COVID-19: EI and ROE – Key Updates for Businesses and Individuals

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Please note: All in-person Service Canada Centres are closed to the public. Service Canada call centres are open and agents are available to assist with critical services. Call volumes are expected to be high for the foreseeable future. Please visit Canada.ca for information. If you have difficulty getting through, please try again later.

EI Updates (For Individuals) —

The online EI application (Appliweb) has been updated to include additional reasons that individuals can choose from for separation options. The following changes have been made in response to the question “Why are you no longer working?”

  • Shortage of work option:  Now indicates “includes closure due to COVID-19” in the explanation.
  • Sick Leave option:  Now includes “quarantine” in the explanation.

Need more help? Clients can call the 1-800 for urgent requests or submit a request via their online channel (https://www.canada.ca/en/service-canada/e-service.html) 

ROE Updates (For Employers) —

If your employees are directly affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) and they are no longer working, you must issue a Record of Employment (ROE). These are one of the key pieces of information needed for the automated claims processing system. Without this from the employer, it will delay individuals’ claims.

  • When completing ROE for those off-work due to COVID-19, please use the following codes, (in relation to Box 16 – Reason for Separation)
    • When the Employee is sick or quarantined: Code D (illness or Injury)
    • When the Employee stops working due to shortage of work or shutdown due to COVID-19: Code A (Shortage of Work)
    • When the Employee is not sick or quarantined but not working due to other reasons related to COVID-19: Code E (Quit) or Code N (Leave of Absence)
  • IMPORTANT: add comments only when required. Doing so causes the ROE to be pulled from the automatic processing queue for manual review. 

Need more help? Contact Service Canada’s Employer Contact Centre (https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/contact/employer-contact-center.html)

For more information about Service Canada updates related to COVID-19, please click here.