I landed on 17th Nov and then came to Canada 4 times for the next month and then moved to Windsor on 23rd dec. Should I wait till March 23rd to apply for OHIP card or can I apply now ? I am OK if the card gets activated by 23rd March.
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Apply anytime , you will get the cards in about the last week before completion of 3 months of landing
You can apply anytime after you moved permanently, your OHIP card will arrive in exactly 3 months.
Hey Guys- Can you also please share the requirements/document checklist for applying for OHIP? For example, is a rental agreement needed? I will be staying in either a friend’s place temporarily or in an Airbnb soon after moving and this arrangement may be in place for 3 months or so until I find more permanent digs. Appreciate any inputs.
I moved to Ontario on 27th November and went to Service Ontario to apply for Driver’s License and OHIP around 7th or 8th December. Your OHIP coverage starts on the 1st day of the 3rd Calendar month after you moved to ON. Since my moving date was in November, my coverage started Feb 1st. And I received my card in the last 3-4 days of January. This is a standard procedure with the card as I found out from the Service Ontario call center. I panicked and called them in early January as to why I hadn’t received my card yet and they said they don’t release the card until it’s very close to the coverage date but that you would still have coverage on the 1st day of the 3rd calendar month after you moved with or without your card in hand. Make sure you save the acknowledgment they give you at Service Ontario when you apply for OHIP card.
As far as application checklist is concerned, the URL shared here by Sudipto should be sufficient.
Update: I got the OHIP based on Nov 17th as starting not 23rd Dec.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am planning to move to Canada and apply for the OHIP card as well. But I see a minimum qualification that the applicant should have lived in Ontario for at least 153 days. From their website:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-ohip-and-get-health-card#section-2
Did you live in Ontario prior to actually moving there? Was this requirement there when you applied?
I think you are misunderstanding the requirement. It states that you must:
- be physically in Ontario for 153 days in any 12‑month period
- be physically in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately after you began living in the province
- make Ontario your primary home
This is only talking about the steps you have to take to maintain coverage under OHIP once your initial application is approved. Not that you have to satisfy the criteria in order to be eligible in the first place. Once you move to ON, take the required docs to Service Ontario and your application should be processed smoothly.
Thank you so much!! That makes complete sense. I will apply immediately after I move.