUser]

Hello,

I am a Canadian citizen but not a current resident. I will be returning to Canada to reside there permanently in 2018. I am aware of the 3 month waiting period for OHIP, and the 153 mandatory stay to qualify.

However, I work for a travel company and am required to travel about 50% of the time. That means I can’t stay in Ontario for those first 153 days unless I quit my job.

Is there an option available for people like myself whose jobs require travel?

Thanks!

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

You can find some information regarding this type of situation on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website in the Questions and Answers section.

Here is an excerpt,

I am frequently away from Ontario, due to my job/studies; am I eligible for OHIP coverage?

If your job or studies require you to leave Ontario frequently and you are unable to be present for 153 days in any 12-month period, you may still be eligible for OHIP coverage as a mobile worker or mobile student. To maintain your OHIP coverage, you should:

-be able to provide acceptable documents that show that your work requires frequent travel in and out of Ontario or that your full-time academic program in Ontario requires travel outside of Ontario; and
-be able to provide acceptable documents to show how you make your primary place of residence in Ontario (refer to Ontario Health Coverage Document List).

New or returning residents to Ontario who qualify as a mobile worker or mobile student are exempt from having to meet the 153-day in the first 183-day physical presence requirement immediately after establishing residency in Ontario.

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.

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

[Arsen01]

The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (in French: Assurance-Santé de l’Ontario, and commonly known in both languages by the acronym OHIP, pronounced is the government-run health insurance plan for the Canadian province of Ontario. OHIP is funded by a payroll deduction tax by residents who are gainfully employed, and by businesses in the Province of Ontario, and by transfer payments from the Government of Canada.