Pregnancy and birth during a Working Holiday permit in Canada
Planned pregnancy or surprise side effect of living in Canada, here’s what you should know if you’re going to live these nine months and give birth away from home.
Insurance, pregnancy costs and hospital birth fees
Working Holiday permit health insurance
As a Working Holiday permit holder, you must have purchased health insurance coverage before coming to Canada.
The bad news is, most Working Holiday permit health insurance does not cover prenatal care and childbirth. If by any chance yours does, read the fine print carefully to see what your plan includes. Coverage is often very limited—for instance, emergency medical care arising from complications may be covered but a typical childbirth may not be.
So, the first thing on your list should be to find proper health insurance coverage. “Regular” childbirth is expensive and any complications could lead to bills it would take hundreds of years to pay off—in 2012, an Australian couple without insurance coverage faced a $1-million hospital bill after their baby was born in British Columbia.
Health insurance plans for pregnant women are generally more much expensive. Watch for waiting periods—expenses related to maternity are sometimes only covered for six or nine months after the effective date of the policy.
Finally, note that most of the time, you will have to pay all bills up front, then submit a claim for reimbursement.
Provincial or territorial health insurance
Don’t expect to be covered by the Canadian provincial or territorial healthcare system. In some provinces (e.g. Quebec), you’re ineligible as a temporary resident. In the best-case scenario, there’s a mandatory waiting period for coverage or you must have been working in Canada for a certain period of time to be eligible.
If you do have health coverage in Canada, prenatal and childbirth will be “free” (or mostly free) as long as care is provided by eligible practitioners in a public hospital.
Note that it’s still a good idea to buy a separate health insurance plan covering repatriation even if you have provincial or territorial coverage.
Prenatal care in Ontario and Quebec
Provinces and territories have exclusive jurisdiction over health matters, so expect differences throughout Canada. We’re using Ontario and Quebec as examples.
Prenatal care in Ontario
Prenatal and birth care may be provided by an obstetrician, family physician or registered midwife. Some nurse practitioners and registered nurses do prenatal and postnatal care, also.
Working Holiday permit holders aren’t usually covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Good news, midwifery services throughout pregnancy, birth, and postnatal up to six weeks are provided free to residents of Ontario, whether or not they have OHIP. However, without OHIP some medical services aren’t covered (e.g., hospital stay, lab tests, ambulance, etc.). For more info, read Routine prenatal care. Routine urine and blood tests can be done by midwives, who send them to a laboratory. Each test costs around $20-$25.
Midwives can handle prenatal care and birth and labour for low-risk pregnancies. However, high-risk pregnancies are referred to an ob-gyn. In this case, unless you’re covered under OHIP, you will have to pay for all expenses.
Settlement.org has a lot of relevant information, including:
- How do I find a midwife?
- How much does it cost to get care from a midwife?
- Giving Birth in a New Land — A Guide for Women New to Canada and Their Families
Prenatal care in Quebec
Unlike in Ontario, where midwives are funded to provide care to all residents regardless of whether they are covered under the provincial healthcare system, you will have to pay for prenatal care (and submit a claim if you have private insurance coverage).
For more info, read:
Giving birth
Don’t freak out, it will be okay!
Choosing a birth place in Ontario
Choosing where to give birth is an important decision during pregnancy… ideally, before labour starts!
These are your options in Ontario:
- Birth centre, i.e. a free-standing, community-based, regulated healthcare facility attended by midwives.
- Home birth, a fairly common option for regular pregnancies (i.e. not high-risk pregnancies) in Canada, also attended by midwives. Home birth is a safe and cheaper solution (you will only pay for medical equipment needed, a few hundred dollars). In case of complications, you will be transferred immediately to the nearest hospital under the care of an ob-gyn (which will lead to a higher bill…).
- Hospital birth, usually the closest one to the midwife clinic (if prenatal care was provided by a midwife). Labour and delivery fees vary for patients not covered under OHIP—budget $5,000-$10,000 for a regular birth, much more for a C-section or other medical care.
Some midwives may help you negotiate the costs and payment plans for hospital and doctor care.
For more information, read Midwifery in Ontario.
Choosing a birth place in Quebec
Much like in Ontario, you can choose to give birth in a birth centre, at home or in a hospital:
- Maisons de naissance (birth centres) are attended by midwives who provide prenatal care. Like in Ontario, you will be transferred to the nearest hospital in case of complications. Birth centres are often a recommended option for low-risk pregnancies because they offer a warm, friendly environment and personal care. Waiting lists are long, so try to register as soon as you learn you’re pregnant. If you get prenatal care in a birth centre, you can still choose to deliver your baby at home or in a hospital under the care of your midwife. Note that if you give birth in a birth centre, you will only stay 24 hours—post-natal care is done at home by your midwife.
- Home birth attended by a midwife has been an option since 2005 for low-risk pregnancies.
- Hospital birth can be attended by your midwife (in which case, the hospital simply “lends” you a room, you’re not officially a patient) or by an ob-gyn. After labour and delivery, you can go home or be admitted at the hospital (and you will have to pay for hospital stay).
Note that hospitals tend to be heavy-handed on tests and exams. It’s a good idea to figure out what’s recommended and what can be skipped, especially when you have to pay for your care out of pocket.
After birth, you will be contacted by a nurse from your nearest Centre Local de Service Communautaire (CLSC). These local community service centres offer health services and provide support in many ways. For instance, you can be put in touch with other moms who gave birth at the same time as you, do activities with your baby, etc. Consider community activities because life away from home with a newborn can be tough at times! Postnatal checkups and vaccinations can be done at the CLSC (for more info, read Quebec immunization program).
Despite all the services offered by CLSCs, it’s still a good idea to look for a pediatrician, so that you won’t have to wait for hours at the walk-in clinic when your baby catches his first cold…
For more info, read:
Citizenship, health coverage, birth certificate and passport
Canadian nationality law
Canada is one of the few countries that gives automatic citizenship to a kid born in Canada, even if the parents aren’t Canadian citizens.
However, having a new Canadian family member doesn’t give you any special immigration rights. It doesn’t make it easier or faster to apply for permanent residence, for instance. And you still have to leave Canada (… with your kid…) at the end of your Working Holiday permit.
Health coverage
Your newborn may not be covered by the provincial or territorial healthcare system. Quebec doesn’t cover newborns if the parents aren’t eligible under the RAMQ, but Ontario and Alberta may offer coverage under certain conditions. Check with your provincial or territorial healthcare system.
Registering a birth in your home country
Contact your local embassy or consulate.
Registering a birth in Canada
Birth registration is essential. The process is fairly straightforward but it varies depending on the province or territory. Follow the links in the table below for detailed info.
Province or territory | Deadline |
How? |
---|---|---|
Quebec | 30 days after birth (or fees apply) |
Online or by mail |
Ontario | 30 days after birth (or fees apply) |
Online or by mail |
British Columbia | 30 days after birth |
Online or by mail |
Alberta | 1 year after birth (or fees apply) |
Form to fill out at the hospital and handed off to hospital/health-care facility staff |
New Brunswick | 14 days after birth (or fees will apply) |
Form to fill out at the hospital or with the Vital Statistics Branch |
Manitoba | 1 year after birth |
Form to fill out at the hospital or with the Vital Statistics Agency |
Saskatchewan | 15 days after birth |
With Vital Statistics Saskatchewan |
Prince Edward Island | N/A |
Form to fill out at the hospital or Vital Statistics PEI |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 30 days after birth |
By mail |
Nova Scotia | 30 days after birth |
Form to fill out at the hospital |
Yukon | 60 days after birth |
Form to fill out at the hospital |
Northwest Territories | 30 days after birth |
Form to fill out at the hospital |
The following step is to ask for a birth certificate. You usually have to pay a fee (around $25-$30) and it takes up to a month to receive it. Keep it in a safe place! It’s hard and costly to get another copy. The document looks like the one that will be given to you at the hospital, but on thicker paper with an official seal. This is the proof that your baby is a Canadian citizen.
Getting a passport
Taking the baby on a meet-the-grandparents trip? You need a passport! Chances are, a Canadian passport will be faster to get than a passport from your home country.
However, getting a Canadian passport isn’t that easy either. For instance, you must find a guarantor to sign the application and one of the passport photos. The guarantor must have known you (the parent or legal guardian who is applying on behalf of the child) personally for at least two (2) years and must have knowledge of the child. This can be tricky for newcomers who haven’t been in Canada that long. If you give the name of foreign guarantors, expect a long delay (i.e. several months).
Read How to apply for a child’s passport for more info.
(1) Comment
I m going through the process of IEC and your blog has been very helpful! Thank you! Do you write everything here from your own experience?
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