Hi

My husband and I are in Calgary, Canada on work permits while waiting for our permanent residency to come through (medical requests due any time but now will be a problem with not being able to have Xrays). Only now we have just found out I am pregnant. I have only been working for my company for a few weeks and it is through an agency and the company is not due to take me on permanently for 2 months! I don't think I will be entitled to any maternity pay etc and I don't know if I will be entitled to any benefits either.

Its turning into a real worry financially. Does any one have any idea what my situation is or who i need to talk to?

thanks so much

Many companies here in Canada do not pay out maternity leave. Well, the majority of companies I have worked for anyhow. Your other option is to, if eligible, apply for UI but you need to meet the minimum requirements.

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/cgi-bin/hrsdc...6/page03.shtml

Unfortunately, I don't know what companies would pay out if they did pay maternity leave, but UI pays a percentage of what your monthly income was.

It's one option anyhow to look into. Not sure how they treat those with working visas.

Good luck and wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy.

Yup Leeann is right, you can get maternity benefits through EI... It is usually 55% of your total taxable earnings from the last 26 weeks you are working and are offered for 35 weeks. Unfortunately health care is through work though. Most companies I know will start giving you health care benefits after you complete your probationary period, ie: 3 months. Most only offer for fulltime though, I get them through my SO.

Don't sweat the 3 month probation though. Every place of employment does this, and you can't be let go because you are pregnant. It is a right.

Im going through the same thing, I just got hired at a hospital and found out I was pregnant. I went to my interview not knowing, and it took 3 weeks for them to hire and now im pregnant. I will probably only get to work for 6 months or so, hopefully they wont hate me lol, it is a job offer of a lifetime, especially for someone my age (im 23) and i'd like to go back to this job after my mat leave.

So its all new to me to me too.