Canada Social Welfare — Overview

Canadian welfare runs on a dual structure with the federal government and 13 provinces & territories sharing responsibility. Healthcare (Medicare), education, and social assistance are provincial under the constitution, but federal financial transfers (the Canada Health Act, Canada Social Transfer) condition national minimum standards. So even within Canada, Ontario, Quebec, BC, and Alberta have different program names, eligibility, and benefit levels. It's much more accurate to think of "Canadian welfare" as federal programs (pension, EI, child benefit, taxes) + your province's programs (health, education, housing) rather than a single national system.

Key things to know as an immigrant:

• Eligibility is often "residence" rather than "citizenship". Permanent residents (PRs) get core healthcare, CCB, and EI on the same basis as citizens. A few programs (OAS/GIS) scale with years of Canadian residence.
• The first steps after arrival: SIN (Social Insurance Number) → provincial health card → register an address with the CRA. Without all three, you can't claim EI, CCB, or get a health card.
• The Canada–Korea social security treaty (in force 1999) lets you combine Korean National Pension with Canadian CPP contributions, so missing the minimum on one side doesn't lose your entitlement. There's also a separate Canada–Korea tax treaty preventing double taxation.
• Quebec runs its own system for almost everything (RAMQ, QPP, QPIP, separate tax return). If you live in Quebec, treat it separately from the other 9 provinces.

The nine areas at a glance

• Health (health) — provincial public insurance (OHIP, RAMQ, MSP, etc.). Core care is essentially free; prescriptions, dental, and vision are separate.
• Pension (pension) — three-tier: contribution-based CPP/QPP + residence-based OAS + low-income GIS top-up.
• Unemployment (unemployment) — Employment Insurance (EI), typically 14–45 weeks. Self-employed enrol separately.
• Family (family) — tax-free Canada Child Benefit (CCB) paid monthly, plus provincial top-ups.
• Tax (tax) — federal + provincial tax filed together, GST/HST, resident vs. non-resident is the key distinction.
• Housing (housing) — social housing and rent supplements at province/city level. Foreign buyer ban extended to 2027.
• Education (education) — K–12 free in each province; for higher education, OSAP and similar loans; international students pay 4–5× domestic tuition.
• Parental (parental) — EI maternity/parental benefits 35–61 weeks; Quebec uses QPIP.

Things to watch

• All amounts and thresholds are as of 2026 and adjusted annually. Reconfirm at canada.ca and your provincial site before applying.
• "Resident" is defined differently in each program — tax resident, health-card resident, EI insured all run on separate tests.
• English and French are the official languages; in practice, Korean-language guidance is rare, so plan on English or bring a translator.

Official guidance: Canada.ca, [your provincial government website], Service Canada