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Trudeau Closes CERB

Blog posted on by Evelyn Ackah in Family Class and Coronavirus - COVID

Trudeau Closes CERB

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is now closed. CERB was put in place to give financial support to employed and self-employed Canadians who are directly affected by COVID-19 and was available to all eligible workers including Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and foreign workers on work permits.

The government is now transitioning to new COVID-19 benefits under Employment Insurance (EI) and New Recovery Benefits, which became available September 27, 2020, and will continue to be available through September 25, 2021.

Options After CERB:

If you do not qualify for EI:

  • Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)
  • Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB)
  • Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)

Employment Insurance Benefits and Immigration

Is This Considered Social Assistance Under IRPR?

According to Section 2 of IRPR (Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations), social assistance means:

any benefit in the form of money, goods or services provided to or on behalf of a person by a province under a program of social assistance, including a program of social assistance designated by a province to provide for basic requirements, including food, shelter, clothing, fuel, utilities, household supplies, personal requirements and health care not provided by public health care, including dental care and eye care.”

No: Employment Insurance and New Recover Benefits are not considered social assistance, but each person should consult with their accountant.

Family Sponsorship Eligibility

One of the key requirements of being a family sponsor is being financially sound. A person who wishes to sponsor a family member to immigrate to Canada will not be able to do so if they are “in receipt of social assistance for a reason other than disability.” If you receive social assistance, you cannot sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, children, parent or other relatives.

CERB Payback

Some CERB recipients who have been found to be ineligible for the benefit have been encouraged to repay the CERB money they received to avoid any 2021 tax troubles. While some recipients were approved for the benefits in error due to confusion over eligibility requirements, others deliberately committed fraud to apply under the emergency relief program's "trust-but-verify approach to benefit eligibility."

Book A Consultation

How Can Ackah Law Help Your Immigration Problem?

If you have questions about your immigration application or eligibility and receiving benefits due to the COVID crisis, or other immigration issues during the coronavirus restrictions or for post-restriction business, contact Ackah Law today at (587) 602-0217 Ext. 100 or 1-800-932-1190 or email contact@ackahlaw.com.


Evelyn L. Ackah, BA, LL.B.

Founder/Managing Lawyer

Ms. Ackah is passionate about immigration law because it focuses on people and relationships, which are at the core of her personal values. Starting her legal career as a corporate/commercial ...

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It is hard enough in the normal course of business to obtain permanent resident status in Canada. Imagine the difficulty in gaining that status with a 36 year old developmentally disabled daughter. That was our experience. My husband had been recruited for the C.E.O. position at the Calgary Public Library. Even the process to obtain temporary work permits for all three of our family members took some time and effort. The Ackah Firm was with us every step of the way. They gave us good advice, managed the paperwork and kept my husband’s employer informed. They were also proactive by insisting that we get on with the process of permanent residency in a timely fashion. Again their experience and knowledge paid off. They utilized other legal expertise to make a case that our daughter would not be a burden to the Country or the Province. They were respectful of our point of view that despite her disabilities she had always been an active and engaged member of the community. We were pleased that permanent residence for parents and child came through fully six months before the temporary status expired.

– Margaret and Bill Ptacek

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