The Canuck EI Thread

[JoTeller 1]

totally lost here , got the first report card and a questionnaire today (last day of work was Feb 4th and got the ROE on Feb 22nd), do I need to apply for the EAD for my EI benefits? Entered on Feb 28th and my wedding day is March 31st, and I dont have a social security number yet (applied on March 2nd) 

[zilchfox 296]

On 3/4/2017 at 4:10 PM, JoTeller said:

totally lost here , got the first report card and a questionnaire today (last day of work was Feb 4th and got the ROE on Feb 22nd), do I need to apply for the EAD for my EI benefits? Entered on Feb 28th and my wedding day is March 31st, and I dont have a social security number yet (applied on March 2nd) 

Apply anyways. Yes, you will need some sort of work authorization to claim the payment (Either EAD or Green Card), however they will approve the case, pending your EAD, and once you can send them a copy of your EAD that is when they will begin releasing payments to you as you're willing, ready, and ABLE to work. Right now, you're missing the ABLE part. SSN has nothing to do with EI, that's your Canadian SIN.

[zilchfox 296]

Actually know what? Quick couple of questions:

- Do I have to claim EI on US tax once received as income? It's already being taxed at 25% from the Canadian government.

- I still have yet to receive my EAD, My end date of claim is Oct 14th 2017. Does this change when you get the EAD?

- Do they back-pay the weeks you didn't get, or are all the weeks you've gone without any income completely missed, even from EI?

 

Cheers.

[NovaSprings 89]

Yes, US gov requires that you report all sources of income while a resident of the US, both foreign and domestic.  There is a reciprocal tax agreement between US and Canada so you will be given credit for the tax you paid in Canada.  

[eastcoastgroove 329]

I just started reading this thread and I am in shock that you can claim EI after moving!!! I texted my fiance and said we need to make a baby fast so that I can be off for a year instead of a few weeks lol

[santoki 2]

On 1/23/2017 at 9:14 AM, zilchfox said:

I can summarize what you need to do. EI is Employment Insurance, very similar to 'Unemployment' in the U.S. and will allow your husband to receive EI payments in lieu of a paycheck while he looks for a job in the U.S., thus making financial decisions a bit easier on both of you as he'll have at least somewhat an income despite no job. What he will get paid depends on what his income was previously and the unemployment rate of his region. Payments are 55% of your regular weekly pay up to a maximum of $537 a week, and for how long he receives payments all depends on the unemployment rate. For example, I myself will be receiving $537/week for 36 weeks when I get my EAD. There's other eligibility requirements too and can all be found online.

 

Step 1:
Apply for EI within 4 weeks of leaving your employment, preferrably after POE into the US. You can do that here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-apply-online.html

If you do not apply within 4 weeks, you may be penalized from EI benefits. If you have a good reason for filing late, be sure to fax an Application to Antedate, located here:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/fi-if/index.jsp?app=prfl&frm=ins2987&lang=eng
The Antedate, if approved, will treat your late EI application as if you filed on-time. I recently had success with an Antedate appeal myself as I thought I couldn't file until I had my EAD, but I was wrong.

 

Step 2:

You will eventually receive a questionnaire by postal mail (hence why it's a good idea to start the process AFTER moving) as well as access codes. Read the instructions carefully, complete and mail back. They require a response within 10 business days, so you'll have to act fast on this step. I've heard some people fax back their responses, however I can't speak towards that but I can tell you I had no issues mailing it back physically.

 

Step 3:

At this point you'll have found out if your EI claim was approved or denied. If denied, well...not much you can really do. Maybe appeal it? Otherwise, congratulations! If you were a K-1 visa, you will be required to wait until you have your EAD before you will receive EI benefits, however with IR-1/CR-1 visa applicants, because these applicants can work immediately the moment they cross the border they will not hold EI payments and can issue payments right away as you are 'willing, ready, and legally able' to work. Keep your Canadian bank account handy, you're going to need it to receive payments.

 

Step 4:

The process here on out I believe is the same as a regular EI claim. You can always call the EI Out-of-Canada office at 1-877-486-1650 (phone number listed here: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-outside-canada/apply.html) if you have any questions. It seems for the Out-of-Canada office, they're a very small team, so there's a high chance that you'll get the same person multiple times when calling, and they're all super nice and can explain every step of the process to you. I've personally dealt with Patrick twice.

Great breakdown. Thank you so much for this. I had no idea this was even a thing.

However, my husband is self-employed. Would he be able to qualify for EI benefits in this case?

[zilchfox 296]

6 minutes ago, santoki said:

Great breakdown. Thank you so much for this. I had no idea this was even a thing.

However, my husband is self-employed. Would he be able to qualify for EI benefits in this case?

Apply anyways, the worst they will do is deny it.

[santoki 2]

Just now, zilchfox said:

Apply anyways, the worst they will do is deny it.

I was just doing some further reading and it looks as though the self-employed have to opt into the program, pay premiums on their self-employed income and then they can receive special benefits. However, those seem limited to things like sickness, compassionate care, and maternal/paternal benefits. 

[zilchfox 296]

Just got my EAD! I'll be sending in my docs to Service Canada tomorrow so I'll let you guys know how that goes down.

[zilchfox 296]

So far nothing! D:

 

They're apparently still validating my eligibility although they received my photocopied EAD by snail mail on April 5th, then I guess they'll post-date my payments back to March 15th, the date that my EAD card states I'm allowed to work, minus the two week waiting period. After my bi-weekly call today, I was told to check the site/my bank account and/or call on April 26th if there's no updates.

 

So yeah, so far received $0, and still haven't found employment.

Edited April 21, 2017 by zilchfox

[zilchfox 296]

Stiiiilllll nothing, and still haven't found a job yet, either. I called to inquire and all they simply state is they're low on resources to get the EAD card approved. I've been eligible to work since March 15th, and they received the photocopies of my EAD on April 5th, and now it's May 3rd — for anyone else who received EI, how long did it take them to approve your EAD/Green Card and release payments? Haha...staaarrrting to get desperate for funds.

 

I really hope they backpay me all the weeks I've waited unnecessarily (not including the initial two-week waiting period all EI applicants go through), because I could really use that money STAT. I could have had at least 4 weeks worth of payments by now.

Edited May 3, 2017 by zilchfox

[zilchfox 296]

Never mind! Service Canada called me back this morning to let me know they've approved my EAD, I should start seeing payments as early as tomorrow, or as late as next Monday.

[zilchfox 296]

Small update -

 

First time calling in reports with a PART TIME job, they asked hours and U.S. dollars worked for the two week reporting period — you still get benefits based on how many hours you work, however the more hours you work dollars you earn, the less benefits you get.

 

Cheers.

Edited June 19, 2017 by zilchfox

[NikLR 13,230]

It's not a bad thing to keep claiming even with a part time job.  My first job here, my paycheck was less than my EI payment.  I may have well have not worked and that was 30+ hours a week.  At least the minimum wage has gone up where I live, but the cost of living is so high that you'd need 3 people at minimum wage, pouring all their earnings just to have a 2 bedroom apt.  It's ridiculous. 

[zilchfox 296]

Another small update. Although this reporting period I don't think I'll get anything anyways due to the number of hours I worked, ensure that you check that the report has been posted on EI Canada's website the following business day after your call — I just had a small issue where I called last Friday to report my numbers, and they didn't post the report to the website. Should I have been eligible for any payments that period, it never would have came and it may have been treated as "late", thus potentially threatening the eligibility of my remaining EI period. I called again this morning and Brad told me it didn't process "for some reason" so he forced it through. I didn't need to report my numbers again as he already had them on file from my last call (which was also with Brad).