Meeting the eligibility bar is not enough if you miss the order or the deadline. The actual filing flow and where people trip up.
The benefit looks at the reason for separation, not just the fact of it. Employer-driven separation (layoff, contract end, pressured resignation) qualifies with 180+ days of insured employment. Voluntary resignation is excluded by default unless a valid reason applies โ harassment, unpaid wages, an unreasonable relocation. Writing only 'personal reasons' on your resignation makes it harder to later prove a valid reason, so keep a record of the actual cause.
The process starts once your employer files the insurance-loss report and separation confirmation. A delay there delays everything, so asking your employer to process it right after you leave is the first move. Next, register as a jobseeker on Work24, submit the eligibility application online through the Employment Insurance site, then attend an in-person briefing at your local employment centre to have eligibility confirmed.
After eligibility is confirmed, you must report to the employment centre on a set cycle (usually every 4 weeks, sometimes shortened) to be paid for that period. Each report requires evidence of job-seeking activity; skip it and that round goes unpaid. Many reports can be filed online, so you rarely need to visit in person, but the deadline is firm.
Even with eligible days left unused, the right to claim expires 12 months after the day you left. Delaying the start means receiving less than the full amount you were entitled to, so starting the process as soon as possible after leaving makes the single biggest practical difference.
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