Employment Insurance (EI) is a form of financial support offered by the Government of Canada to workers who have lost their job through no fault of their own. If eligibility criteria are met, a person can receive Employment Insurance benefits for a set period of time.
Review the eligibility criteria below to see if you qualify.
Condition 1: You have lost your job
You must not be responsible for losing your job, i.e. you cannot claim EI benefits if you:
- Were terminated for professional misconduct
- Quit your job
In some cases, the law allows for people who quit their jobs to still be eligible for EI benefits. These cases include:
- Situations where the employee was a victim of harassment
- The employer pressured the employee to quit
- The person quit to follow their spouse who found work in a different region
- The person was subject to dangerous working conditions
Note that you are not eligible for EI benefits if you are participating in a work stoppage or strike.
Condition 2: You worked in an “insurable” job
A job is considered insurable if it is undertaken under the authority of a Canadian employer (excluding self-employed workers). This means the employer controlled your salary, your working hours and your responsibilities.
When you apply for EI benefits, you must include the name and address of all employers for whom you worked, detail the reasons why you stopped working for them and provide the start and end dates of each job you had.
Note that you cannot claim EI benefits if you are imprisoned or jailed, or in a similar institution.
Condition 3: You worked the minimum number of insurable hours
To find out if you have worked the minimum number of hours required to qualify for EI benefits, tally up the hours you worked during the time frame for which you are applying for benefits. This “reference period” is generally the 52 weeks (1 year) preceding your application for benefits, but it can also depend on your unique situation.
Here are two cases where your “reference period” may be extended or shortened:
- If you already received EI benefits during the year
- If you were unable to work for part of the year (due to pregnancy or sick leave)
The number of hours worked in the reference period to be eligible for EI benefits varies by region and also takes into account the rate of unemployment in the area. Depending on where you live, the number of worked hours that you must have accumulated to be eligible for EI benefits is between 420 and 700.
Condition 4: You have not worked or been paid for a period of seven consecutive days or more during your reference period
In addition to the other criteria outlined above, you can apply for EI benefits if you did not work or get paid for a period of seven (7) consecutive days or more during your reference period.
It’s strongly recommended that you make your application for EI benefits as soon as possible after losing your job, to avoid losing out on benefits that you are eligible for.
Condition 5: You must be ready, willing and able to work, but currently unable to find a job
To be eligible for EI benefits, you must be able to start working immediately and be actively looking for work. You are not allowed to travel outside of Canada while receiving EI benefits. You must also not be enrolled in an educational institution.
If the EI program administrators ask you to provide evidence that you are indeed actively looking for work, make sure you have a list of employers you have contacted as well as the positions you’ve applied for and the time when you applied.
Conclusion
If you are not eligible for EI benefits, consult this list of benefits provided by the provincial and federal governments to find out which you may be eligible for.
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