How to Access Healthcare in Canada | Healthcare for Newcomers - YouTube

Hi everyone.

My name is Jade Calver.

I own and operate Calver and Associates Canadian Immigration Services.

Today I'm going to talk about healthcare in Canada, in particular, what Temporary or Permanent

Residents need to know about our healthcare system when they first arrive in Canada.

Lots of people (when they're considering coming to Canada), or they're actually moving to

Canada - my clients will ask me: "Jade, how does the healthcare system work in Canada?

We hear that it's provided by the government but we don't know to what extent."

A lot of my clients come from countries where their healthcare isn't covered or their healthcare

is completely covered by the government and so we need to talk about healthcare in the

Canadian sense.

The first question people usually ask is: "How do I find a doctor?

If I have a health issue, how am I going to see a physician in Canada?"

So this really depends on what your status is in Canada.

I'll talk about temporary residents first.

If you come to Canada as a Temporary Resident, you do not qualify for any provincial healthcare,

so healthcare in Canada is overseen by the provinces.

In Ontario, there's the Ontario healthcare system and it's covered by OHIP.

If you're in Canada; so if you're in Ontario, visiting as a visitor, you should purchase

medical insurance to cover you in case of any medical emergency.

As a visitor in Canada, you're not funded at all by the government and you'll have to

pay out of pocket for any medical issues that arise.

If you're a temporary resident such as a worker or a student, it really depends.

So in Ontario as a student, you'll pay for private insurance through your school and

usually that's included in your tuition fees.

And so that's how you access medical services in Canada.

As a worker, you can qualify in Ontario for an OHIP card for medical coverage but you

need to show that you're working full-time and that it's a permanent position (so for

at least 6 months).

So, if you come here on a work permit, you would need to take your job contract - so

usually people get a letter from their employer and they'll bring it to a Service Ontario

and they can register to get an OHIP card.

So, it needs to say that you're working full time - so at least 30 hours a week - and that

it's a permanent position - so at least 6 months in duration.

And it's important to note that there's a waiting time.

So if you arrive, say, tomorrow and you have a full-time job in Canada, you need to make

sure that you understand that it's going to be about three months until your OHIP coverage

kicks in.

That's why I always advise my clients when they're first moving to Canada as a worker

that they buy temporary medical coverage until their OHIP insurance kicks in.

Lot's of people - so if they're on international experience class permit - so a working holiday

visa, for example, they think that they can't get any medical coverage because they have

to show that they have purchased medical insurance before they come to Canada.

But if you do get a full time job and it's a permanent position, you can just bring that

letter into Service Ontario and actually get an OHIP card to cover you while you're here

in Canada.

So, that's everything for Temporary Residents.

When it comes to Permanent Residents, it's the same process really, but you don't need

to show that you have a job because as a Permanent Resident (same as a citizen), you can just

qualify for OHIP.

So you just go into a Service Ontario and certify that you're going to be residing in

Ontario and it takes about three months for your OHIP to kick in.

It's important that you bring proof that you actually reside here - so, usually through

a utility bill and a piece of mail.

And then you just show that you actually live here in Ontario and your OHIP kicks in in

about 3 months.

Again, I recommend that you have purchased temporary medical insurance for the first

three months that you're in Canada until your OHIP kicks in.

Same thing if you're a Canadian citizen.

So, if you have a child abroad and they get citizenship through you, keep in mind that

their OHIP won't kick in for the first three months.

So, I recommend purchasing that medical insurance.

Then when you're in Canada and you're eventually covered by OHIP, you can access most physicians

and specialized physicians free of charge and they're covered through OHIP.

The only issue is that sometimes we have a shortage of doctors in Ontario.

So, it can be difficult to get in to see a doctor.

So, you should register with a program - it's called Healthcare Connect in Ontario and what

this does is that you register and you put your name on a waiting list and this is to

get yourself a family physician.

The family physician is a local physician and you register with their office and you

can call and get an appointment with them for medical non-emergencies.

Especially for permanent residents, I recommend registering for this service when you know

that you're moving to Canada because this way you can get registered for a physician

for yourself and for your family.

Some people will be covered through additional medical insurance through their employer.

Keep in mind that you can only actually access these services if you have an OHIP card.

So even if you're covered for medical benefits through your employer, you have to wait until

you are eligible for an OHIP card in order to actually access these additional benefits.

So, keep that in mind - it doesn't cover you for medical emergencies if you don't have

OHIP.

So that's everything when it comes to getting government-funded medical insurance, especially

in Ontario as a Temporary or as a Permanent Resident.

If you have any additional questions, you can contact us.

We're at calverimmigrationservices.com