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Alberta Health Care

January 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment
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Alberta health care insurance plan:

 

When arriving in Alberta one of the first things you should do is apply for the Alberta Health Insurance plan. The Alberta health insurance plan covers most basic health-care services such as doctor visits, xrays, hospital etc. 

When applying for Alberta health Insurance you need to provide one of the following documentation from Citizenship and Immigration Canada along with identification such as your birth certificate or passport:

  •  Confirmation of permanent residence 
  •  Permanent Resident Card
  • Active work (minimum 6 months), study* or visitor* permit for Alberta

*Not all Alberta permits qualify the permit holder for health care insurance coverage in Alberta.

NOTE: All applicants must intend to reside in Alberta for 12 consecutive months.

For Alberta Health documentation requirements: 

http://www.health.alberta.ca/AHCIP/temporary-residents.html 

 

For application and brochures for Alberta health care insurance plan: 

http://www.health.alberta.ca/AHCIP/forms.html 

 

You can register for Alberta health Insurance plan at authorized registry agents across the province. Here is a link to the registered Agents: 

http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/AHCIP-Registry-Agent-Poster.pdf 

 

It is also recommended that you obtain private insurance when you arrive as there might be a waiting period before getting your health coverage. You also have to register for a family doctor but if you need a doctor before that you always use a walk-in clinic. Every time you visit a doctor or a specialist you will need to show them your health card. To look for updated lists of available GP’s call 1-866-408-5465 (LINK) or visit this website: 

http://www.cpsa.ab.ca/PhysicianSearch/AdvancedSearch.aspx 

 

Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) does not cover everything, e.g. prescriptions, eye exams, ambulance services, dental care etc. So it is recommended to get private SUPPLEMENTARY health insurance. A lot of the bigger companies provide health benefits for full time employees or you can apply for supplementary insurance for yourself and family from Alberta Blue Cross.

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Alberta Blue cross is an affordable health care benefits carrier that will cover just about every type of health benefit, including prescription drugs, dental, vision care, preferred hospital accommodation, emergency medical travel, ambulance, home nursing and chiropractor, as well as life insurance and short and long term disability coverage for group plan members.

 

Here is a link for the Alberta Blue cross: 

https://www.ab.bluecross.ca/ 

Filed Under: Calgary Life, Emigrating News & Tips, Featured, Latest News, News

Income Tax

January 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment

TaxWhen you come to Canada you do have to file a yearly income tax return.  It is under the Income Tax Act that you file a income tax return for a year in which you have tax payable. Even if you have taxes withheld from your employer or you exceed the amount of tax you owe.

Here is an article from the Canada Revenue Agency for newcomers to Canada:

The following information applies only for the first tax year that you are a new resident of Canada for income tax purposes. After your first tax year in Canada, you are no longer considered a newcomer for income tax purposes.

If you immigrate to Canada, we consider you to have acquired (deemed acquisition) almost all your properties at fair market value on the day you immigrated. If you are re-establishing Canadian residency and you had a deemed disposition when you left Canada, see Dispositions of property.

Are you a newcomer to Canada?

You become a resident of Canada for income tax purposes when you establish significant residential ties in Canada. You usually establish these ties on the date you arrive in Canada.

Newcomers to Canada who have established residential ties with Canada may be:

  • persons in need of protection;
  • people who have applied for or received permanent resident status from Citizenship and Immigration Canada; or
  • people who have received “approval-in-principle” from Citizenship and Immigration Canada to stay in Canada.

If you were a resident of Canada in an earlier year, and you are now a non-resident, you will be considered a Canadian resident for income tax purposes when you move back to Canada and re-establish your residential ties.

What are residential ties?

Residential ties in Canada include:

  • a home in Canada;
  • a spouse or common-law partner (see the definition in the General Income Tax and Benefit Guide) and dependants who move to Canada to live with you;
  • personal property, such as a car or furniture; and
  • social ties in Canada.

Other ties that may be relevant include:

  • a Canadian driver’s licence;
  • Canadian bank accounts or credit cards; and
  • health insurance with a Canadian province or territory.

For more information about residency status, see Residency – Individuals or Interpretation Bulletin IT-221, Determination of an Individual’s Residence Status.

If you want an opinion about your residency status, complete and submit Form NR74, Determination of Residency Status (Entering Canada).

Your tax obligations

Do you have to file?

As a resident of Canada for income tax purposes for part or all of a tax year (January 1 to December 31), you must file a tax return if you:

  • owe tax; or
  • want to request a refund.

Even if you have no income to report or tax to pay, you may be eligible for certain payments or credits. In order to receive the following payments or credits, you must file an income tax return.

For more information, see “Do you have to file a return?” in the General Income Tax and Benefit Guide.

Which tax package?

As a newcomer to Canada, you should be aware that most individuals who reside in Canada file only one income tax return for the tax year, because the Canadian government collects taxes on behalf of all provinces and territories except the Province of Quebec.

For the tax year that you are a newcomer to Canada and for each tax year that you continue to be a resident of Canada for income tax purposes, use the General Income Tax and Benefit Package for the province or territory where you resided on December 31 of the tax year.

  • It is important to use the forms book for your province or territory because tax rates and tax credits are different in each province and territory.
  • If you live in the province of Quebec, you may need to file a separate provincial income tax return. For information about your provincial tax liability, contact Revenu Québec.

Filing due date

Generally, your income tax return has to be filed on or before:

  • April 30 of the year after the tax year; or
  • if you or your spouse or common-law partner carried on a business in Canada (other than a business whose expenditures are mainly in connection with a tax shelter), the return must be filed on or before June 15 of the year after the tax year.

Note

A balance of tax owing must be paid on or before April 30 of the year after the tax year, regardless of the due date of the tax return.

What income must you report?

For the part of the tax year that you were not a resident of Canada

You pay Canadian income tax on Canadian source income.

For the part of the tax year that you were a resident of Canada

You have to report your world income (income from all sources, both inside and outside Canada) earned after becoming a resident of Canada for income tax purposes on your Canadian tax return.

For more information about income you have to report and credits you can ask for as a newcomer to Canada, see Pamphlet T4055, Newcomers to Canada.

Entitlement to benefits and credits

As a newcomer to Canada, you may be eligible for the goods and services/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit, the Canada child tax benefit (CCTB), and the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) payments in the year you became a resident of Canada.

Filed Under: Calgary Life, Emigrating News & Tips, Featured, Financial, Latest News, News

Trade Certification for plumbers

January 7, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Some info here direct from the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials… 

This piece is the one for plumbers…regarding trade certification for plumbers  but of course if you go directly to the website, you can enter your own profession/enquiry

http://cicic.ca/403/Occupational-profiles.canadaInformation for foreign-trained plumbers

Plumbing, FTW

Plumbing, FTW (Photo credit: spierzchala)

(7251) Verified: 2011 09 15
Information on requirements to practise

Trade certification can be either compulsory or voluntary. To practice in trades where certification is compulsory, workers must generally be certified or registered as apprentices. In trades where certification is voluntary, certification and apprenticeship are often used to indicate the level of competency of the holder, but workers are not required to be registered or certified in order to practice. Red Seal Certification itself is never mandatory, except where indicated as such by jurisdictions in specific legislation. Once you know where you will settle and work in Canada, you should contact the appropriate provincial/territorial office (see list below) for further information about licensing or certification.
You may confirm that the trade indicated in the title has been designated as an Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Trade on that Web site, for which all provinces and territories (except the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec and the Yukon) have jointly agreed on certification standards. In these trades, apprentices who have completed their training and certified journeypersons, holders of provincial or territorial Certificates of Qualification, can apply to write an Interprovincial Standards Examination; if successful, they receive a distinctive “Red Seal” to affix to their Certificate of Qualification.
The Interprovincial Standards “Red Seal” Examinations are administered through the provincial and territorial apprenticeship and training or certification offices. Holders of a Red Seal Certificate are exempt from further examination when moving between participating provinces and territories. A Red Seal Certificate may be required by some employers as a condition for employment. To obtain more information about the Red Seal Certificate, contact:
Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA)
Red Seal Program / Programme du Sceau rouge
Gatineau QC K1A 0J9 Canada
Email : redseal-sceaurouge@hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca

http://red-seal.ca/c.4nt.1cts@-eng.jsp

Information on assessment of qualifications

The provincial/territorial authorities are not set up to assess foreign credentials prior to your arrival in Canada. However, you can contact them to obtain specific information about practising your trade in their jurisdiction.
If you wish to have your credentials assessed for a purpose other than practising a regulated occupationin Canada, you may consult our Fact Sheet No. 2, “Assessment and recognition of credentials for the purpose of employment in Canada” and contact an academic credential evaluation service. Although evaluation services offer expert advice on how qualifications obtained abroad compare with academic credentials obtained in Canada, their evaluations are advisory only and do not guarantee recognition of your qualifications for employment or certification purposes in Canada. Please note that evaluation services charge a fee for their assessments.
Other relevant information

For a general description of duties and employment requirements, you can refer to the information prepared by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada regarding:
plumbers
Specific Provincial/Territorial Information

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan:
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan

Up Arrow List of apprenticeship, training, and trade certification offices
Alberta

Alberta – Apprenticeship and Industry Training
International and Provincial Assessment Services
10th Floor, Commerce Place, 10155 -102 Street
Edmonton AB T5J 4L5 Canada
Phone : (780) 427-8765
Fax : (780) 422-7376

http://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/

Equivalency Program
British Columbia

Industry Training Authority (ITA)
ITA Customer Service
Suite 110, 2985 Virtual Way
Vancouver BC V5M 4X7
Phone : (778) 328-8700
Phone (alternate): 1-866-660-6011
Fax : (778) 328-8701
Email : customerservice@itabc.ca

http://www.itabc.ca/

Opportunities for immigrants
Manitoba

Manitoba – Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade
1010 – 401 York Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3C 0P8 Canada
Phone : 204-945-3337
Phone (alternate): 1-877-978-7233
Fax : 204-948-2346
Email : apprenticeship@gov.mb.ca

http://www.gov.mb.ca/tce/apprent/contacts/index.html

Permits, Licences and Renewals
New Brunswick

New Brunswick – Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, Apprenticeship and Certification
P.O. Box 6000
470 York Street, Room 100
Fredericton NB E3B 5H1 Canada
Phone : (506) 453-2260
Phone (alternate): 1-877-453-3030
Fax : (506) 453-5317
Email : dpetlinfo@gnb.ca

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/contacts/dept_renderer.145.8603.3190.html

Mobility / Recognition of Credentials
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland & Labrador – Department of Education, Apprenticeship and Certification
Confederation Bldg., West Block, 4th Floor
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s NL A1B 4J6 Canada
Phone : (709) 729-2729
Phone (alternate): 1-877-771-3737
Fax : (709) 729-5878
Email : app@gov.nl.ca

http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/app/

Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories – Education, Culture and Employment: Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification
P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Phone : (867) 873-7552
Fax : (867) 873-0200
Email : certification@gov.nt.ca

http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia – Department of Labour and Workforce Development, Apprenticeship Training and Skill Development Division
2021 Brunswick Street, Suite 402, P.O. Box 578
Halifax NS B3J 2S9
Phone : (902) 424-5651
Phone (alternate): 1-800-494-5651
Fax : (902) 424-0717
Email : apprenticeship@gov.ns.ca

http://nsapprenticeship.ca/

Credential Recognition
Nunavut

Nunavut – Department of Education, Adult Learning and Post-Secondary Services
Apprenticeship, Trades and Certification
PO Box 1000, Station 910
Iqaluit NU X0A 0H0 Canada
Phone : (867) 975-5658
Fax : (867) 975-5605
Email : zmunkacsy@gov.nu.ca

http://www.edu.gov.nu.ca/apps/authoring/dspPage.aspx?page=9

Ontario

Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Employment Ontario
Regional Apprenticeship Offices/Centres d’apprentissage régionaux
Toronto ON M7A 2S3 Canada
Phone : 1-800-387-5656 (Ontario)
Email : information.met@ontario.ca

http://www.tcu.gov.o

–
Mel McCartney, R.N. BSc. Hons
REALTOR®
Licensed in BC and Alberta
Sotheby’s International Realty Canada

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Filed Under: Calgary Life, Featured, News