Employment Insurance

The Employment insurance is the financial aid meant to provide for the time they are searching for a new job or participate in courses and trainings to improve their skills.

The Canadian citizens that are ill, pregnant, taking care of a newborn child or even an adopted one, taking care of an ill family member with a significant risk of disease, all these can also receive assistance from the employment insurance.

What are the types of Employment Insurance and their benefits?

Employment Insurance with regular benefits: This is available for persons who lose their job through no fault of their own (for instance: because of the lack of jobs on the market, season dismissals or mass dismissals) and who are available and capable to work, but cannot find a work place.

Employment Insurance and Maternity Insurance for parents: This offers support for Canadian citizens that are pregnant, have recently given birth, have adopted a child or take care of a newborn child.

Employment Insurance illness benefits: This is offered for those who are unable to work because of illness, accidents or are in quarantine.

Compassionate care Employment Insurance benefits: This type of benefits if offered to those who have to take a temporary leave of absence from work in order to take care or support a very ill family member, with a significant risk of disease.

Employment Insurance Fisherman’s benefits: This offers support for qualification for fishermen with independent activities who are actively searching for a place to work.

Employment Insurance Initiative

Assistance for career transition: Workers who had a leave of absence for one of the above-mentioned reasons but had a “return to work” plan until October 2010 are now eligible to enroll in the Employment Insurance Initiative. They can receive the regular benefits (also mentioned above) while they are taking courses in order to upgrade their skills or simply searching for a new job.

Employment Insurance benefits for self-employed Canadian citizens: Starting with 2011, the qualified self-employed persons will be able to access the Employment Insurance with special benefits: maternity, parental, illness, care or compassion.

Extension of benefits for long-term qualified employees: The long-term qualified employees will be eligible for supplementary benefits in case they have contributed to the employment insurance system for a significant period and, throughout their career, they have limited their use of the employment insurance benefits.

Extension of eligibility period for parental employment insurance benefits for military families: In case your maternity / parental leave has been put on hold because of imperative military situations that required your immediate presence. The period in which you can collect your parental employment insurance benefits increases with one week, in compensation for every week in which you were unable to collect these benefits for the above - mentioned reasons.