Canadian Immigrants and Citizens Life Stories
Canadian life stories, Immigrants success stories, new Canadian citizen stories, tips for new immigrants to Canada, links to online services, Toronto attractions and places to visit, etc.Monday, September 04, 2006
Parental Leave for Parents
Do you have a baby? If you have a baby and you are a Permanent Residence or Citizen of Canada. You might eligible to apply for parental leave from Employment Insurance (EI). To be entitled to maternity, parental or sickness benefits you must show that:
* your regular weekly earnings have been decreased by more than 40%; and
* you have accumulated 600 insured hours in the last 52 weeks or since your last claim. This period is called the qualifying period.
To receive maternity, parental or sickness benefits you must submit an EI application on-line or in person to your Service Canada Centre. You should apply as soon as you stop working, even if you receive or will receive money when you become unemployed. Delaying in filing your claim for benefits beyond 4 weeks from the time your earnings have decreased by more than 40% may cause loss of benefits. Read more
At the same time you are applying for maternity benefits, you and your partner can also apply for parental benefits. If your wife is not working at all when she was pregnant, you still can apply for the parental leave if you are eligible in the above criteria. I knew this since I am in parental leave now. My wife could not apply for any benefits (maternity and parental leave) since she did not work while she was pregnant with our second baby. Due we have no other relative who can help us taking care of our babies, my wife needed my help, so I applied for parental leave. I took 22 weeks EI only, but everyone entitled could take up to 35 weeks for parental leave only. That is not without risk though. I might loose my job because of my leave period. Therefore, it is on your own discretion taking this option (do not blame on me). Employers suppose not to fire any employees who take parental leave or maternity leave, but who the hell knows what they will do.
Don't be to happy just yet. Your basic benefit rate is 55% of your average insured earnings up to a maximum amount of $413 per week. Your EI payment is a taxable income, meaning federal and provincial or territorial taxes, if it applies, will be deducted from your payment. There are two weeks waiting period as well. Be prepare to adjust your expenses if you have a single income (your wife was not working) like myself. The risk to have no income when you are ready to go back to work is very high. However, if your family is your first priority like mine, then, you should take this option no matter what is the consequences, isn't it.
I will share my experience with my babies in another blog forum Babies Talking . I have no regret to take some time off for my family even with risk loosing my job. I can always look for another job, but hey... I do not want to loose the most important time seeing my babies grow up. The experience seeing them crawling to walking and seeing them start talking are priceless for me.
* your regular weekly earnings have been decreased by more than 40%; and
* you have accumulated 600 insured hours in the last 52 weeks or since your last claim. This period is called the qualifying period.
To receive maternity, parental or sickness benefits you must submit an EI application on-line or in person to your Service Canada Centre. You should apply as soon as you stop working, even if you receive or will receive money when you become unemployed. Delaying in filing your claim for benefits beyond 4 weeks from the time your earnings have decreased by more than 40% may cause loss of benefits. Read more
At the same time you are applying for maternity benefits, you and your partner can also apply for parental benefits. If your wife is not working at all when she was pregnant, you still can apply for the parental leave if you are eligible in the above criteria. I knew this since I am in parental leave now. My wife could not apply for any benefits (maternity and parental leave) since she did not work while she was pregnant with our second baby. Due we have no other relative who can help us taking care of our babies, my wife needed my help, so I applied for parental leave. I took 22 weeks EI only, but everyone entitled could take up to 35 weeks for parental leave only. That is not without risk though. I might loose my job because of my leave period. Therefore, it is on your own discretion taking this option (do not blame on me). Employers suppose not to fire any employees who take parental leave or maternity leave, but who the hell knows what they will do.
Don't be to happy just yet. Your basic benefit rate is 55% of your average insured earnings up to a maximum amount of $413 per week. Your EI payment is a taxable income, meaning federal and provincial or territorial taxes, if it applies, will be deducted from your payment. There are two weeks waiting period as well. Be prepare to adjust your expenses if you have a single income (your wife was not working) like myself. The risk to have no income when you are ready to go back to work is very high. However, if your family is your first priority like mine, then, you should take this option no matter what is the consequences, isn't it.
I will share my experience with my babies in another blog forum Babies Talking . I have no regret to take some time off for my family even with risk loosing my job. I can always look for another job, but hey... I do not want to loose the most important time seeing my babies grow up. The experience seeing them crawling to walking and seeing them start talking are priceless for me.
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