Eligibility Criteria for Employment Insurance in Canada for Immigrants

Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada are entitled to the benefits of Employment Insurance in Canada. There are various types of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits and are made available to people who are willing to work, but because of external factors, are not able to do so.

About Employment Insurance in Canada

EI (Employment Insurance) is a facility that offers some timely benefits to the people of Canada, who do not have a job and it is not because of their incompetence or any fault, but due to external reasons such as mass layoffs, shortage of work, etc. These people have the capability and qualifications to work, but are not able to find any job.

All the Canadian can be benefited

from this policy. One can apply for EI within four weeks of leaving the job. In fact, you can also apply for EI even before getting ROE (Record of Employment).

Eligibility Criteria for Employment Insurance

Here are the factors that will help you determine whether you are eligible for the Employment Insurance in Canada or not.

You may qualify for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in Canada in case you

•    had a job in an insurable profession

•    are jobless and have no earnings for a minimum of seven days in last fifty-two weeks time

•    were not responsible for the job you lost, in any way

•    have covered the number of working hours essential for the insurance since the beginning of your last employment Insurance claim or in last fifty-two weeks; whichever period is shorter

•    are interested in working every day, and have the capability and qualification as well

•    are continuously looking for an employment opportunity (you need to maintain the record of the jobs you applied for and employers you contacted)

If you had been working with an employer, who was related to you in any way, then also you are entitled to the benefits of EI.

Number of Insurable Employment Hours needed to be Eligible for EI

The total number of insurable employment hour you spent working in a job required to be qualified for the Employment Insurance (EI) is based on various conditions or situations. The benefits you are entitled to be evaluated depending on these number of insurable employment hours during your authorized period.

You are qualified to Employment Insurance (EI) while you have covered the number of working hours essential for the insurance since the beginning of your last employment Insurance claim or in last fifty-two weeks; whichever period is shorter, as explained earlier. However, exception to this is:

• In several cases, this 52 weeks time can be increased to 104 weeks in case you had neither received any employment insurance benefits in past nor worked in insurable employment.

On a general basis, you would require having 420-700 insurable employment hours during the mentioned period of unemployment to be eligible to get the EI regular benefits. For Example, if you are from Ontario or Alberta, then also same eligibility criteria for the number of insurable employment hours required to get EI is applicable.

In case you get a ‘notice of violation’ for earlier Employment Insurance  in Canada benefit term, it will lead to extend the insurable hours needed.

It is essential to gather 600 insurable hours to be eligible for the EI benefits in situations such as maternity, compassionate care, sickness, parents of critically ill child, etc.

Amount you can get through Employment Insurance in Canada

While most individuals get a 55% of the average insurable weekly payments at the most, and it comes out to be $543 per week on an average (as the highest yearly insurable income can be $51,300 as applicable from Jan 1, 2017, onwards), these are based on several other situations also.

Time frame required for receiving an EI

In case, you are eligible for the EI benefits, and have applied for the same along with all the necessary documents; you are entitled to receive the initial payment within 28 days of submitting the application.

For further information on Employment Insurance in Canada, please leave a comment and we would reply to all your queries.

Also Read- How to Set Up Small Business in Canada even before you Land there?

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Diksha Garg

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