Settling in Ontario

There is no waiting period: an eligible person is covered immediately.

The former three-month waiting period was removed from Regulation 552 in March 2020.

Every applicant must make Ontario their primary residence and be physically in Ontario for at least 153 of the first 183 days after starting to live there (and 153 days in any 12-month period).

Permanent residents are eligible (subject to the residence and presence requirements).

Applicants for permanent residence are eligible once IRCC has confirmed they meet the eligibility requirements to apply, as long as they have not been denied.

Work permit holders are eligible only if they work full-time in Ontario for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months.

The spouse and dependants of a qualifying work permit holder may also qualify.

In the regulation, the spouse or dependant must be legally entitled to stay in Canada.

The regulation requires the work permit, or an employer letter or document, to name the employer and the occupation and state at least six consecutive months of work.

A work permit holder whose permit has expired but who has maintained status may be eligible and should contact ServiceOntario.

International students: Regulation 552 accepts only the statuses listed in its section 1.4, and that list contains no study permit category, so a study permit alone does not make a student eligible for OHIP (no ontario.ca page says this in words; see "Not confirmed").

Ontario recommends that visitors buy private medical insurance (there is no newcomer waiting period, so this advice is aimed at visitors).

You bring the completed Registration for Ontario Health Insurance Coverage form and three separate original documents (status, Ontario residency, identity).

A work permit holder must also show proof of full-time employment for an Ontario employer.

The employer letter or contract must state that the employer intends to employ the person for at least six months.

A rental or lease agreement is one accepted proof of Ontario residency.

A foreign passport is an accepted proof of identity.

Licences from these countries can be exchanged: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Denmark, Isle of Man, Japan, South Korea, Kosovo, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, Taiwan and Ukraine.

Licences from any Canadian province or territory, the Canadian Armed Forces and U.S. states can also be exchanged (not U.S. territories).

A licence from a jurisdiction not on the list cannot be exchanged.

A driver from a jurisdiction without an exchange agreement must pass the vision test, knowledge test and G2 road test.

That driver must then wait at least 12 months before the G road test.

Since July 1, 2026, a driver from a country without an agreement can get credit for up to one year of experience with a valid original foreign licence and an authentication letter from the issuing government.

Commercial licence classes issued outside Canada cannot be exchanged, though the holder may qualify for a Class G or GM.

You apply in person at a DriveTest centre (or the ServiceOntario Bay and College location in Toronto), with your original valid foreign licence and identity documents, and take a vision test.

A licence not written in English or French must be translated by a certified translator.

Since May 11, 2026, a Class G or M applicant must declare that Ontario is their primary residence and that their presence in Canada is legal.

Under the Education Act, a board must charge the maximum fee to a pupil who is a temporary resident or holds a study permit, unless an exemption in subsection 49 (7) applies.

No fee is charged when a parent or custodian is in Canada under a work permit or is awaiting a decision on a work permit application.

No fee is charged when a parent is a permanent resident or is awaiting a decision on a permanent residence application.

No fee is charged when the child or a parent is claiming refugee protection or has been granted it.

No fee is charged when a parent studies full-time with a study permit at a university or college that receives Ontario operating grants (children of students at other institutions are not covered by this exemption).

A child under 18 cannot be refused admission because the child or a parent is in Canada unlawfully.

A regulation also exempts from fees children in Canada under an emergency authorization for humanitarian reasons (for example CUAET).

Children of visitors have no listed exemption; the Toronto District School Board (TDSB, Ontario's largest board) says their admission may be subject to fees.

At the TDSB, families collect the required documents and register online.

The TDSB requires proof of age (such as a birth certificate or passport), proof of the student's address and proof of immunization.

For a child born outside Canada, the TDSB checks the date of arrival; permanent resident and refugee claimant families can register directly at the school.

At the TDSB, a child whose parent holds a valid work permit can also register directly at the school.

At the TDSB, a child with a study permit, or whose parents are on study permits, first needs an admission letter from the board's International Students and Admissions Office (ISAO).

Fee-paying international students at the TDSB apply for a study permit after receiving the board's Official Letter of Acceptance.

TDSB tuition for fee-paying international students is CDN $17,000 for a full year (2026-2027 and 2027-2028 schedule).

TDSB emergency medical insurance is mandatory for international students and not included in tuition.

IRCC points to Ontario-funded settlement services as well as federally funded ones.

Ontario's newcomer portal is the "Get settled in Ontario" page on ontario.ca.

It points newcomers to settlement agencies that help them find the services they need.

The agencies help with housing, jobs, child care, school registration and other programs, free and in many languages.

The page points newcomers to the free 211 helpline, answered in more than 150 languages.

Ontario's "Newcomers" page lists provincial programs such as Ontario Bridge Training for licensing in a profession or trade.

The same page lists Global Experience Ontario, which explains how to qualify for professional practice.