Your rights and responsibilities towards Employment Insurance (EI)

What you should know...
Your rights
Your responsibilities when requesting regular benefits, including fishing benefits
Your responsibilities when requesting maternity and parental
Your responsibilities when requesting sickness benefits
Your responsibilities when requesting compassionate care benefits
Our responsibilities to you...

The right to receive benefits involves a shared responsibility between you and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). Your responsibilities are determined according to the type of benefits you are requesting: regular benefits, including fishing benefits, maternity or parental, sickness or compassionate care benefits.

You have the right to:

• file a claim for EI;
• have help in making your claim;
• get help in looking for a job;
• receive benefits owing to you;
• appeal decisions about your benefits which you feel are unjust;
• see any government records which contain your personal information, under the Privacy Act.

When requesting regular benefits, including fishing benefits, you have the responsibility to:

• be willing and able to work at all times;
• actively look for work and keep a record of employers you contacted and when you contacted them;
• report all periods when you are not available for work;
• provide all required information and documents;
• keep appointments with our office;
• notify us of any separation from employment and the reasons for separation;
• report all employment, whether you work for someone else or for yourself; 
• accurately report all earnings before deductions from employment, in the week(s) in which they were earned, as well as any other monies you may receive;
• report any absence from your area of residence;
• report any absence from Canada.

• provide all required information and documents;
• provide our office with your child's actual date of birth;
• provide the date of the child's placement with you, in the case of an adoption, and the name and address of the adoption authority;
• report all employment, whether you work for someone else or for yourself; and
• accurately report all earnings before deductions from employment, in the week(s) in which they were earned, as well as any other monies you may receive.

When requesting sickness benefits you have the responsibility to:

• provide a medical certificate indicating the start date and expected end date of your illness;
• provide all other required information and documents;
• report any absence from your area of residence;
• report any absence from Canada;
• report all employment, whether you work for someone else or for yourself; and
• accurately report all earnings before deductions from employment, in the week(s) in which they were earned, as well as any other monies you may receive.

When requesting compassionate care benefits you have the responsibility to:

• provide care or support to an ill family member;
• provide a medical certificate for compassionate care benefits completed and signed by a doctor or other medical practitioner indicating that the ill family member has a significant risk of death within the next 26 weeks and requires care or support;
• provide all other required information and documents;
• notify Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) of any situation that may arise which could affect EI benefits. Example: the ill family member dies or no longer requires care or support;
• report all employment, whether you work for someone else or yourself;
• report accurately all employment earnings before deductions, in the week(s) in which they were earned, as well as any other moneys you may receive; and
• decide with other eligible family members who will serve the 2-week waiting period if compassionate care benefits are shared.

 Our responsibilities to you...