Organization : Government of Canada
Facility : Apply for EI Fishing Benefit Employment Insurance
Country : Canada
Website : https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-fishing.html
Canada Apply for EI Fishing Benefit
Employment Insurance (EI) provides fishing benefits to qualifying, self-employed fishersFootnote 1 who are actively seeking work.
Related : Citizenship & Immigration Apply Online for Employment Insurance Canada : www.statusin.org/23504.html
Unlike regular EI benefits, eligibility for EI fishing benefits is based on earnings, not insurable hours of employment. Fishers may be eligible to receive regular fishing benefits as well as sickness, maternity, parental, compassionate care and/or family caregiver benefits.
Eligibility
Your eligibility depends on how much you earned from self-employment in fishing during your qualifying period. The qualifying period for summer fishing benefits cannot start earlier than the week of March 1.
For winter fishing benefits, it cannot start earlier than September 1. The qualifying period also cannot start more than 31 weeks immediately before the start of a benefit period.
If you applied for benefits earlier and your application was approved in the last 31 weeks, the qualifying period is from the start of the previous benefit period to the start of your new benefit period.
The amount you need to earn during your qualifying period varies depending on the unemployment rate in the region where you live. As Table 1 shows, you need to earn a minimum of between $2,500 and $4,200 during your qualifying period to qualify for fishing benefits.
How Much Could You Receive
We cannot tell you exactly how much you will receive without having processed your application.
Calculation Of Benefits
To calculate your weekly EI fishing benefit, we consider your total earnings during your qualifying period. The earliest start date of the qualifying period is the week of March 1 for summer fishing or September 1 for winter fishing.
This is how we calculate your weekly benefit :
** We calculate your total self-employment earnings from fishing during your qualifying period—the last 31 weeks or from the start date of your last claim for EI benefits (we use the total earnings from the shorter period).
** We determine the unemployment rate in your region and select the divisor that applies at that unemployment rate (see Table 1).
** We divide your total self-employment earnings from fishing during your qualifying period by the applicable divisor. This gives us your weekly insurable earnings from self-employment in fishing.
** If you have earnings from employment other than as a self-employed fisher, we calculate your total earnings from the last 26 weeks of that other employment, using only the weeks contained in the fishing qualifying period.
We divide this amount by the applicable divisor or by the number of weeks worked, whichever is greater. This gives us your weekly insurable earnings from regular employment.
Apply
To apply for EI fishing benefits, you must submit an application online. The website takes you step by step through the application process, and provides details on how to complete the form.
You should apply no later than four weeks after :
** your last day of work;
** the end date of your fishing trip; or
** the date you sold your catch to a buyer.
You may lose benefits if you are late applying for benefits. You must also provide copies of all Records of Employment (ROEs) in paper format you have received from buyers of your catch or from employers you have worked in insurable employment during the last 52 weeks or since your last claim.
If buyers or employers submit ROEs electronically to Service Canada, you do not have to provide copies to Service Canada.