Can newcomers claim EI maternity or parental benefits?
Potentially, yes. Federal EI maternity and parental benefits are tied to the EI eligibility rules rather than Canadian citizenship. A temporary foreign worker or permanent resident may qualify when the applicable EI conditions are met, including insurable employment and the required insurable hours.
Quebec is different: workers who are residents of Quebec at the start of the benefit period generally use the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) for maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits.
Federal EI eligibility outside Quebec
- You generally need 600 hours of insurable employmentin the qualifying period for EI special benefits.
- The qualifying period is generally the shorter of the 52 weeks before the start of the claim or the period since the start of a previous EI benefit period.
- Your normal weekly earnings must generally be reduced by more than 40% because of the reason for the special-benefit claim.
- Self-employed people can have a separate EI special-benefit pathway if they opted into the EI program and meet its additional requirements.
- Immigration status by itself does not guarantee EI entitlement; the claim must meet the applicable EI rules.
Federal EI maternity and parental benefit amounts — 2026
| Benefit | Rate | Maximum for one claimant | Maximum shared family weeks | Maximum weekly amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternity | 55% | Up to 15 weeks | Not applicable | $729 |
| Standard parental | 55% | Up to 35 weeks | Up to 40 weeks | $729 |
| Extended parental | 33% | Up to 61 weeks | Up to 69 weeks | $437 |
Maternity benefits can be followed by parental benefits. When parents share parental benefits, the total shared weeks increase to 40 under the standard option and 69 under the extended option, subject to the maximum that one parent can take.
Federal EI benefit estimator
This is an estimate only. Service Canada calculates the actual EI amount using your insurable earnings and the applicable “best weeks” calculation. The tool below uses your entered average weekly insurable earnings as a simplified estimate.
Waiting period — current 2026 temporary rule
The normal EI legislation contains a one-week waiting period, but the Government of Canada has temporarily waived the waiting period for initial claims beginning between March 30, 2025 and October 10, 2026, regardless of benefit type. Because the current date is within that period, the old advice to budget for an automatic unpaid first week is not current for qualifying initial claims.
How to apply
- Apply as soon as possible after you stop working. Canada.ca says you may lose benefits if you wait more than 4 weeks after your last day of work.
- Do not wait for your Record of Employment if you otherwise have enough information to submit the application. Required documents can be provided after applying.
- Provide employer information, your SIN, banking details, the child's expected or actual birth date and other requested information.
- Electronic ROEs are sent directly to Service Canada. Paper ROEs should be provided as instructed.
- Check the claim through My Service Canada Account after applying.
Choosing standard vs extended parental benefits
| Standard | Extended | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 55% up to $729/week | 33% up to $437/week |
| One-parent maximum | 35 weeks | 61 weeks |
| Shared family maximum | 40 weeks | 69 weeks |
| Changing the choice | The option cannot be changed after a week of parental benefits has been paid to you, or after a payment has been made to the other parent when benefits are shared. | |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Useful distinction
EI benefits are federal except that Quebec operates its own parental-insurance system. Provincial employment-law maternity/parental leave and income-replacement benefits are separate from the federal EI payment calculation.