If you are applying for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, the Canadian government needs you to prove you have purchased Canadian medical insurance (known as Super Visa Insurance, Super Visa Medical Insurance, Super Visa Health Insurance). The good news is there are many insurance companies and agents out there. The bad new is that so much choice is making it difficult to make a decision.
We can help. Super Visa Insurance Plans will give you the information you need to make the decision that is right for you. Let’s begin with a definition for the Super Visa.
Super Visa
The Parent and Grandparent Super Visa is a visa available to parents and grandparent of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. It is a multiple-entry visa (you can re-enter Canada as many times as you wish within the time period indicated on the visa) and is valid for up to 10 years. Family members can stay for up to 24 months at a time.
Many families are taking advantage of the new Parent and Grandparent Super Visa. Previously, wait times for parental sponsorship applications took up to eight years to process. With the new Super Visa, parents and grandparents can be reunited with their families within 8 weeks.
To be eligible for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, you must be a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews or any other family members do not qualify for the Super Visa. These family members would have to apply for a regular visitors visa to Canada.
As with all visa, there are several requirements for the Super Visa. Specifically, you must:
- Have a written commitment of financial support from your child or grandchild in Canada. The child or grandchild must meet a minimum necessary income (the low income cut off) threshold;
- Complete an Immigration medical examination. The immigration medical is specific to the visa application and not the insurance coverage. The insurance coverage only requires a completed questionnaire, and;
- Provide evidence that you have Canadian medical insurance coverage (known as super visa insurance, super visa medical insurance, or super visa health insurance).
Super Visa Insurance Requirements
When you apply for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, you must provide proof that you purchased medical insurance coverage (known as Super Visa insurance, Super Visa Medical Insurance, Super Visa Health Insurance) from a Canadian insurance company. The Super Visa insurance coverage must:
- Be valid for a minimum period of one year from the date of entry to Canada
- Provide a minimum of $100,000 coverage
- Must cover health care, hospitalization and repatriation costs (the costs to return you to your home country, if necessary)
Each parent or grandparent must have insurance coverage. The policy must be valid for each entry to Canada, and must be readily available for review by point of entry officers.
Super Visa Health Insurance
All Canadian residents are universally covered by provincial and territorial health insurance plans and the costs of these plans are funded through taxes. However, non-Canadian residents are not eligible for provincial or territorial coverage. Parents and grandparents may also have coverage through a private or government health care plan in their home country, but this coverage does not qualify for the Super Visa Insurance requirement.
Health costs in Canada are among the highest in the world. The average hospital stay in Canada costs up to $7,000, and even more for patients with an underlying complication. Prescription drugs can also add significantly to expenses. The government of Canada has stated that the insurance requirement will protect against applicants becoming a net cost to Canadian taxpayers.
Super Visa Medical Insurance
You do not have to take a medical test to get Canadian Super Visa insurance. Insurance companies only require a completed medical questionnaire. (You will, however, need to take an Immigration Medical Exam (IME) from the Canadian government as part of the visa process).
To fill out the questionnaire fully and accurately, you may need to consult your doctor, pharmacist, or a family member who knows more about your medical history. You need time to do all this properly, so it’s wise to start the process several weeks in advance
Many insurance companies will cover a pre-existing condition, provided the condition has been stable over a certain period of time. Each company may use a slightly different definition of “stable”, so it’s important to read and compare policies. Depending on the company and the answers you provide on their medical questionnaire, the stable period may range from 90 to 365 days. Certain conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cerebral vascular disease, or lung disease may be excluded from coverage even though they have been stable for longer than 365 days.
Super Visa insurance only covers emergency medical treatment. Routine medical care, like annual medical exams, are not covered by Super Visa insurance policies. Also, Super Visa insurance policies don’t generally cover routine dental care (although some emergency dental accidents may be covered), or preventative services like chiropractic or massage services.
Super Visa Canada Insurance
Currently, the government of Canada requires the insurance coverage to be with a Canadian insurance company. Although this may sound self serving, there are some good reasons to buy a policy from a Canadian insurer:
- Canadian companies share an established infrastructure with local health care providers. This infrastructure allows Canadian insurers to immediately verify details with a claim, resulting in faster processing times
- Canadian companies use “direct billing” so you don’t need to pay for treatment first and get reimbursed later
- Canadian insurance companies are regulated using some of the highest standards in the world
- Canada also has a re-insurance safety net called Assuris, which will pay up to CAD $60,000 in the unlikely event of a insurance company bankruptcy
- Applicants who purchase coverage from a Canadian company simplify the visa process by providing Visa Officers with insurance proof in a familiar format and language (English or French)
Super Visa Insurance Costs
You can buy Super Visa insurance from almost any Canadian company that sells travel insurance, or Visitors to Canada Insurance. The minimum required coverage for the Super Visa is $100,000.
The easiest way to compare Super Visa travel insurance policies is to use a comparison website. Comparison websites let you compare quotes for travel insurance from several different companies at once. All you need to get a free quote is type in a few details about your trip, and compare policy coverage and prices to help narrow down your choice.
There are many ways to save on your Super Visa insurance costs. Here are just a few tips:
- Get quotes from several different insurance companies. Comparison websites are great online tools that will let you get compare several different quotes at one time.
- Increase your deducible. A deductible is the amount of money you will need to pay, out of pocket, if a medical emergency occurs. Deductibles can range from zero to $5,000.
- Trim the extras from your policy. Some policies offer extra perks like baggage and trip cancellation insurance. If you want to save money, you can consider getting a policy without these perks.
