Work Permit Renewals and Medical Services Plan Coverage (January, 2022) 

Memorandum
Date: January 13, 2022
To: Faculty and Staff with Work Permits
From: Human Resources
Subject: Work Permit Renewals and Medical Services Plan (MSP) Coverage

If you work in British Columbia under a work permit and you are enrolled in the Medical Services Plan (MSP), your MSP coverage will end at the end of the month that your work permit expires and will be reinstated upon receipt of your new work permit. 

For this reason, it is imperative that you apply for your new work permit well in advance. 

If you are applying for a new work permit, it is important that you apply as far in advance of the expiry date of your current work permit as possible. This will avoid a lapse in MSP coverage and ensure that you can legally continue to work for UBC. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website (IRCC) provides the current processing time for a work permit extension (same employer) whether submitting the application online or by paper. 

Once you receive your new work permit, please send a copy of your new work permit to your Department Administrator and Health Insurance BC (HIBC). 

Depending on your work permit renewal status, the following three situations may apply: 

1) You receive your new work permit prior to the expiry of your old work permit. 

Your MSP and Extended Health coverage is continuous. 

2) Your work permit has expired and you have Maintained Status (previously known as Implied Status) while you wait for your new work permit. 

Your MSP coverage will end at the end of the month that your work permit expires and HIBC will reinstate your coverage upon receipt of your new work permit. 

Your Extended Health can continue for up to 90 days while on Maintained Status. This also applies to your eligible dependents. 

• Provide a copy of your new work permit to HIBC as soon as possible. 

• HIBC will reinstate your MSP coverage upon receipt of your new work permit. 

• HIBC will reinstate your coverage retroactive to the date it originally ended to ensure continuous coverage. You do not need to reapply for coverage. 

• During the period of time where you are on Maintained Status, you will need to personally pay for any doctor or hospital expenses incurred during this time. 

• Once your MSP coverage is reinstated, you may request reimbursement for these expenses from HIBC by completing the Reimbursement Request form. 

We recommend that you purchase private coverage while you are on Maintained Status (and not covered for MSP) if you have a pre-existing condition, are pregnant (or your spouse is) or anticipate that you and/or your dependents will obtain doctor and/or hospital services and you do not want to wait until your new work permit is issued in order to be reimbursed. Please contact Janet McHugh at janet.mchugh@ubc.ca or 604-822-6823 for further details or to arrange for coverage. If you purchase private coverage, you can request through HIBC that your MSP coverage is reinstated using the first of the month that your work permit issuance date falls under, rather than retroactive to the date it originally ended.  

If you are on Maintained Status and your current work permit has expired, you should not travel outside Canada. If you do leave Canada, Maintained Status ends immediately and you no longer have status to work in Canada. You must cease work and UBC must cease paying you until you can provide a valid work permit. For more information, visit the IRCC website. 

3) Your work permit has expired and you no longer have status to work in Canada because you have either not applied for your work permit prior to the expiry of your previous one, your Maintained Status has ended or IRCC has indicated you must apply for Restoration of Status. 

You may not perform work for UBC and your salary will cease. Your MSP coverage will end at the end of the month that your work permit expires. Once a new work permit has been issued HIBC will review your new work permit and determine when your MSP coverage will start. 

Your Extended Health coverage will end when your MSP coverage ends. This also applies to your eligible dependents. You will need to waive your Extended Health Plan coverage through Workday.  You will then need to re-enrol in the Extended Health Plan through Workday once your MSP has been reinstated. 

• For these situations, there will be a lapse in MSP coverage. You must purchase private coverage during this time, otherwise, you will be out-of-pocket for any doctor and hospital services you and/or your dependents receive during this time. Please contact Janet McHugh at janet.mchugh@ubc.ca or 604-822-6823 for further details or to arrange for coverage. 

• Provide a copy of your new work permit to your Department Administrator and HIBC as soon as possible. 

• HIBC will review your new work permit and determine when your MSP coverage will start. It may start the first of the month of your work permit issuance date or HIBC may require that you serve another waiting period. HIBC will inform you of their decision in writing.  

• Note that if you are without status you may not perform any work for UBC. 

Questions? 

If you have any questions about renewing your work permit, please contact your Department or Faculty administrator. 

If you have any questions about your MSP enrolment, please contact Health Insurance BC directly at 604-683-7151.