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Eligibility of Temporary Foreign Workers to the Canada Pension Plan

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) provides monthly benefits to workers and their families when they lose their income due to retirement, disability or death. Foreign workers who contributed to the plan may receive the same benefits as Canadian workers if they meet the eligibility requirements.

If you are between 18 and 70 years of age and you earn at least $3,500 in a given year, your employer is required by law to deduct CPP contributions from your salary and to pay a matching contribution to the Government of Canada. If you work in Quebec, you must contribute to the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP).

All CPP and QPP benefits are calculated based on how long you worked and how much you contributed. A certain amount will be deducted from benefits to which you are entitled because the benefits are taxable. Payments are made in Canadian dollars, regardless of the country in which you live, provided you meet the eligibility requirements.

The Canada Pension Plan offers three types of benefits to workers or, in the event of their death, to their estate, namely:

Retirement pension, paid to contributors who are retired. To qualify, you must:

• Be at least 65 years old or, for a reduced pension, be between 60 and 64 years old and meet certain requirements;
• Have contributed to the CPP and earned at least $3,500 in a given year.

You must submit your application for the retirement pension to Service Canada for either the CPP or the QPP, depending on the province in which you last lived in Canada. It is best to apply at least six months before you want to start receiving benefits.

Disability benefits, paid to contributors who have a disability and to their dependent children. To qualify, you must:

• Have made enough valid contributions to the plan. There are also certain provisions to help people who apply late to qualify for benefits;
• Have a disability that is considered to be severe and prolonged as defined in the CPP legislation;
• Be younger than 65 and not be receiving a retirement pension.

Disability benefits are not paid indefinitely. From time to time, Service Canada may verify whether your condition has improved to the point where you are able to return to work. When you turn 65, disability benefits will end and you will start receiving retirement benefits, which are usually lower amounts.

All applications for benefits must be made in writing. You can ask another person (a family member or a friend) to fill out the application form, but you have to sign it yourself.

Survivor benefits, paid to a deceased contributor’s estate, surviving spouse or common‑law partner and to dependent children. To qualify, you must:

• Have worked in Canada and contributed to the CPP for at least one third of the calendar years in your contributory period (period in which you are required to contribute to the CPP); however, you must have contributed for a minimum of three (3) years.

There are three types of survivor benefits:

• The death benefit, paid to the estate of a deceased contributor;
• The survivor’s pension, paid to the person who, at the time of death, is the spouse or common‑law partner of the deceased contributor;
• The children’s benefit, paid to a dependent natural or adopted child of the deceased contributor, or to a child in the custody and control of the deceased contributor at the time of death. The child must be either under age 18, or between the ages of 18 and 25 and in full‑time attendance at a school or university.

The survivor must submit an application form to receive benefits. The first payment is generally made within six to twelve weeks after the application is submitted, as long as all required supporting documents have been provided. The CPP may pay benefits retroactively for a maximum period of 12 months.

Seasonal agricultural workers from the Commonwealth Caribbean and Mexico

Most workers who participate in this program return to Canada every year, so many of them contribute enough to the CPP to receive benefits.

Canada has social security agreements with a number of countries in the Caribbean and Mexico. As a result of these agreements, periods in which contributions are paid in Canada and in Mexico, for example, may be combined in order to meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for benefits. Therefore, a Mexican worker could receive part of his benefits from Canada and part of them from Mexico. The amount received would depend on how much he had contributed to the plans of each of these countries.

For More Information

To receive an application kit or for more information, call Service Canada at 1‑800‑277‑9915. If you are calling from a country other than Canada or the United States, contact the Canadian Embassy or the Canadian Consulate of the country in which you are currently living. Please have your social insurance number ready.

For more information on the Quebec Pension Plan, call 1‑800‑463‑5185.  

To access on‑line services or to find an application form, visit Service Canada.

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Date Modified:

2009-09-09