EI After Move to the USA

[canuckbos 10]

I don't know if many people realize that they are eligible for EI Benefits after you move the the USA to live with your spouse.

Just a few tips though, as it is a bit of a quagmire.

You can file your ROE online after you are done working. There is a two week waiting period before benefits start and you must be eligible to start a new job in the USA right away. I moved they day after I left my job in Canada.

You can sign up for direct deposit only if the bank account is in Canada, if not then they mail the cheques and it takes 10 days. It takes longer for the first $ to arrive so make surew you have some money set aside.

Once you give them your change of address to your new USA address, you can no longer access your EI account online, everything is done by phone to a special phone number just for us Canadians who have moved to the USA.

As soon as they have your change of address, you must send in a copy of your Green Card and your SSN to prove you are eligible to work in the USA, if you do not know this and only find out much later that you must send these in, you lose the weeks of entitlement between your first week of eligibility of ER up to the week you send in the GC and your SSN to the EI office.

No one will tell you all this information right off the bat, so when you get someone on the phone with Interstate EI. ask them everything you must do to start receiving EI Benefits.

I was very unimpressed with the EI office since I made every effort to make sure I knew what was expected of me and the office personnel I spoke with at length left out this important information and I lost 2 weeks of entitlement just like that.

One last thing is you call in your report every two weeks, you cannot do it on line and the mail is too slow. You call this number, leave your name and SIN and your message and they return your call and you do a verbal report on the phone. (Not too hard.)

I appealed and wrote a letter stating the facts, got a call from a very nice lady and she indicated that as soon as I changed my address to a US address ( the day after I stopped working in Canada), they needed the GC and my SSN, since I did not do this I lost my entitlement until they got what they need in their hand, proof I was legally allowed to work in the USA.

(After a brief discussion, she agreed to split the difference and I got one week reinstated.)

So know what you are supposed to do so you do not lose any weeks of entitlement.

If you have any questions I can try abd answer them

Have a good nite.

[jken 2]

hey...i stopped working in canada in nov of 2010...moved in dec of 2010 to usa....i filed before i left canada and i only started getting checks once i got my ead which was in april....so i lost months of ei b/c i didnt have my ead....bummmer! we are talking like 6,000 - or so....the rest of the process was smooth. when canada post went on strike i actually got my check via fed ex...Canada impressed me there! good luck all.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

As this topic is relevant only to Canadians and is not part of the CR-1 process, I have moved it to the Canada Regional forum as a more appropriate location. Also, there is a really good pinned topic in this subject at the top of this forum that you may wish to read

[Udella&Wiz 325]

hey...i stopped working in canada in nov of 2010...moved in dec of 2010 to usa....i filed before i left canada and i only started getting checks once i got my ead which was in april....so i lost months of ei b/c i didnt have my ead....bummmer! we are talking like 6,000 - or so....the rest of the process was smooth. when canada post went on strike i actually got my check via fed ex...Canada impressed me there! good luck all.

I don't think you really lost it, the claim just didn't start being paid until you were eligible to work.

[Flames9_RN 358]

I don't know if many people realize that they are eligible for EI Benefits after you move the the USA to live with your spouse.

Just a few tips though, as it is a bit of a quagmire.

You can file your ROE online after you are done working. There is a two week waiting period before benefits start and you must be eligible to start a new job in the USA right away. I moved they day after I left my job in Canada.

You can sign up for direct deposit only if the bank account is in Canada, if not then they mail the cheques and it takes 10 days. It takes longer for the first $ to arrive so make surew you have some money set aside.

Once you give them your change of address to your new USA address, you can no longer access your EI account online, everything is done by phone to a special phone number just for us Canadians who have moved to the USA.

As soon as they have your change of address, you must send in a copy of your Green Card and your SSN to prove you are eligible to work in the USA, if you do not know this and only find out much later that you must send these in, you lose the weeks of entitlement between your first week of eligibility of ER up to the week you send in the GC and your SSN to the EI office.

No one will tell you all this information right off the bat, so when you get someone on the phone with Interstate EI. ask them everything you must do to start receiving EI Benefits.

I was very unimpressed with the EI office since I made every effort to make sure I knew what was expected of me and the office personnel I spoke with at length left out this important information and I lost 2 weeks of entitlement just like that.

One last thing is you call in your report every two weeks, you cannot do it on line and the mail is too slow. You call this number, leave your name and SIN and your message and they return your call and you do a verbal report on the phone. (Not too hard.)

I appealed and wrote a letter stating the facts, got a call from a very nice lady and she indicated that as soon as I changed my address to a US address ( the day after I stopped working in Canada), they needed the GC and my SSN, since I did not do this I lost my entitlement until they got what they need in their hand, proof I was legally allowed to work in the USA.

(After a brief discussion, she agreed to split the difference and I got one week reinstated.)

So know what you are supposed to do so you do not lose any weeks of entitlement.

If you have any questions I can try abd answer them

Have a good nite.

There is a Whole EI thread in the Canada forum. But yes it is a huge surprise to many that 1 can--if they qualify---collect EI even though they are moving to the USA! Of course 1 had to be LEGALLY able to work. Thus thats why K1'ers can't claim it until, they get their EAD! To add to that confusion, awhile back some k1'ers were able to get EI right away without the EAD as the CDn EI people didnt know what the USA relegation on who could legally work!!.

[S and P 9]

I don't know if many people realize that they are eligible for EI Benefits after you move the the USA to live with your spouse.

Just a few tips though, as it is a bit of a quagmire.

You can file your ROE online after you are done working. There is a two week waiting period before benefits start and you must be eligible to start a new job in the USA right away. I moved they day after I left my job in Canada.

You can sign up for direct deposit only if the bank account is in Canada, if not then they mail the cheques and it takes 10 days. It takes longer for the first $ to arrive so make surew you have some money set aside.

Once you give them your change of address to your new USA address, you can no longer access your EI account online, everything is done by phone to a special phone number just for us Canadians who have moved to the USA.

As soon as they have your change of address, you must send in a copy of your Green Card and your SSN to prove you are eligible to work in the USA, if you do not know this and only find out much later that you must send these in, you lose the weeks of entitlement between your first week of eligibility of ER up to the week you send in the GC and your SSN to the EI office.

No one will tell you all this information right off the bat, so when you get someone on the phone with Interstate EI. ask them everything you must do to start receiving EI Benefits.

I was very unimpressed with the EI office since I made every effort to make sure I knew what was expected of me and the office personnel I spoke with at length left out this important information and I lost 2 weeks of entitlement just like that.

One last thing is you call in your report every two weeks, you cannot do it on line and the mail is too slow. You call this number, leave your name and SIN and your message and they return your call and you do a verbal report on the phone. (Not too hard.)

I appealed and wrote a letter stating the facts, got a call from a very nice lady and she indicated that as soon as I changed my address to a US address ( the day after I stopped working in Canada), they needed the GC and my SSN, since I did not do this I lost my entitlement until they got what they need in their hand, proof I was legally allowed to work in the USA.

(After a brief discussion, she agreed to split the difference and I got one week reinstated.)

So know what you are supposed to do so you do not lose any weeks of entitlement.

If you have any questions I can try abd answer them

Have a good nite.

What information is needed when you call in your report?? Just what they ask for on the card?? or do they need names and numbers of places you've applied for work at? And how the heck to you get an actual person on the phone??!! My husband has only gotten an answering machine..

[kaibosh 3]

Great post lots of good info.

I applied for EI as soon as I got to the states, I'm on a k1 and I just received my EAD, I know I need to fax a copy in is there anything else I should do? Call to make sure they receive it? Add my sin card in there as well?? How long does it normally take to start receiving money?