Applying for EI

[CarolinaGirl 2]

I've read through the EI thread and I did post there, but no responses so I thought I would see if this works better.

My husband has his 10 year green card, it was approved in September after getting our congressman involved and he's been looking for work down there since his is our only income. I am the USC and I am a CDN PR, I stay at home to look after our 1 year old. We've all been living together in Canada for the last several years. We had been hoping that if he wasn't able to find work in a timely fashion that we would be able to fall back in EI, but I was reading through the thread and it looks like his reason for leaving his job has to be to reunite his family. Well if we're all living together in Canada, that won't really count will it?

We're planning our big move for mid-late March, so I'm curious if we're totally doomed on the EI front, or if I could fly to the US for a couple of weeks and get my US drivers license, call Canada Revenue to stop the child tax benefit payments and say that I have moved. If I'm legally a US resident when he quits his job and applies for EI is it likely to be approved.

I'm sure that these things can be different on a case by case basis, but just wondering if anyone has any experience with it? He has been at his current job for 8 years and with the exception of a 3 month paternity leave in 2011 has been working 40+ hour weeks so he would qualify on all other fronts.

We hadn't wanted to move without a job, but if we don't go soon we'll lose the green card and there was WAY too much time and money spent on that thing to let it go.

Thanks

[hikergirl 277]

I would try calling the EI Service Centre before making any decisions. They may allow him to quit just for immigration benefits and still be covered. I have not read the EI thread yet…still wrapping my brain around the NVC process.

Here is the number from the EI site: All claims received from people residing outside of Canada are processed in the Ontario region, at the Service Canada Centre in Kingston. For more information, call 1-877-486-1650.

This is all I could find on their website: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/information/outside_canada.shtml

[CarolinaGirl 2]

Thanks! I have so far avoided calling them since I don't want them to take the info and then start a file on me, but I may need to. You know the saying its easier to ask forgiveness than permission...