Canadian work permit holders win access to health insurance
April 02 2009 by Bryan Palmer
Canadian Immigration has introduced measures to allow people, working in Canada on open temporary work permits and those who have graduated on a student visa and are staying on to work and live in Canada, access to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
In April 2008 the immigration department changed the law to allow foreign students who graduated from Canadian universities to stay for up to three years. This was intended to attract talented people to work in Canada.
However, for the past year these people have not been entitled to health insurance because their visas do not state a Canadian employer or detail their prospective occupation, leaving hundreds of people who needed treatment, with no cover.
From 1 April 2009, foreign graduates and people on any open Canadian work permit, and their spouses and children, can get health insurance providing they have lived in Canada for at least 153 days and have been employed full time for six months.
Statistics show that 11,000 postgraduate work permits were issued last year, while 63,673 came to study in Canada on student visas. Some 66,875 temporary Canadian work visas were also issued last year.
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