Every year thousands of people settle in Ottawa from other countries and other provinces, and one of the first practical questions is how to get routine bloodwork done in a new health system. Ontario's rules are simpler than many newcomers expect, but they differ from what you may be used to. This guide walks through how OHIP coverage starts, what to do while you wait for a card, why you always need a requisition, and how a visit to a community laboratory works.
OHIP coverage now starts right away
Ontario used to make new residents wait three months before health coverage began. That waiting period was removed in March 2020 and has not returned: according to ontario.ca, "there is no longer a waiting period for OHIP coverage. If you are eligible, you will have immediate health insurance coverage," and you can apply as soon as you arrive.
You apply in person at a ServiceOntario centre with a completed registration form and three original documents: one proving your citizenship or eligible immigration status, one proving you live in Ontario, and one proving your identity. Eligibility depends on your status; permanent residents, many work-permit holders working full-time for an Ontario employer, convention refugees and protected persons are among the groups that qualify. Check the current list on ontario.ca before you go, and apply early, because your coverage cannot be billed until you are registered.
Getting bloodwork before your card arrives
You do not have to postpone care until a plastic card is in your wallet. Any Bio-Test centre can collect your bloodwork with a valid requisition; if OHIP cannot be billed on the day, you pay at the desk and receive an itemised receipt. Whether OHIP can reimburse tests done before your coverage began depends on your coverage start date, so ask ServiceOntario about that when you register. Until then you can still be tested as a patient-pay visit: bring your requisition and photo ID, and you pay at collection and receive a receipt.
If you are a refugee claimant or resettled refugee covered by the Interim Federal Health Program, tell our staff when you check in; Bio-Test can invoice the program directly for eligible services. If you have moved from Quebec or another province, note that your home province's plan does not pay Ontario community laboratories the way OHIP does, so you will usually pay at collection and claim reimbursement from your plan with our receipt.
You will always need a requisition
This rule surprises many people who come from systems where you can walk into a lab and order your own tests. In Ontario, community laboratories may only collect and test specimens ordered by an authorized practitioner, usually a physician, nurse practitioner or midwife. Bio-Test cannot offer a blood test without a signed requisition, whether OHIP pays or you do. A requisition is valid for six months from the date it was authorized.
Where to get a requisition if you have no family doctor yet
- Register with Health Care Connect through ontario.ca or by calling 811; it matches Ontarians with a family doctor or nurse practitioner accepting patients
- Visit a walk-in clinic or a community health centre; both can assess you and issue a requisition
- Use an Ontario virtual-care service staffed by physicians or nurse practitioners licensed in the province
- If a physician in another Canadian province ordered tests before you moved, bring that form; Ontario's Schedule allows properly completed out-of-province requisitions for insured patients
Tests newcomers are often asked to have
A first appointment with a new provider frequently includes baseline bloodwork so that there is a starting point on file. What is ordered depends entirely on your age, history, and where you have lived, and only your provider can decide. Common examples include a complete blood count, ferritin and vitamin B12, kidney and liver tests, an HbA1c or fasting glucose, a lipid profile, and, depending on your background, hepatitis B and C or HIV serology. Some of these need fasting, so read your requisition and our preparation guide before you come.
Two points of confusion are worth clearing up. First, the medical examination required for immigration is a third-party service and is never OHIP-insured; the panel physician arranges those tests separately. Second, a few tests are not insured even with a valid card, such as 25-hydroxy vitamin D outside listed conditions; our guide to what OHIP covers lists them and cites the Ontario sources.
What a visit to a community lab looks like
Community laboratories are separate from hospitals. You bring your requisition to a patient service centre, a phlebotomist draws the sample, and the specimen is tested at the laboratory; results go to the practitioner who ordered them, who reviews them with you. Most bloodwork at Bio-Test is walk-in, seen in order of arrival, and no appointment is needed, though you can book a time online. Our centres serve patients in English and in French; the French version of our walk-in guide is at prise de sang sans rendez-vous à Ottawa.
- Bring photo ID, your Ontario health card if you have it, and your requisition
- If a test is not insured for you, staff will tell you the cost before your sample is taken
- Results are usually with your provider within about a business day for routine tests; you can also see them through our patient portal
- Ask for a copy of your receipt if you plan to claim from private, travel or out-of-province insurance
Your first blood test in Ottawa
Once you have a requisition, choose whichever of our 11 patient service centres is closest, whether that is central Ottawa, Nepean, Orléans, Carp, Embrun, Carleton Place or Cornwall, and walk in with your documents. If you would prefer a fixed time, book online. Read our walk-in guide for tips on timing and what to expect, and our preparation page if any test on your form requires fasting. Welcome to Ottawa; we are glad to help you get settled.