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Service Canada

How to Apply for Employment Insurance (EI) Online

Apply online as soon as you stop working: waiting more than 4 weeks after your last day can cost you benefits. The application takes about 1 hour. You need your SIN, addresses, banking details and your employment details for the past 52 weeks.

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After you apply

New claims have a 1-week unpaid waiting period. Direct deposit payments arrive 2 business days after your EI report is processed. Service Canada may email or call you for information, but will not ask you to send information by email.

Step by step

  1. Gather your information.

    SIN (if it starts with 9, also proof of immigration status and a work permit), the last name at birth of one parent, mailing and home addresses, bank name, transit and account numbers, and every employer in the last 52 weeks with dates and the reason you left.

  2. Apply online right after your last day of work.

    The form takes about an hour. If you stop, use the temporary password you received to come back. Your information is kept for 72 hours.

  3. Sign up for direct deposit when you apply.
  4. Send your Records of Employment (ROEs).

    Your ROEs from each employer are used to decide eligibility. Documents can be sent after you apply.

  5. Complete your bi-weekly reports.

    You must report every 2 weeks to keep receiving benefits.

Phone numbers

Employment Insurance (automated info 24/7, press 0 for an officer)

1-800-206-7218

Officers: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Automated service: 24/7.

From outside Canada and the U.S.: 1-877-486-1650

TTY: 1-800-529-3742

Related

EI Bi-Weekly Reports: How and When to Submit Them Submit an EI report every 2 weeks online through the Internet Reporting Service, or by phone at 1-800-531-7555. You need your SIN and the 4-digit access code from your benefit statement. You have 3 weeks from each due date to submit. How to Sign In to My Service Canada Account (MSCA) Go to the official My Service Canada Account page, choose the sign-in option you registered with (Interac Sign-In Partner, GCKey, or B.C./Alberta provincial sign-in), then complete multi-factor authentication. First time? Register once using the Interac verification service or a Personal Access Code (PAC).

Sources

North Help Desk is an independent guide, not a government website. Rules, amounts and phone hours can change; always confirm on the official page before you act. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.