Bordering in Canadian healthcare: How the criminalization of immigrants with precarious status undermines their children's right to health

Increases in migration to Canada have implications for healthcare, as immigration and health policies are intertwined, and most people without permanent status are ineligible for publicly funded health coverage. Among Canadian provinces and territories, Ontario is home to the largest population of people who do not have citizenship or permanent resident status. Babies born in Ontario to people who reside in Ontario are Canadian citizens, eligible for health coverage (OHIP) at birth. However, they are often denied registration due to their parents' status. Such denials present a significant barrier to parents accessing healthcare for their newborns. In these instances, a parent's immigration status becomes an important determinant of their child's health. This paper analyzes denial of registration for health coverage to babies born in Ontario hospitals, theorizing such denial as a set of bordering practices policing access to rights of citizenship for populations deemed less deserving. I present a new typology of bordering, practiced through omission, devolution, obfuscation, and intimidation, and discuss how these mechanisms can be strategically resisted. Together, the four bordering mechanisms facilitate surveillance, discrimination, and racial profiling in Ontario hospitals, with negative effects on families' health. Bordering in health policy and practice normalizes the criminalization of a broad population of non-permanent residents and obstructs access to healthcare, even when children are legally entitled.