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Contacting your local MP
guys, does anyone have an experience in contacting your local MP and actually having something done by them? how long do they take to reply to an inquiry?
Derek Lee, Liberal MP of my riding is awesome. You have to call their office and schedule an appointment to meet with them; you should have a valid reason which is important enough. I wanted to find out more about the process for immigration and the office was able to help without speaking to the MP. I was able to meet the MP for networking purposes.
It really depends on the issue, and how much they can do. Unless they are the chair, or head of a special committee, on most issues, all they can do is cast their vote.
I contacted my MP about the copyright bill back in June (?); i had left a message, and gotten a reply. Basically he said, he was in opposition, but again all he could do was vote against it. Much good that did because he promptly left politics.
I contacted my MP when i moved back to Sauga, and he did dick all. No call back, nothing. Good thing he just got booted out of his office last night.
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| Originally posted by fayraree Derek Lee, Liberal MP of my riding is awesome. You have to call their office and schedule an appointment to meet with them; you should have a valid reason which is important enough. I wanted to find out more about the process for immigration and the office was able to help without speaking to the MP. I was able to meet the MP for networking purposes. |
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| Foreign grads lack OHIP Ontario red tape snarls international students invited to stay in Canada on 'open' work permits A technical glitch affecting a new Immigration Canada program designed to keep foreign students with Canadian credentials in this country has left international graduates working in Ontario without OHIP coverage. The Immigration Canada program, launched in April, caters to foreign students who graduate from a Canadian university or college by extending their work visas from one to three years � an attempt to encourage talented individuals with Canadian qualifications to stay in the country. Instead of being tied to a specific Canadian employer in their field, as they were under the "closed" work permits issued in the past, graduates can now apply for an "open" permit allowing them to pursue job opportunities without reference to an advance offer or specific employer. The problem is the province of Ontario, in determining health care eligibility, requires foreign workers to possess a work visa that "names a Canadian employer situated in Ontario and your prospective occupation." According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 63,673 international students came here last year and 11,000 postgraduate employment work permits were issued. Laurie St. John, an international graduate of Guelph University/Humber College's joint media and public relations program, has been working in Toronto without health coverage since her graduation in June, when her University Health Insurance Plan (required for all foreign students) expired. The 22-year-old from Barbados, employed by a Toronto public relations firm since graduating, says she has been given the run-around and contradictory information by federal immigration and provincial health officials in her efforts to secure health care coverage. "Like many other foreign graduates, I was so excited when I got my open work permit in May and got to work in Canada two weeks after my graduation," said St. John, who couldn't seek medical treatment for a back injury this summer without paying out of pocket. "I was grateful for the job opportunity, but no one ever told us that we could not get OHIP." A Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokesperson said this week the provinces are individually responsible for health care and their regulations vary. The department can "assist provincial health authorities who wish to cover graduates without having to cover all other open work permit holders," said immigration spokesperson Danielle Norris. Otherwise, "international graduates who are not covered by their provincial health authority or who would wish to complement their provincial health coverage can purchase private health coverage.(note: not eligible for private insurance unless you have OHIP)" Ontario health ministry spokesperson Mark Nesbitt said the ministry is aware of the problem and applications by people on the post-graduation work permits are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Nesbitt couldn't say when the policy gap will be fixed. |
you should speak to your MPP as well, as this issue might have a provincial connection.
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| Originally posted by fayraree you should speak to your MPP as well, as this issue might have a provincial connection. |
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew MPP? |
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew MPP? |
Yup, makes sense since health care is a provincial problem.
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| Originally posted by Yohan member of provincial parliament |
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| Originally posted by fayraree and OPP ya u know me |
Re: Contacting your local MP
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew guys, does anyone have an experience in contacting your local MP and actually having something done by them? how long do they take to reply to an inquiry? |
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew yeah my MP is also Liberal I've emailed him with all my contact info, I think I might drop a letter too... my issue is pretty big but has a lot of background info that I guess is better that I put all of it in writing a little bit more info about my issue: Source I've already appealed to the General Manager of OHIP - appeal denied. I'm escalating this to the Health Services and Appeal Boards, and decided to notify my MP as well, in hopes of getting some support.. |
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| Originally posted by Search&Rescue Thanks for sharing! I had no idea about this. It's a pretty serious issue at hand. Will have to check with U of T's international student centre to see what they have to say about this. I'm sure your efforts won't go in vain |
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew oooh you're international? well seems that peeps from all over ON have been affected - Kitchener, Toronto etc |
Send a pm to jayx1, he knows the ins and outs.
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| Originally posted by Search&Rescue Yes I am. I remember posting a thread about the whole work permit extension for international students when it came out... that reminds me..its been 2 months since I applied for my study permit renewal..still haven't got it. And my TRV has already expired. It's all cutting it too close to my travel plans for christmas |
so ironic - my new job has absolutely amazing benefits (dental is fully covered, prescription medication is covered up like 85-90%, even hospital stay is included) but now I'm forced to pay for visits to my physician recently forked out $50 for one): http://www.immigration.ca/discussio...326&whichpage=1
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew call them! I bugged the hell out of the local call center! they can check by your Client ID and tell you what's up it shouldn't be more then 6 weeks really.. don't worry you still got time! have the passport and the application for TRV ready and printed out and express post it right away as soon as you get the study permit yeah now I remember your thread so ironic - my new job has absolutely amazing benefits (dental is fully covered, prescription medication is covered up like 85-90%, even hospital stay is included) but now I'm forced to pay for visits to my physician recently forked out $50 for onecheck this forum out (they're people with baby on its way, emergency room visits with couple of 1000's worth of hospital bills ): http://www.immigration.ca/discussio...326&whichpage=1 |
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| Originally posted by Search&Rescue well I had a talk with the Immigration Advisor at my international student centre and she reassured me. The current average processing time for applications received by Aug 5th is 59 days (and my application was only received ~ Aug 17th). So I'll have to wait for some more time. I did try calling the toll free number listed on the permit, but I can never get hold of an agent. What is the local call centre number you're referring to? As for the TRV...I was advised to get it renewed from my home country since sending it to Buffalo will cut it too close for me. And I can say with reasonable certainty that it'll only take about a week to process if I get it done from home. |
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew well best of luck I always called here: 1 888 242 2100 |
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| Originally posted by Search&Rescue Thanks and yep, that's the number I've tried. So I'm reading the posts on the immigration forum...$150 to go from an open to close work permit eh? I've already shelled out over $500 in the past year or so for immigration documents. The Co-op work permit I had to get last year expired with the end of my internship term in August. and this is my 2nd application for renewing my study permit. To be honest, I fucked up. When I got my co-op work permit, there was a note on the document saying that I was supposed to undergo an immigration medical exam. So on my first renewal attempt back in May, I got a study permit that was extended for just 4 months..with a message saying "This is a second request for you to undergo a medical examination". lol..it had to come back biting me in the ass. Now I'm paying the price which cost me another $125 for processing fees. Once I get my study permit, I have to apply for a TRV. plus I have to apply for a new work permit now that I will graduating next June. You see why I don't come out and party much now..... |
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew holy fees batman yeah $150 to get just a year of closed work permit, while I paid that for 2 year extension which is open and gives me the freedom of working wherever I've forked out $1100 in PR fees - I just sent out a second application kit under the new Experienced Class, hoping that one will go through faster then my Federal Skilled Worker class did you apply for PR already? |
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| Originally posted by Search&Rescue no I haven't although that's something I've been looking into for a long time now. There was a seminar held at school last week, but I had a presentation during the same time slot. What I'm not sure about is if I'm eligible to apply with a one year co-op work experience. I interned for 13 months directly related to my engineering program of study, but is there a category in the NOC that accommodates for that? I'm not sure. |
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| Originally posted by FunkyCrew hmm good question I think your best bet would be someone at UfT's international student's office also look into that Canadian Experienced Class - I think you might even be ok with just your completed degree |
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* plan to live outside the province of Quebec * be either: o a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, or o a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada * have gained your experience in Canada with the proper work or study authorization * apply while working in Canada � or � within one year of leaving your job in Canada |
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