Canada Social Welfare — Overview

Canadian welfare runs on a dual structure: the federal government plus 10 provinces and 3 territories. Health care, education, social assistance and housing are provincial, while federal transfers and the Canada Health Act set national standards. The federal government runs the pension programs (CPP, OAS), Employment Insurance (EI), the Canada Child Benefit and federal income tax. So Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta have different program names, eligibility rules and benefit levels. Think of "Canadian welfare" as federal programs + your province's programs rather than one national system.

Key things to know as an immigrant:

• Eligibility usually depends on residence and status, not citizenship. Permanent residents (PRs) get public health insurance, the Canada Child Benefit and EI on the same basis as citizens; some temporary residents qualify too. Old Age Security depends on years lived in Canada after age 18.
• First steps after arrival: get a Social Insurance Number (SIN) from Service Canada, apply for your provincial health card, open a bank account, and file a tax return every year. Benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit are calculated from your tax return.
• Canada has social security agreements with more than 50 countries (Korea is one example, in force since 1999). They let you combine pension periods across countries; see the Pension section.
• Quebec runs its own system for much of this: RAMQ (health), the Québec Pension Plan (QPP), the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) and a separate provincial tax return with Revenu Québec.

The areas at a glance

• Health (health) — provincial public insurance (OHIP, RAMQ, MSP, AHCIP, etc.). Doctor and hospital care are free at the point of use; prescriptions, dental and vision are mostly separate.
• Pension (pension) — contribution-based CPP/QPP + residence-based OAS + the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) for low incomes.
• Unemployment (unemployment) — Employment Insurance (EI), 14 to 45 weeks of regular benefits; provincial social assistance after that.
• Family (family) — tax-free monthly Canada Child Benefit (CCB) plus provincial benefits; regulated child care at reduced fees.
• Tax (tax) — federal + provincial income tax on one return (two in Quebec), GST/HST sales tax; tax residence is the key test.
• Housing (housing) — provincial tenancy rules and rent caps, housing benefits and social housing; a federal ban on home purchases by most non-Canadians runs until 1 January 2027.
• Education (education) — free public schooling in every province; federal and provincial student grants and loans for citizens, PRs and protected persons.
• Parental (parental) — EI maternity and parental benefits (Quebec: QPIP) plus job-protected leave under labour law.

Things to watch

• Amounts in these guides are 2026 figures and are adjusted every year (many benefits each January or July). Check canada.ca and your provincial site before applying.
• "Resident" means different things in different programs: tax residence, health-card residence and EI eligibility each have their own tests.
• Government services are offered in English and French. PRs can use free newcomer services funded by IRCC (outside Quebec; Quebec runs its own) for help with jobs, language classes and settling in.

Official guidance: Canada.ca: Benefits, Service Canada, CRA: Newcomers to Canada, IRCC: Free newcomer services

Canadian Healthcare (Medicare)

Canadian health care is a publicly funded system run separately by each of the 13 provinces and territories. The federal Canada Health Act sets the principles (universality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, portability, public administration), and federal transfers fund provinces that follow them. Medically necessary doctor visits and hospital care are free at the point of use for insured residents, but plan names, waiting periods and extra coverage vary by province.

Provincial plans and waiting periods

• OHIP (Ontario) — there is no longer a waiting period: if you are eligible, coverage starts right away. You apply in person at ServiceOntario with three original documents (status, Ontario residence, identity) and must live in Ontario at least 153 days in any 12-month period.
• RAMQ (Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec) — people settling in Quebec usually wait up to three months before coverage starts (children under 18 and people from some agreement countries are exempt). RAMQ advises buying private insurance on arrival.
• MSP (Medical Services Plan, British Columbia) — all residents must enrol; the waiting period is the rest of the month you arrive plus two months.
• AHCIP (Alberta) — newcomers from outside Canada who apply within 3 months may be covered from the date they became residents.
• Other provinces and territories have their own cards and rules.

Citizens and PRs are eligible everywhere; some work-permit holders are too (Ontario, for example, covers full-time workers with a permit of six months or more). Visitors are not covered.

What's covered and what's separate

• Public coverage: doctor visits, hospital stays, medically necessary tests and imaging, emergency care, pregnancy and birth care.
• Usually not covered (out of pocket or private/employer insurance): prescription drugs outside hospital, dental care, eyeglasses, physiotherapy, psychologists, and often ambulance fees.
• Provincial drug plans help seniors, low-income residents and people with high drug costs (for example OHIP+ in Ontario for people aged 24 and under without a private plan, Fair PharmaCare in BC).
• National pharmacare: under the Pharmacare Act (2024), Canada has signed agreements with four provinces and territories (British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Yukon) to make many contraception and diabetes medications free.
• Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP): federal dental coverage for residents with no access to private dental insurance and an adjusted family net income under CA$90,000, who have filed their tax return.

Many full-time jobs include employer health benefits that cover drugs, dental and vision.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Assuming every province has a three-month wait: Ontario has none, Quebec and BC do. If yours has one, buy private insurance for those months.
• Not registering with a family doctor. Without one you depend on walk-in clinics and emergency rooms; many provinces run a waiting list to match patients with a family doctor.
• Moving to another province: apply for the new province's card soon after arriving. Your old province normally covers you during the new province's waiting period (up to three months).
• Long absences from Canada can end your coverage; each province sets how many days you may be away.

Official guidance: Canada.ca: Canada's health care system, Ontario: Apply for OHIP, Canadian Dental Care Plan, your provincial ministry of health

Canadian Pension System

Canadian retirement income is usually described in three pillars: residence-based Old Age Security (OAS), the contribution-based Canada Pension Plan (CPP) or Québec Pension Plan (QPP), and your own savings in RRSPs, TFSAs and workplace pensions. OAS depends on years lived in Canada, not on contributions, so even someone with a short working life here can receive part of it.

Pillar 1: OAS and GIS — residence-based

• Eligibility: age 65+, citizen or legal resident, and at least 10 years in Canada after age 18 (at least 20 years if you live outside Canada when you claim).
• Amount: a full pension needs 40 years of residence after 18; otherwise you get 1/40 per year. Maximum CA$762.50/month at 65–74 and CA$838.75 at 75+ (October–December 2026; indexed every quarter). The pension rises automatically by 10% after your 75th birthday.
• Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS): a non-taxable top-up for low-income OAS pensioners, up to CA$1,138.90/month for a single person (October–December 2026).
• Recovery tax: if your net world income is above CA$95,323 (2026 income), you repay 15% of the excess.

Pillar 2: CPP / QPP — contribution-based

• Who pays: employees and self-employed people aged 18–70 with earnings above CA$3,500 a year. Quebec workers pay into the QPP instead.
• Contributions (2026): 5.95% each from employee and employer on earnings up to CA$74,600, plus 4% each on earnings between CA$74,600 and CA$85,000 (the CPP enhancement). Self-employed people pay both shares.
• Amount: at 65, the maximum is CA$1,507.65/month and the average for new pensioners CA$858.34 (2026).
• When to start: standard age 65; from 60 with a reduction of 0.6% per month (up to 36%), or up to 70 with an increase of 0.7% per month (up to 42%). You must apply; CPP also pays disability and survivor benefits.

Pillar 3: personal and workplace savings

• RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan): contributions are tax-deductible and withdrawals taxed; 2026 limit 18% of last year's earned income up to CA$33,810.
• TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account): no deduction, but growth and withdrawals are tax-free; CA$7,000 of new room in 2026, earned only while you are a resident aged 18+.
• Workplace pension plans, often with employer contributions.

Agreements with other countries

Canada has social security agreements with more than 50 countries (including most EU countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, the Philippines, China, Japan and Korea, the last in force since 1 May 1999). Periods in the partner country can help you qualify for OAS and CPP benefits; each country then pays a pension for its own periods.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Expecting a full OAS pension: arriving at 40 means at most about 25/40 of the full amount at 65.
• Not applying: you must apply for CPP, and if Service Canada does not enrol you automatically for OAS, apply yourself.
• Leaving Canada with less than 20 years of residence after 18: OAS stops six months after the month you leave, unless periods in an agreement country bring you to 20 years.
• Over-contributing: excess TFSA amounts, and RRSP amounts more than CA$2,000 over your limit, are taxed at 1% per month.

Official guidance: Canada.ca: Public pensions, CRA: International social security agreements, Retraite Québec (QPP)

Canadian Unemployment Insurance (Employment Insurance, EI)

Canada's unemployment safety net is Employment Insurance (EI), run by the federal government through Service Canada. The same EI rules apply in every province, including Quebec (Quebec only handles maternity and parental benefits itself, through QPIP). EI is more than unemployment pay: it also covers maternity, parental, sickness and caregiving leave.

Premiums and who is insured

• Employees are insured automatically. In 2026 you pay 1.63% of insurable earnings up to CA$68,900 (maximum CA$1,123.07); your employer pays 1.4 times that. Quebec workers pay a lower rate (1.30%) because QPIP replaces EI parental benefits.
• Self-employed people cannot get regular EI benefits, but can opt in to special benefits (maternity, parental, sickness, caregiving).

EI regular benefits

• Conditions: you lost your job through no fault of your own (lay-off, end of contract), you have been without work and pay for at least 7 days, you worked 420 to 700 insured hours in the last 52 weeks (or since your last claim), depending on the unemployment rate in your region, and you are ready, willing and able to work and actively looking for a job.
• Amount: 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings (from your best 14 to 22 weeks), up to CA$729 a week (2026).
• Duration: 14 to 45 weeks, depending on your regional unemployment rate and your insured hours.
• Temporary measures (2025–2026): for claims starting between 30 March 2025 and 10 October 2026, the one-week waiting period is waived and severance pay is not deducted first; long-tenured workers can get up to 20 extra weeks (maximum 65). In August 2026 the government announced it would extend the waiting-period and severance measures by one year and the extra weeks by 8 months; check the EI page for the current dates.

Applying and staying eligible

• Apply online as soon as you stop working, even before your employer issues your Record of Employment (ROE). If you wait more than 4 weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits.
• Send reports every two weeks declaring any work, earnings and job-search activity, and keep a written record of the employers you contact.
• Quitting without just cause or being fired for misconduct usually disqualifies you.
• You may work part-time while on a claim; part of your earnings is deducted from your benefits.

After EI: social assistance

When EI ends, or if you never qualified, the safety net is provincial social assistance, for example Ontario Works, BC's Income Assistance or Quebec's Social Assistance Program. It is means-tested: your savings, income and household size all count.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Not enough hours: a first job in Canada may not reach the 420–700 hours yet.
• Work permits: temporary workers pay premiums, but regular benefits require you to be available for work in Canada. If your permit expires, you can keep receiving benefits only if you applied to extend it before it expired.
• Leaving Canada: you generally cannot receive regular benefits while abroad, apart from short absences such as up to 7 days for a close relative's funeral or 14 days for a job search.

Official guidance: Canada.ca: Employment Insurance, EI regular benefits, EI temporary measures

Canadian Child & Family Benefits

Canadian family support is built around the federal Canada Child Benefit (CCB), with provincial benefits on top. The CCB is tax-free and calculated from your tax return: the return for one year sets your monthly payments from July of the next year to June of the year after. So if you (and your spouse) do not file taxes, the CCB stops, even with eligible children at home.

Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

• Eligibility: you live with a child under 18, are mainly responsible for their care, and are a tax resident of Canada. You or your spouse must be a citizen, permanent resident, protected person, or a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months and holds a valid permit in the 19th month.
• Amount (July 2026 to June 2027): up to CA$8,157 a year (CA$679.75 a month) per child under 6 and CA$6,883 a year (CA$573.58 a month) per child aged 6–17. Payments go down once adjusted family net income is above CA$38,237. Amounts are indexed every July.
• Child Disability Benefit: up to CA$3,480 a year extra per eligible child.
• How to apply: for a newborn, through the Automated Benefits Application when you register the birth; otherwise online in your CRA account or with form RC66. Newcomers also send RC66SCH (status in Canada and income from outside Canada).

Provincial benefits

The CRA administers several provincial and territorial child benefits and pays them with the CCB in a single monthly payment, without a separate application, for example the Ontario Child Benefit and the BC Family Benefit. Quebec is different: its Family Allowance is paid separately by Retraite Québec.

Child care and tax measures

• Canada-wide early learning and child care: federal and provincial agreements are cutting fees for regulated child care. Eight provinces and territories (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) have average fees of CA$10 a day or less; the others have cut fees by at least half. Spaces are limited, so join waiting lists early.
• Quebec subsidized child care: CA$9.65 a day in 2026 (indexed every 1 January).
• Child care expense deduction: eligible daycare and babysitting costs reduce taxable income.
• Canada Workers Benefit: a refundable credit for working individuals and families with low incomes.
• Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB): replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026; tax-free quarterly payments for low- and modest-income households, also based on your tax return.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• The CCB does not start automatically when you arrive. Apply with RC66 and RC66SCH (or online) as soon as you are eligible; claims for children who started living with you more than 11 months ago need extra documents.
• Both spouses must file a return every year, even with zero or only foreign income, or payments stop.
• Separation and shared custody change who receives the CCB; tell the CRA.
• Moving abroad, even temporarily, can end your tax residence and your CCB; tell the CRA before you leave.

Official guidance: CRA: Canada Child Benefit, CRA: Provincial and territorial programs, Canada.ca: $10-a-day child care, Retraite Québec: Family Allowance

Canadian Tax System

Canadian income tax has two layers: federal and provincial. On the same income you pay federal and provincial tax, normally filed together on one return (the T1) with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Quebec residents file two returns: the federal T1 and a Quebec return (TP-1) with Revenu Québec. The same salary therefore leaves different take-home pay depending on your province.

Resident or non-resident?

Tax residence depends on your residential ties, not on citizenship.

• Resident — your home, spouse or dependants are in Canada. You are taxed on your worldwide income.
• Deemed resident — you have no significant ties but stay in Canada 183 days or more in the year.
• Non-resident — only Canadian-source income is taxed; tax withheld on rent, dividends and pensions is usually 25% unless a tax treaty lowers it.

In your first year, you are taxed on your worldwide income only from the day you became resident; credits are prorated by the days you were resident. If another country also treats you as resident, its tax treaty with Canada decides.

Income tax rates (2026)

• Federal: 14% up to CA$58,523; 20.5% up to CA$117,045; 26% up to CA$181,440; 29% up to CA$258,482; 33% above. (The lowest rate fell from 15% to 14% on 1 July 2025.)
• Basic personal amount: the first CA$16,452 of income is effectively tax-free federally (2026; lower for very high incomes).
• Provincial: each province has its own brackets, e.g. Ontario 5.05%–13.16%, British Columbia 5.6%–20.5%, Alberta 8%–15%; Quebec sets its own.
• Refundable credits, paid even if you owe no tax: the Canada Workers Benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (which replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026).

Sales tax: GST / HST / PST / QST

• GST (federal) 5% on most goods and services.
• HST (GST + provincial tax combined): 13% in Ontario, 14% in Nova Scotia (since 1 April 2025), 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
• GST + separate provincial tax: British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba (PST); Quebec (QST, collected by Revenu Québec).

Filing

• Deadlines: file and pay by 30 April of the following year; if you or your spouse are self-employed, file by 15 June but still pay by 30 April.
• File online with NETFILE-certified software or on paper; your employer sends you a T4 slip.
• Filing is also how you get benefits (CCB, CGEB) and build RRSP room, so file even with little or no income.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Foreign property: if the total cost of your foreign assets (bank accounts, shares, rental property abroad) is over CA$100,000 at any time in the year, file Form T1135. You don't need to for the year you first became resident, and penalties for missing it later are steep.
• Foreign income: once resident, report foreign pensions, interest, dividends and rent; a foreign tax credit avoids double tax.
• Benefits for newcomers: apply with RC151 (CGEB) and RC66 (CCB), declaring the income you earned abroad before arriving; it is not taxed in Canada but is used to calculate your benefits.
• TFSA room builds only while you are a resident aged 18+.

Official guidance: CRA: Newcomers to Canada, CRA: Tax rates 2026, CRA: Determining your residency status, Revenu Québec

Canadian Housing System

Canadian housing policy combines a federal framework (the National Housing Strategy and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CMHC) with provincial and municipal delivery. Two things matter most for newcomers: tenant protection and rent control are set by each province, and a federal ban on home purchases by most non-Canadians is in force until 1 January 2027.

Renting: provincial tenant protection

• Ontario: the Residential Tenancies Act and the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Rent increases are capped by the yearly guideline (2.1% for 2026), with at least 90 days' written notice; units first occupied after 15 November 2018 are exempt from the cap.
• Quebec: the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). Tenants have a strong right to renew, and can refuse an increase and let the TAL set the rent.
• British Columbia: the Residential Tenancy Branch. Rent may rise once every 12 months, up to the yearly limit (2.3% for 2026, 2.2% for 2027), with three full months' notice.
• Alberta: no cap on the amount, but rent may rise only once a year (365 days), with written notice (three full months for a monthly tenancy).

Deposits are capped by provincial law: in Ontario only a last-month's-rent deposit and a refundable key deposit; in British Columbia at most half a month's rent; in Alberta at most one month's rent; in Quebec a landlord may not demand a deposit at all, only the first month's rent in advance.

Help with rent and social housing

• Canada Housing Benefit: a monthly payment to low-income renters, funded jointly by Ottawa and the provinces and delivered by each province or territory under its own name.
• Social, co-op and non-profit housing: rents are below market or rent-geared-to-income (a share of your income). Applications go through city or regional waiting lists, which are very long in large cities.

Buying a home

• Foreign-buyer ban: under the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, people who are not citizens or PRs generally cannot buy homes in urban areas until 1 January 2027. Exceptions include work-permit holders with at least 183 days left on their permit, refugees and some students; property outside census metropolitan areas and agglomerations is exempt.
• Provincial foreign-buyer taxes: Ontario's Non-Resident Speculation Tax (25%, province-wide; a rebate is possible if you become a PR within four years) and British Columbia's additional property transfer tax (20% in Metro Vancouver and four other regions).
• The federal Underused Housing Tax no longer applies from the 2025 calendar year; some cities have their own empty-homes taxes.
• First Home Savings Account (FHSA): first-time buyers can save up to CA$8,000 a year (CA$40,000 lifetime), tax-deductible going in and tax-free coming out for a home.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Signing a lease without checking the provincial rules: a landlord may ask for more deposit or a bigger increase than the law allows. Your provincial tenancy board explains your rights.
• Buying on a work permit without checking the exceptions: the time left on your permit and the property's location both matter. Get advice from a real-estate lawyer.
• Renting out your home after leaving Canada: non-resident landlords face 25% withholding on gross rent unless they elect to file a Canadian return on net rental income.

Official guidance: CMHC, CMHC: Foreign-buyer ban, Ontario: Rent increases, BC: Rent increases

Canadian Education System

Education in Canada is a provincial responsibility under the constitution. There is no federal ministry of education: each of the 13 provinces and territories has its own education law, curriculum and diplomas. Free public schooling is the same idea everywhere, but grade structures, the role of French, graduation requirements and student aid differ. The school year usually runs from early September to late June.

Schools (kindergarten to grade 12)

• Free and compulsory: public schools are free for residents. Compulsory schooling starts at about age 6 and ends at 16 or 18 depending on the province (in Ontario, 18 or graduation).
• Language: in Quebec, children generally attend French-language schools; access to English public schools is limited by the Charter of the French Language. Outside Quebec, many schools offer optional French immersion.
• Catholic and private schools: some provinces (e.g., Ontario, Alberta) fund Catholic school boards; private schools charge fees.
• Enrolling: schools are usually assigned by catchment area (your address), so check school zones before signing a lease. Bring the child's passport, immigration documents, proof of address, immunization records and past school reports. Most boards offer English or French as an additional language support.
• Children of parents with valid work or study permits can generally attend public school; whether fees apply depends on your province and school board, so ask before enrolling.

Colleges and universities

• Universities award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees; colleges (and Quebec's cégeps) focus on diplomas, applied programs and trades.
• Tuition: citizens and permanent residents pay domestic fees; international students pay much higher fees, often several times as much. Quebec charges students from other provinces a different rate from Quebec residents.
• International student cap: IRCC limits new study permits. For 2026 it plans to issue up to 408,000 study permits, including 155,000 for newly arriving students. Many applicants also need a provincial or territorial attestation letter. Check IRCC before applying.

Student financial aid

• Canada Student Financial Assistance: federal grants and loans, delivered together with most provinces, for citizens, permanent residents and protected persons. The Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students pays up to CA$4,200 a year (2026–27), depending on family income.
• Provincial programs: OSAP (Ontario), StudentAidBC, Alberta Student Aid, and Quebec's own Aide financière aux études (AFE).
• Repayment starts six months after you finish your studies; the Repayment Assistance Plan can lower or pause payments if your income is low.
• Families can save in a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), to which the government adds the Canada Education Savings Grant.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Tuition status: you pay domestic fees only once you are a PR or citizen; schools decide from which term the change applies, so tell them as soon as your status changes.
• Choosing housing before checking the school zone can mean your child is not admitted to the school you wanted.
• Foreign diplomas: universities and regulated professions assess them in their own way; for immigration, IRCC accepts Educational Credential Assessments only from designated organizations such as World Education Services.

Official guidance: Canada.ca: Education planning and student aid, Canada Student Grants and Loans, IRCC: Study in Canada, your provincial ministry of education

Canadian Maternity & Parental Leave

In Canada, pay during maternity and parental leave does not come from your employer but from Employment Insurance (EI) special benefits (Quebec residents use the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, QPIP). The right to time off and to get your job back comes from labour law: the Canada Labour Code for federally regulated workplaces (banks, airlines, telecoms, etc.) and your province's employment standards law for everyone else.

EI maternity and parental benefits (outside Quebec)

• Maternity benefits: for the person who gave birth, up to 15 weeks at 55% of average insurable weekly earnings, up to CA$729 a week (2026). They can start up to 12 weeks before the due date and can be paid until 17 weeks after the due date or the birth, whichever is later.
• Parental benefits for birth or adoptive parents; both parents choose the same option:
  • Standard: up to 40 weeks shared (one parent at most 35) at 55%, up to CA$729 a week, within 12 months of the birth or placement.
  • Extended: up to 69 weeks shared (one parent at most 61) at 33%, up to CA$437 a week, within 18 months.
• Eligibility: 600 insured hours in the 52 weeks before your claim (or since your last claim), and your weekly earnings have dropped by more than 40%.
• Self-employed people qualify only if they registered for EI special benefits in advance.
• Applying: give your employer written notice, then apply online as soon as you stop working (waiting more than 4 weeks can cost you benefits); your employer sends your Record of Employment to Service Canada.

QPIP (Quebec residents)

QPIP replaces EI maternity and parental benefits in Quebec and pays more, on earnings up to CA$103,000 (2026). You choose between two plans:

• Basic plan: maternity 18 weeks at 70%; paternity 5 weeks at 70%; 32 shared parental weeks (7 at 70%, 25 at 55%); 4 extra weeks if both parents share.
• Special plan: maternity 15 weeks at 75%; paternity 3 weeks at 75%; 25 shared parental weeks at 75%; 3 extra weeks if both parents share.

Unlike EI, QPIP has a paternity benefit reserved for the other parent.

Job-protected leave under labour law

Under the Canada Labour Code (federally regulated employers) you can take up to 17 weeks of maternity leave and up to 63 weeks of parental leave (71 weeks when both parents share), with no minimum period of service. Give your employer written notice at least 4 weeks before the leave. The Code does not require the leave to be paid; your income comes from EI. Provincial laws give similar but not identical rights and notice rules.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Standard or extended cannot be changed once a week of parental benefits has been paid to either parent, and both parents must choose the same option.
• Too few hours: a newcomer who has worked less than 600 insured hours in the last year does not qualify.
• Employer top-ups are not required by law; some employers pay a supplement on top of EI. Ask before you accept a job.
• Moving into or out of Quebec changes whether EI or QPIP applies.

Official guidance: Canada.ca: EI maternity and parental benefits, Québec Parental Insurance Plan, Canada.ca: Leaves for federally regulated employees