Canada Super Visa Insurance Requirements: What Is Mandatory
For Canada super visa insurance requirements, the core rule is simple: you need private health insurance with at least $100,000 in emergency medical coverage, valid for at least one year from the date you enter Canada. The policy must cover health care, hospital stays and repatriation (being moved home for treatment), and it must be in force on every entry.
Last checked 8 November 2026. This article is part of our guide: Newcomer health cover guide.
This article covers Canada only. Other countries set their own visitor insurance rules, so check their official visa sites instead. If you want the wider picture first, read our health insurance Canada basics guide. Then use this page to check the super visa rules step by step. If you are a student rather than a visitor, see our international student health insurance rules instead.
Canada super visa insurance requirements: cover, length and limits
Super visa insurance requirements: minimum cover
Parents and grandparents applying for a super visa must hold private health insurance. Provincial and territorial health plans are not an option for super visa applicants, so a private policy is the route the rules set out. The Interim Federal Health Program covers only certain groups, so it does not replace this cover either; see the IFHP policy. Your visa rules require this cover at every arrival, not only when you apply.
The policy must include three things. Check each one on the policy wording, because a policy that misses any of them does not meet the rule.
- Health care, meaning doctor visits and treatment while in Canada
- Hospital stays, meaning cover for admission to hospital
- Repatriation, meaning the cost of being moved home for treatment if needed
The emergency medical coverage must also reach at least $100,000. The IRCC super visa forms and documents page sets that floor. Any cover above it is your choice, and the rules I checked do not require it.
Super visa insurance requirements: minimum period of cover
The policy must run for at least one year from the date the visitor enters Canada. The start point is your entry date, not the day you buy the policy or send the application. Check the start and end dates on the policy against your planned arrival. If you are worried about a gap before any other cover starts, our Canada waiting period gap guide explains how to plan for it.
If the policy ends before your parent leaves Canada, renew it so cover continues for the whole stay. The rules also say the policy must be valid for each entry, so cover bought for one trip does not automatically count for a later one.
| Rule | What it means for you | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|
| Cover type | Health care, hospital stays and repatriation | Yes |
| Emergency amount | At least $100,000 | Yes |
| Length | At least one year from the date of entry | Yes |
| Each entry | Valid on every arrival in Canada | Yes |
| Whole stay | Renew if the policy ends before departure | Yes, if the policy would end during the stay |
Anything beyond these rules, such as extra benefits, is up to you unless the policy wording or the visa office says otherwise.
Proof of super visa insurance requirements for immigration
The policy document is your proof, and it should name the insurer that issued it. The emergency cover shown on it must be at least $100,000, as the IRCC forms page sets out. A quote does not count as proof.
Super visa insurance requirements: documents the officer checks
Keep the full policy, with the insurer name, dates and cover amounts all visible. Have these items ready before you submit your application.
- The full policy document, with the insurer name printed on it
- Proof of payment in full, or proof that you paid the deposit under an instalment plan
- For an overseas insurer, the written statement that it was doing insurance business in Canada when it issued the policy
- Dates that match your entry and the planned stay
Who must provide the policy
The rules describe the applicant and the holder, and the policy must meet them on each entry. The rules I checked do not say who may buy the policy on the applicant’s behalf. Confirm this on the official forms page before you pay.
Choosing an insurer for Canada super visa insurance requirements
The rules accept a Canadian insurer without the extra overseas check. OSFI, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, is the federal regulator that authorises insurers under the Insurance Companies Act. An insurer based outside Canada qualifies only if it meets three OSFI-related conditions.
IRCC’s notice on insurers from outside Canada points readers to OSFI’s website for the authorisation check. Use it as your starting point, then check the OSFI site yourself.
Overseas insurer checks, step by step
- Find the insurer’s name on the policy. The policy should name it.
- Check that OSFI has authorised the insurer to sell accident and sickness insurance, meaning cover for injury and illness.
- Check that the insurer appears on OSFI’s public list of federally regulated financial institutions.
- Look for the written statement that the insurer was doing insurance business in Canada when it issued the policy.
Be careful with the public list. OSFI shows only overseas insurers registered with it as branches or subsidiaries in Canada, so a search may return nothing even for a business you are checking in good faith. An empty result needs a closer look, not an instant yes or no.
What to ask the insurer before you buy
Search for the insurer under the exact name on your policy, not a brand name from an advert. Then ask the insurer for these details in writing, and check each one yourself.
- Its full legal name, as printed on the policy
- Its OSFI authorisation for accident and sickness insurance
- Its statement of insurance business in Canada
Canada super visa insurance requirements and your payment plan
You can pay for the policy in full, or in instalments. An instalment plan must start with a deposit, and an unpaid quote does not count as proof. Until you have paid that deposit, you have no accepted proof to show.
The IRCC forms page covers both payment routes, but it does not give the deposit amount or the full instalment rules. Take those figures from the insurer’s written terms, not from this article.
Before you pay, read the contract carefully. Check these points, then keep a copy of every payment receipt.
- The start date matches your entry date
- The end date covers the whole stay, or you have a plan to renew
- Emergency coverage is at least $100,000
- Health care, hospital stays and repatriation are all listed
- The instalment dates and the deposit amount are written down
Pre-existing conditions under Canada super visa insurance requirements
Pre-existing condition clauses
A pre-existing condition is a health problem you had before the policy started. The official pages I checked do not say whether pre-existing conditions get cover, or whether a policy may exclude them. I cannot give you a confirmed answer, so do not assume either way.
Read the exclusions section of the policy. Then ask the insurer in writing how it treats existing health conditions. If the answer stays unclear, ask IRCC or a licensed adviser before you pay, because the answer affects what you are buying.
Cover limits are the amounts the policy will pay. The one limit the rules set is the $100,000 emergency floor on the IRCC forms page. A policy below that floor does not meet the rule, whatever its other features.
If your super visa application is refused
The official pages I checked do not say what happens to a paid policy after a refusal. This article therefore cannot tell you whether you will get money back. That question belongs to your insurer.
Before you cancel anything, check the cover rules on the IRCC forms page, because the rules apply to every entry, not only to the first trip.
- Keep your policy, receipts and any refusal letter together.
- Read the cancellation and refund sections of the policy.
- Ask the insurer in writing what happens to any unused premium, meaning the part of your payment that covers time you will not use, if you cancel.
- Get that answer before you cancel, so you do not drop cover for a trip that still goes ahead.
Do not assume a refund. Wait for the written answer, then decide.
Worked example: one grandparent’s single visit
This is a labelled example, not a real case. A grandmother, called Mina here, plans one visit to Canada. Her family wants to confirm the Canada super visa insurance requirements before they pay for a policy.
Under the IRCC forms page, her policy needs emergency cover of at least $100,000 and a term of at least one year from her entry date. Those are the two figures to check first.
- Confirm the rules: the policy must cover health care, hospital stays and repatriation, with emergency cover of at least $100,000 and a term of at least one year from entry.
- Choose a Canadian insurer. Because it is Canadian, the overseas OSFI checks do not apply. If the quote came from an overseas insurer, she would need the four checks above.
- Pay in full, or pay the deposit under an instalment plan. The unpaid quote does not count.
- Check that the policy names the insurer and that its start date matches her entry date.
- Keep the proof ready to show at each arrival. If her visit runs past the end date, she should renew before leaving.
The example does not assume any refund or cancellation outcome, because the rules I checked do not confirm one.
Mistakes that get applications refused
Before you submit, check the two figures the rules set: emergency cover of at least $100,000 and a term of at least one year from entry. The IRCC super visa forms and documents page lists both, so match each one to your policy.
Wrong cover period or dates
A policy whose dates do not match your entry date or your stay will not meet the period rule. A policy that starts after you arrive, or ends before you leave, can leave a gap. Check the start date against your entry date, then renew before the end date if the stay continues.
Missing proof or insurer details
Small paperwork errors can stop an application. Use this list to check your documents before you submit them.
- Mistake: showing a quote instead of a paid policy. Fix: pay in full or pay the deposit, then get the policy document.
- Mistake: a policy that does not name the insurer. Fix: ask for a corrected copy that shows the insurer name.
- Mistake: an overseas insurer with no Canada business statement. Fix: ask the insurer for the written statement.
- Mistake: assuming one trip’s cover covers a later entry. Fix: check that the policy is valid for each entry.
Next steps for Canada super visa insurance
- Read the IRCC page on super visa forms and documents, which sets out the Canada super visa insurance requirements.
- Check that the policy covers health care, hospital stays and repatriation, with at least $100,000 emergency cover and at least one year from entry.
- If the insurer is based outside Canada, run the checks above and get the answers in writing. The IRCC notice on insurers from outside Canada explains why this check matters.
- Ask the insurer in writing about pre-existing conditions and refunds before you pay.
- Pay in full or pay the deposit, then keep the policy and receipts with your visa papers, ready for each arrival.
Frequently asked questions
How long must super visa insurance last?
It must run for at least one year from the date you enter Canada. If the policy ends before your parent leaves, renew it so cover continues for the whole stay. Each entry needs cover that is valid on that trip, so a policy for an earlier visit does not automatically count for a later one.
Can I pay for super visa insurance in instalments?
Yes. You can pay in full or in instalments, but an instalment plan must start with a deposit. An unpaid quote does not count as proof. The official pages I checked do not give the deposit amount, so confirm the exact figure with your insurer and on the IRCC forms page before you pay.
Does the insurance have to be from a Canadian company?
No. The rules accept a Canadian insurer directly. An insurer based outside Canada is accepted only if OSFI authorises it to sell accident and sickness insurance, it appears on OSFI’s public list, and the policy carries a written statement that it was doing insurance business in Canada when it issued the policy.
What happens to my insurance if my visa application is refused?
I could not confirm this from an official source, so this article cannot tell you whether you will get a refund. Read the cancellation and refund terms in your policy, and ask the insurer in writing before you cancel. Keep your receipts and any refusal letter together with the policy.
Are pre-existing conditions covered?
I could not confirm this from an official source. The official pages I checked list the required cover but do not mention pre-existing conditions. Read the exclusions in the policy, and ask the insurer in writing how it treats existing health conditions before you buy.
What proof of insurance do I show to immigration?
Show the full policy document, not a quote. It must name the insurer and show dates that match your entry and stay. You must also prove payment in full, or a paid deposit under an instalment plan. For an overseas insurer, the policy should carry the statement about insurance business in Canada. Keep copies ready for each arrival.
Official sources
- Super visa for parents and grandparents: Forms and documents (IRCC)
- Change to health insurance requirement makes the super visa more accessible (IRCC notice)
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