alspackman

Good morning guys, what a great site I so wish I'd known about this a few months ago, there's some very useful forums on here, keep up i the good work!!

I am hoping to get some advice or share experiences with people surrounding my dilemma. I arrived in Calgary in January 2007 on a 12 month working holiday visa. I was offered a job within 1 week and signed a 12 month contract. In September 2007 I was offered the job permanently, and so the battle commenced.

I am waiting on my LMO until my visa application can be processed. My visa has now expired and so too my Alberta Health coverage. Because I had applied for a new visa (we've actually applied to change the conditions of, and then extend my WH visa) I am permitted to stay in Canada and work under the same conditions as my first visa; so I continue to work and wait, but now have no health coverage.

My 6 month travel insurance from the UK has expired, and i'm not sure it's ethical (or possible) to renew insurance from the UK, so am looking into additional health options here, should I get ill or injured (I play rugby and have been known to break the odd bone or two).

Would anybody have any advice on the best process to ensure that I have health coverage until my visa is renewed and my Alberta Health is reinstated? Any help or advice you have would be great.

Thanks a lot, Alun

Judy in Calgary

Hello, Alun, and welcome to the BE forum.

I suggest you contact these companies and find out if they can offer you anything:

• Canadasure
• Manulife
• Blue Cross
• Sunlife
• Greenlife
• Great West Life

I think some of those companies will be able to provide you with medical insurance. If they can't, try:

Backpacker Travel Insurance Guide

Hope that helps.
x

alspackman

Hi Judy,

Thanks for the quick reply, i'll get onto these today and see how I get on.

Take care

Alun

Sam the lamb

Sorry to jump in on your thread and go slightly of topic but part of your thread is of interest to me.

You stated the following: -

"I arrived in Calgary in January 2007 on a 12 month working holiday visa. I was offered a job within 1 week and signed a 12 month contract. In September 2007 I was offered the job permanently, and so the battle commenced.

I am waiting on my LMO until my visa application can be processed. My visa has now expired and so too my Alberta Health coverage. Because I had applied for a new visa (we've actually applied to change the conditions of, and then extend my WH visa) I am permitted to stay in Canada and work under the same conditions as my first visa; so I continue to work and wait, but now have no health coverage."

I am in Canada now working on a 1 year open work/travel visa. When I applied for this visa I was advised this was a once in a life time visa and could not be extended. For this reason LMO is being applied for now as the visa expires in December. From what you have stated it seems there is another option which I was unaware of, is this only applicable if you have the correct NOC level or specific job? That option being extending your holiday visa!

websheep

Hey Alun, sorry to hijack the thread as well.

Do you mean you have implied status until your Work Permit/LMO is being processed? Do you know how this affects your SIN? ie. did you have it extended?

websheep

I'm on a Working holiday visa as well. As far as I know - these are the only ways you might be able to "extend" your Working Holiday.

1. Check out http://www.swap.ca. I know for Aussies & Kiwis (not sure about others), they can apply for a second working holiday visa via the SWAP program as long as they are still 18-30.

2. If you have a job offer that is LMO exempt, you can submit a Application to Change/Extend conditions. While your application is being processed, you have "implied status", so if your visa expires during processing time, you can continue working.

3. If you have a job offer that requires a LMO, you should get your employer to apply for it ASAP - it's never too early. Applications can easily take 10 weeks or longer. I believe you can apply for LMO & Application to Change/Extend conditions concurrently, so again you would have "implied status".

(I have no idea what your options are, if the application is denied however)

alspackman

Hi guys, no need for a hijacking apology!

I do believe I have implied status, my working holiday visa was unextendable, so the lawyer found a loophole that allowed me to apply for a change of conditions in the visa, basically tying me to the employer (my previous visa was an open work permit). In order to change the conditions my employer was asked to submit an LMO, which was done in October, 3.5 months before my visa was due to expire. The visa application was received by Immigration in October, and until they receive the LMO I am permitted to stay in Canada and continue working, under the same conditions as my first visa/permit. My SIN number remains valid also; the only downfall is that my provincial health plan has expired and I am unable to find alternative coverage.

Hope that helps, if you need any more info just let me know, i've been slightly in the dark as my employer asked an immigration lawyer to do all the paperwork on my behalf and I just hear periodic updates.

PMM

Hi

I think your lawyer made a mistake, if you did not apply for a work permit at the time that yours expired, you don't have implied status. If all your employer did was apply for an LMO, you don't have status and are working without permission.

alspackman

Thanks for your reply, as I said a visa application was submitted in October.

Rob_999

So basically you applied to change status of WP, but did not include LMO in application, just told them it was on its way....

Your lawyer has taken a bit of a risk - surely CIC could just deny your application because there is no LMO with application? Sounds like it might have paid off if you havn't heard anything yet...

We went though the same thing, our BUNAC visas ran out before LMO had come through. We ended up having to leave Canada and go back to the UK (could have stayed on as visitors but not stayed and worked). Had the LMO been rec'd before BUNAC visas ran out we would have put in application and stayed on implied status... Was a pain in the neck but took the opportunity to visit family etc.

Back to original question - we used manulife when first arrived and not covered under Medicare. They were pretty cheap, never had to claim so no idea how good they were.

websheep

I read on the CIC site that you are allowed to send the Change of Conditions App & apply for the LMO at the same time. I guess the only risk may be if the LMO is rejected, your work permit app gets automatically rejected as well (ie. no right of appeal for the LMO and no chance to apply for a new LMO).

Ah well, implied status is still better than none....

alspackman

I guess only time will tell. the way I looked at it, my bunac visa expired, so i f I wanted to stay I needed the LMO for a new work permit anyway. We applied for the LMO in October, my original visa expired 4 months later in January; we were originally told it would be 12 weeks. Going back to the WP application, the lawyer sent a letter asking to hold the application until the LMO was processed, but your right if the LMO is rejected, i'm toast and back to sunny Wales. Thanks for the reminder

I managed to get health insurance through maulife this morning, i'm covered up to $50k in case I get any rugby injuries this summer. Thanks for the advice.

websheep

I think you'll be ok mate - esp. with a immigration lawyer looking after you. I'm on implied status as well, myself....

Rob_999

The waiting game isn't much fun. Good luck... karma sent

alspackman

Thanks for the words guys, finger's crossed that April is a productive month for LMO staff!!