Under Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) rules, people who apply to extend their work permit before it expires receive “maintained status,” allowing them to keep receiving services while their application is processed. Often, many remain on maintained status for several months to upwards of a year, risking their ability to access vital public healthcare services provided by the provincial government.
However, the rules as written are not being followed in Saskatchewan, said Keith Jorgenson, Associate Shadow Health Minister. Individuals who incur health-care costs during this limbo period are supposed to submit their expenses to the provincial government for reimbursement, but many here report waiting weeks or even months to receive those funds.
In a 2022 news release, the Saskatchewan government promised that Ukrainians coming to Saskatchewan under the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program would be eligible “to receive a Saskatchewan Health card for the duration of their immigration.”
“What we’re hearing from people in the community is that if their health card expires before they receive their renewed work permit — which is most often the case — their request for any temporary health coverage is either left in limbo or flat out denied while they wait for their application to be processed,” Jorgenson said. “In the past, the province typically provided individuals on maintained status with temporary coverage during this period; however, we are increasingly hearing reports that many folks are falling through the cracks.”
On Friday, Jorgenson stood alongside Yuriy Pogrebnyy, who is a Ukrainian national working and living in Saskatchewan under a CUAET visa. Yuri, who works and studies in Saskatoon, recently lost his health coverage while waiting for his work permit extension.
Pogrebnyy said, “Now that I have moved to Saskatoon, I have plans to start and build my future. I pay taxes and everything, but I can't get a health card and can't get health coverage.”
Jorgenson added, “Many of the individuals we’re hearing from simply can’t afford to pay out of pocket for health care, let alone wait months to be reimbursed.
“Beyond the financial burden, these are people who are living, working and paying taxes in Saskatchewan. They deserve access to health care just like anyone else.”
-30-