Canada | Waiting period for employment insurance temporarily waived

The government of Canada has introduced temporary Employment Insurance (EI) measures to improve access to EI benefits, including waiving the one-week waiting period.

Key Points:

• The following includes some of the temporary EI measures in effect:
  • The waiting period is waived for all new claims for EI benefits that start between March 30, 2025, and Oct. 11, 2025. Typically, before benefits are received there is usually a one-week waiting period during which the beneficiary will not be paid.
  • Earnings from separation will not be deducted from benefits for claims or allocations that start between March 30, 2025, and Oct. 11, 2025.
  • For claims starting between April 6, 2025, and July 12, 2025, unemployment rates for regions with rates under 13.1% will be adjusted.
• More details on minimum requirements to qualify for EI regular and fishing benefits under the temporary measure can be found here.

Additional Information: The temporary EI measures were introduced to support workers in response to major changes in economic conditions and provide “resources and solutions to help manage the potential effects of the evolving Canada-United States relationship.”

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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