# Moving to Canada with heart condition



## goldenhinde (Sep 17, 2010)

Hi folks,

I am currently a UK citizen living in London. My girlfriend has duel US/Canadian citizenship and we plan to marry in the UK in 2011. Once married, we would like to move back to either California or Vancouver to be near friends and family.

The complication is that I have a heart condition (fairly mild Dilated Cardiomyopathy). I am an otherwise healthy young man in my late 20's. The heart condition does not prevent me from working or living a 'normal' life. However, it does require me to take medication on a daily basis with an annual check-up.

What I am struggling to find out is: 

a) Is this type of medical condition likely to prevent me getting access to live and work in Canada as the spouse of a canadian citizen?

b) IF it is still possible to gain a visa with this condition as a spouse of a Canadian passport holder, where would I slot into the the healthcare system and would it cost me a fortune? 

I know these type of questions are asked on here often, but I have struggled to find any definitive answers that relate specifically to my situation. Alternatively, if anyone can point me to a resource that could answer my questions more thoroughly that would be appreciated.

Thanks


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

goldenhinde said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> I am currently a UK citizen living in London. My girlfriend has duel US/Canadian citizenship and we plan to marry in the UK in 2011. Once married, we would like to move back to either California or Vancouver to be near friends and family.
> 
> ...


I'm originally from the UK and also hold Canadian/US citizenship so I've been through the entire immigration process in both Canada and the US. I sincerely doubt that your condition is going to cause a problem in terms of your ability to become a PR in either Canada or the US.

For Canada, read this:

Canada Immigration Criminal and Medical Admissibility Criteria

_"According to Section 19(1)(a) of the Immigration Act, persons are inadmissible if they are suffering from a disease, disorder, disability or other health impairment and, in the opinion of a medical officer concurred in by at least one other medical officer: 

- they are likely to be a danger to public health or to safety; 
- they will or might cause excessive demands on Canadian health care and social services system. _

Although the standard of healthcare in Canada and the US is very good (and similiar), there are differences in how healthcare is administered. Canada has free and universally available healthcare for all. You'll be eligible for this usually after a waiting period (e.g. I believe it's 3 months in Ontario) so it's a good idea to purchase medical insurance during this period if at all possible. 

In the US, healthcare is not free and universally available - it's usually provided by an employer through a health insurance provider (you may have to pay some fees in addition to the fees your employer pays). About 40-50 million Americans don't have health insurance at all. So you'll be dealing with your employer's (or your wife's employer's) health insurance plan and health insurance company.  I have found this to be the single most frustrating thing about living in the US. There's also the concept of a "pre-existing condition" whereby some health insurance companies refuse to cover you for a health condition you already had before you joined their health insurance plan. This is something that Obama wants to abolish but it's currently still preventing many Americans from switching jobs because they are afraid of switching health plans and then being refused coverage for existing health conditions. Read more on this here.

These are things you'll need to consider carefully before you decide whether to live in Canada or the US. Good luck!


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

MarylandNed said:


> I'm originally from the UK and also hold Canadian/US citizenship so I've been through the entire immigration process in both Canada and the US. I sincerely doubt that your condition is going to cause a problem in terms of your ability to become a PR in either Canada or the US.
> 
> For Canada, read this:
> 
> ...


I have been trying to get medical insurance for my UK born husband if his pre exsisting illness is accpeted to live in canada, and I couldn't get any. As soon as you say pre exsisting illness its a no no.


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

joannesykes0047 said:


> I have been trying to get medical insurance for my UK born husband if his pre exsisting illness is accpeted to live in canada, and I couldn't get any. As soon as you say pre exsisting illness its a no no.


With regards Canada, we might be talking about something completely different. 

I was talking about a medical condition that stops someone from emigrating to Canada. Assuming the medical condition is not serious enough to prevent immigration, then the immigrant will be covered under the provincial health plan - usually after a waiting period (e.g. 3 months in Ontario). 

While waiting for provincial healthcare to kick in, an immigrant would normally purchase private medical insurance if possible. Is this the part you're talking about?


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

MarylandNed said:


> With regards Canada, we might be talking about something completely different.
> 
> I was talking about a medical condition that stops someone from emigrating to Canada. Assuming the medical condition is not serious enough to prevent immigration, then the immigrant will be covered under the provincial health plan - usually after a waiting period (e.g. 3 months in Ontario).
> 
> While waiting for provincial healthcare to kick in, an immigrant would normally purchase private medical insurance if possible. Is this the part you're talking about?


Yes it is. In another forum someone told me that if my husband has a pre exsisting illness then it will be a no, and there was no point applying.


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

joannesykes0047 said:


> Yes it is. In another forum someone told me that if my husband has a pre exsisting illness then it will be a no, and there was no point applying.


Yeah, unfortunately that can happen and it's really unrelated to Canada's immigration and provincial healthcare systems. Private companies often have their own rules and regulations regarding what they will and will not cover in medical and travel insurance policies.

I'm not sure what your current situation is in terms of how far along you are in the immigration process and where you're currently living (UK or Canada). Have you determined that your husband'condition does not disqualify him from emigrating to Canada? If it doesn't, then he will eventually be able to get provincial healthcare insurance- and it's just the waiting period that you need to worry about. 

Have you actually tried getting private medical insurance to cover the provincial healthcare waiting period? If so, did you try purchasing this in the UK, Canada or both?


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

MarylandNed said:


> Yeah, unfortunately that can happen and it's really unrelated to Canada's immigration and provincial healthcare systems. Private companies often have their own rules and regulations regarding what they will and will not cover in medical and travel insurance policies.
> 
> I'm not sure what your current situation is in terms of how far along you are in the immigration process and where you're currently living (UK or Canada). Have you determined that your husband'condition does not disqualify him from emigrating to Canada? If it doesn't, then he will eventually be able to get provincial healthcare insurance- and it's just the waiting period that you need to worry about.
> 
> Have you actually tried getting private medical insurance to cover the provincial healthcare waiting period? If so, did you try purchasing this in the UK, Canada or both?


Hi. we are currently living in scotland. We haven't started the process yet, as we decided that after writing to a few forums, that we wouldn't get in. I applyed to quite a few medical insurance companies, and they all said that pre exsisting illness would not be covered, this is without them even finding out what my husbands condition is. My husband could go 3 months (waiting time) without his jag, but after that he might feel unwell. the only thing that worries me is that we couldn't afford his jag by ourselves, as we were told that canada doesn't pay towards medication. I realy appreciate all your answers, as I now feel realy down thinking there is no way we could go. How do I find out if my husbands condition will disqualify him. I can't find a list of illness to check.


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

joannesykes0047 said:


> Hi. we are currently living in scotland. We haven't started the process yet, as we decided that after writing to a few forums, that we wouldn't get in. I applyed to quite a few medical insurance companies, and they all said that pre exsisting illness would not be covered, this is without them even finding out what my husbands condition is. My husband could go 3 months (waiting time) without his jag, but after that he might feel unwell. the only thing that worries me is that we couldn't afford his jag by ourselves, as we were told that canada doesn't pay towards medication. I realy appreciate all your answers, as I now feel realy down thinking there is no way we could go. How do I find out if my husbands condition will disqualify him. I can't find a list of illness to check.


It's up to the doctor who performs your husband's medical to determine whether his is medically admissable. There's no way to determine that for certain without going through the process. You could try contacting the Canadian Embassy in London to see if they can give you some guidance as to whether it would be worth applying.


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