OHIP (COVID) + Open Work Visa (Part-Time Job)

Finding a Job / Working
1

OHIP Eligibility when you have an Open Work Visa? Two potential options:

  1. For full-time job holders. - So, you can not get OHIP, even when you are luck enough to have a part-time ‘essential worker’ job currently?
  2. You may get OHIP if you have, "applied for permanent residence and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residence in Canada. This means that you have "approval-in-principle.””.
    Question fo you all - what exactly is that stage? The Canadian Government website states about my application, “in process” (application received last March, medical exam completed, now awaiting police certificate from home country). Is that sufficient for “approval-in-principle” or, what later stage?

As a part-time essential worker it would seem very unfair if OHIP is denied.

many thanks for any and all feedback!

2

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out, and sharing your question with us.

We called the ServiceOntario INFOline and the operator let us know that during the application process for Permanent Residence, IRCC will send a letter that states it has been determined you have met the eligibility requirements for Permanent Residence. This letter can be shared with ServiceOntario as proof of approval-in-principle. You may wish to contact Service Ontario’s INFOline at 1(866)532-3161 to confirm this information.

It is also worth noting that the province will fund the cost of COVID-19 services if you do not meet the criteria for OHIP and are uninsured. According to the Steps to Justice article, I don’t have status in Canada. What should I do if I think I have COVID-19?:

This means that everyone, insured and uninsured, will receive medically necessary care. But, as a person without OHIP, you also have other options for financing healthcare. For more information, you can learn more about the many ways you can access healthcare in Ontario, including low-cost care and private health insurance here.

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

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team

3

Timeline Update. IRCC did send an email to me (and a separate one to my husband, the sponsor) which specifically stated, ‘it has been determined you have met the eligibility requirements for Permanent Residence’. Not sure if this was speeded up by calling IRCC, who said they could not say how long the wait for the letter would be.

At ServiceOntario it was possible to make an appointment, and, after the person there checked with their supervisor (and somebody on the phone), they did finally accept the copy we had printed out. So, the timeline was Open Work Visa granted last November, request for Health Check + Police Certificate from overseas in December, Eligibility (OHIP required) letter sent in January.
OHIP is important - if someone is working say 10 hours a week (as Oakville supermarkets do offer) on minimum wage, let’s say it’s possible to earn around $130 each week after deductions (but before any other expenses such as rent, food, etc.) Now Halton Healthcare states that Intensive care is $4,200 per day, a newborn $1,600 per day. Rates - Halton Healthcare Math shows it would be many, many weeks needing to be worked, just to pay for one day in hospital.

Hope this information helps…