Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, scores of workers in Canada have lost their jobs and it is estimated that up until now, 1.6 million EI (Employment Insurance) applications have been filed. The federal government realized that EI alone won’t help individuals sustain their current lifestyle during this outbreak. As a result, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was introduced to temporarily assist those who have lost income during this period regardless of whether you have EI or not.

It would provide eligible applicants $500 per week for 16 weeks. The application procedure and eligibility criteria can be found below.

How to apply

Applications would start being processed by the CRA on April 6^th. Those who are currently without work and are eligible for EI should apply for Employment Insurance now.

Even if you are not eligible for EI, you may apply for CERB through the Canada Revenue Agency.

Provided below is a chart table from the CRA on the days to apply for CERB corresponding to your birth month. You may apply online or via phone.

Eligibility Criteria

The CERB can be claimed by workers who:

• Reside in Canada and are at least 15 years of age.
• Have stopped working because of COVID-19 or those who qualify for EI regular /sickness benefits
• Had income of at least $5000 in 2019 or 12 months prior to submitting the application (this includes those who have been self-employed). This income may also be a combination of: self-employment, maternity and parental benefits under EI and/or similar benefits within Quebec under Parental Insurance plan.
• Are expected to be without income for at least 14 consecutive days in the initial 4-week period.

Note: You do not need a medical certificate to apply for the CERB; all you need to do is fill out an online application.

You will start getting the benefits within 10 days of the application (no waiting period)

You can either choose direct deposit or cheque as payment methods (the former will get you the benefits quicker)

Benefits received are not to be considered tax-free. They won’t be deducted at the source, but you have to declare them as income while filing taxes for 2020.

Due to the swelling number of cases relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Canadian universities/colleges have either shut down their on-campus activities or shifted to online classes. The following is an advisory from The Consulate General of India Toronto issued on March 22, 2020, for Indian students who may be affected by such decisions.

• Check with your institution on how to avail essential services such as student health insurance, international student services, etc.
• Students are advised to reach out to their respective institutions to seek clarity on study permit extension and how the online mode of class delivery could impact their course credit and visa status
• Although most colleges and universities are requesting students to move out of Residence, international students may not be in a position to do so or return home due to travel restrictions. In such cases, they would need to fill out the Residence Extension Request form (available with each institution) explaining their individual situations. Most colleges so far have given encouraging responses. However, if your institution cannot provide a viable solution, it must be brought to the notice of the Consulate if that institution is under its jurisdiction.
• As of now, Canada has closed its borders to foreign travelers. So, in order to remain updated regarding local situations visit https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid19.html for more information.
• All plans to travel to India from Canada would have to be set aside for now as India has barred all international commercial flights from landing on its soil till March 29, 2020. For more clarifications regarding travel advisories issued by the Government of India regarding this matter, do refer to https://www.mohfw.gov.in/.
• Indian students are advised to register with the Government of India’s MADAD portal to receive regular updates. You can register on https://portal2.madad.gov.in/AppConsular/user/RegistrationBaseAction?request_locale= en&userType=Student
• If you experience the COVID-19 symptoms such as dry cough, fever, and difficulty in breathing, it is advised that you isolate yourself and use the self-assessment tool available on https://ca.thrive.health/covid19/en to know what to do next.

For all other emergencies, students can reach out to the help-line numbers of the Consulate at +1647-668 4108

Valid study permits and work permits accepted at the border for coming
to Canada now.

After a dismal week shutting down hopes of international students and workers alike as a result of talks
surrounding the international border restrictions, there is a silver lining to be seen today as the Deputy
Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland made it clear that “ valid study and work permits to come to Canada
will be respected at the border, and this includes temporary workers too”. The same shall also be
respected at the US-Canada border as well as other international borders. The only caveat is that those
individuals must self-isolate for a minimum of two weeks in line with national preventive measures,
which sounds more than reasonable. The following is a list of situations deemed as “essential travel”
that shall be permitted through the borders. Travel for the purposes of tourism and recreation is
deemed as “non-essential” travel and is prohibited at the moment.

   Citizens of the USA and legal Permanent Residents returning back to the States.
   Travel for medical purposes ( for instance, to obtain treatment in the United States)
   To attend educational institutions( aka international students with valid study visas)
   For work in the United States (individuals working in farming or agricultural sectors who need
to travel between US and Canada to further their work)
   Travel as part of emergency response or public health response( government
officials/emergency responders who need to go to US to support efforts regarding COVID-19)
   Truck drivers for the movement of cargo across the border for lawful cross-border trade.
   Travel for diplomatic
   Active personnel and family members of U.S Armed Forces, military-related travel/operations
As the Deputy Minister stated, work that requires 2 to 6 months is being done in just 2-3 days, and so a
lot of information is yet to come out. At the moment, there is uncertainty regarding the case of those
with CoPR.

LATEST EXPRESS ENTRY DRAW

In other news, the latest Express Entry draw has been announced which is inviting 668 candidates to
apply for Permanent Residence. The minimum CRS points required was 720. This draw only includes
candidates that had provincial nominations aligned with Express Entry.
Despite the coronavirus measures dragging down IRCC services, Canada is still in the process of
striving to meet its immigration targets set for 2020. Those express Entry candidates with a provincial
nomination would receive an additional 600 CRS points, thereby effectively guaranteeing ITAs.
In the last few weeks, PNP in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Prince Edward Islands
issued more than 5000 ITAs to express entry candidates. To effectively find out how to increase your
CRS points, there are plenty of options available including improving your language assessment bands
(write IELTS) or consult with an immigration agent to find out more.
The IRCC shall continue to process applications related to draws in the coming weeks too.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced today that the federal government intends to spend up to a whopping $82 billion to alleviate Canadian concerns amid the Coronavirus pandemic, out of which $27 billion is intended exclusively to directly support Canadian workers and businesses. This is said to meet the liquidity needs of Canadian households and businesses mainly through tax deferrals. This figure alone accounts for more than 3 % of Canada’s GDP.

The following are some of the highlights and takeaways of his speech today:

 SICKNESS BENEFITS BEYOND EI

There are those Canadians amongst us who remain in isolation without paid sick leave or access to Employment Insurance sickness benefits. For them, a new Emergency Care benefit is being introduced which would provide up to $900 bi-weekly for a maximum of 15 weeks. This translates to about $10 billion to the federal government. The coverage is extended to those who are caring for a family member diagnosed with COVID-19 and parents who have to perform childcare duties while schools remain closed.

Applications for the same shall be available in April 2020.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS BEYOND EI

Ottawa is also considering providing income supports to workers who lost or will lose their jobs as a result of this pandemic. The estimated cost of this budget is said to be $5 billion.

WAGE SUBSIDY

To avoid businesses from doing lay-offs, the government plans to provide a subsidy equal to 10% of employee wages (that’s up to $1,375 per employee and $25000 per employer). This subsidy could cost around $3.8 billion

INCOME SUPPORTS

Good news for those currently receiving Canada Child Care Benefits (CCB)! Over the coming months, Trudeau has announced that a maximum of $300 extra shall be given per child for the benefit year. Families are expected to receive this extra benefit in May.

Another benefit deduced from his speech is that Ottawa will also double the Goods and Services Tax Credit (GSTC), thereby providing an additional $400 for low-income individuals and nearly $600 extra for couples.

Bill Morneau, the Finance Minister stated to reporters saying that single parents would thus be eligible for roughly $1500 in support thanks to both the measures combined

TAX DEADLINE POSTPONED

Following suit of the US, the tax deadline is now set to be on June 1. However, those with tax balances owing shall be able to defer the respective payments interest-free until July 31. Businesses shall be allowed to defer their tax payments until after August 31 (no interest or penalties will get accumulated).

MORATORIUM ON STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS

The PM also was heard stating that the government will also be proposing a six- month, interest-free moratorium on the repayment of federal student loans.

WHAT’S OPEN & WHAT’S CLOSED NOW:

Listed below is a quick glance at what’s still open and what remains closed in Ontario:

• All publicly-funded schools in Ontario are to remain closed till April 5.
• Gyms and health centers (including YMCAs) to remain closed till at least mid- April
• Bars and restaurants to shift to a drive-through and take-out only mode (no dining in)
• Cinemas will only reopen on April 2 or until further notice.
• Visitor and Cultural Attractions
• Shopping (Costco and other grocery retail chains are exempted. However, restrictions on the number of people that can enter at a time shall be implemented)
• LCBO, the Beer Store, and Cannabis stores remain open
• Banks (till now only CIBC has all of its branches operational with modified hours, along with RBC. Do check in with your respective bank as it changes from city to city)

As the window of international travel keeps on shrinking, now may be the best time to get back home while you still have a chance.

Feeling the heat of the widespread number of cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, the federal government is now earnestly persuading Canadians to get back to Canada while it is still possible as the noose on travel bans across the globe gets tighter. Markedly, Canadians who are presently in Europe face hardships trying to come back as a big chunk of scheduled flights have now been canceled ahead of the impending border closures in many EU countries.

“Airlines have canceled flights. New restrictions may be imposed with little warning. Your travel plans may be severely disrupted and you may be forced to remain outside of Canada longer than expected,” the ministry of Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

A quintessential example of this struggle can be seen in Poland where the media mentions next to nothing on how foreigners can get back home while driving home the message that all Polish people need to come back.

Ontario has shaped up to be the national outbreak’s epicenter as a total of 22 new cases were reported last Saturday, of which 6 are linked to travel outside Canada. The official national tally in Canada is 225 as of today. New cases were confirmed elsewhere in the country, bringing the official national tally to 225.

Premier Francois Legault of Quebec has requested residents over the age of 70 to remain at home until further notice. Also, restrictions regarding visiting senior’s residences and long-term care facilities have been stepped up in an effort to quell the outbreak. All but “essential” visitors which include relatives of those drawing their last breaths or severely ill or caregivers of sick youths shall be exempted.

As the national tally of cases keeps piling up, businesses and sports organizations are going out of their way to take steps which can only be described as an “abundance of caution” in an effort to curb the spread while meeting minimal losses.

Even though the situation looks grim now, Canadian public health officials are of the belief that the risk to the public remains low if they rigorously wash their hands and implement social distancing.

In spite of that, for the exclusive some, such as Canadians aged 65 and over with compromised immune systems along with pre-existing health conditions, the virus could exacerbate things.

Out of the total number of Canadian cases diagnosed with the illness so far, it may be comforting to know that only 15 % have required hospitalization.

As of now, the Parliament remains suspended till April 20^th and in certain cities, schools, colleges, and universities remain closed until further notice. Stay tuned for further updates.