Temporary EI changes in response to U.S. tariffs On March 30, 2025, the Government of Canada made temporary changes to regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. This was in response to the United States putting tariffs on Canadian goods and the risk to jobs in Canada. These changes are meant to make it easier for people to get EI. Removing the waiting periodUntil October 11, 2025, people do not have to wait one week to get their first regular EI payment. When Service Canada approves their application, people can now get paid for the first week after they applied. Before, people did not get paid for that first week. This was known as the “waiting period”. The change does not increase the total number of weeks of benefits people can get. For example, if someone’s eligible for 20 weeks of regular EI benefits, they still get 20 weeks, not 21 weeks. It just means that their benefits start a week earlier and end a week earlier. Getting EI and other payments at the same timeUntil October 11, 2025, when people leave their job, they can get their regular EI payments and other payments at the same time. This includes termination pay, severance pay, and vacation pay. Before, when a person applied for regular EI benefits, they had to use up any payments they got from leaving their job before they could get EI. Making EI easier to getFrom April 6, 2025, to July 12, 2025, the government has adjusted regional unemployment rates to make it slightly easier to qualify for regular EI. People can now qualify with fewer hours. And they may get EI for longer. How many hours someone needs to qualify for regular EI and how long they get benefits depends on the unemployment rate where they live. If the unemployment rate in their region is high, a person: - needs fewer hours to qualify, and
- gets EI benefits for longer.
The table below outlines the temporary changes. |
