Life insurance for new immigrants to Canada: who qualifies and how much you can buy
PR card, work permit or study permit: you can usually get covered. Your status and time in Canada set the limit.
Many families who come to Canada take on a mortgage, a car loan and childcare costs in their first few years, often on one income. A death in that period hits hard because savings are still small and relatives may be far away. Insurers in Canada do cover newcomers, but each one has its own rules for permit holders.
In short
Permanent residents can usually buy life insurance from the day they land, on the same terms as citizens. Work permit and study permit holders can also be covered, but most insurers cap the amount (for example $250,000 to $1,000,000 for workers and $250,000 to $500,000 for students) and many ask for 3 months in Canada first. Visitors and refugee claimants generally can't buy it. Expect a blood test if you've been here less than a year.
How much life insurance you can buy, by immigration status
Three published examples from insurers Pankaj works with. Other insurers set their own limits, and all of them can change their guidelines.
| Your status | Empire Life (guideline 04/25) | Co-operators (quick reference chart) | iA Financial Group (from March 16, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent resident or citizen | Plan maximums, all riders, preferred rates. PR card or acceptance letter. | Applies as a resident; the chart covers people without PR. | Full product range; foreign assets considered. |
| Work permit (full-time job) | Life to $500,000 after 3 months; $1,000,000 after 2 years. CI to $100,000. | Life $250,000 under 3 months, $500,000 to 2 years, $1,000,000 after. CI $100,000 after 6 months. | Not stated in the 2026 notice. |
| Post-graduation work permit | Life to $500,000, CI to $100,000, after 3 months. | Treated as a worker with a permit and full-time job. | Up to $1,000,000 with a job offer. |
| Skilled professional on a permit | Life to $2,000,000 (no wait); CI to $500,000 after 3 months. | Life to $5,000,000; CI to $500,000. | May qualify for higher amounts by profession. |
| Study permit | Life to $250,000 after 3 months, age 18+. No CI. | Life $250,000 (permit valid 1+ year, DLI). Graduate/PhD: $2,000,000, CI $100,000. | Up to $500,000. |
| Awaiting PR, no work permit | Not listed. | Life $500,000, CI $100,000 with IRCC receipt of PR application. | Not stated. |
| Visitor or refugee claimant | Asylum seekers and seasonal workers not insured. | Not listed; documented refugees: life $500,000. | Not eligible from March 16, 2026. |
The pattern is the same everywhere: the more settled your status and the longer you've lived here, the more you can buy. A skilled worker with a job offer can get far more than a student in their first term.
Newcomer eligibility checker
Pick your status and how long you've lived in Canada to see what each guideline above allows today.
A planning aid built from the published guidelines in the table. The insurer's underwriter decides, and guidelines change without notice.
Medical underwriting when you're new to Canada
You answer the same health questions as anyone else: your medical history, medicines, height and weight, smoking, and your parents' and siblings' health. The difference is that you may not have a Canadian family doctor yet, so the insurer has less on file about you.
To make up for that, insurers often ask newcomers for tests. Empire Life asks for a blood profile with a hepatitis B and C screen from every applicant 18 and older who has lived in Canada less than a year. Co-operators asks for labs from applicants over 40 who have been here less than a year and want more than $250,000.
If you were treated for something in your home country, say so and have the details ready: the diagnosis, the dates, the medicines and the doctor's name. The insurer may ask for those records. A condition that is well managed and well documented is far easier to underwrite than one that comes up later.
If standard underwriting is a problem, simplified issue plans ask fewer questions. iA's Access Life, for example, covers ages 6 months to 80 for $10,000 to $500,000 with no medical exam, and iA lists newcomers who face limits on standard underwriting among the people it is designed for. Expect to pay more for it than for a fully underwritten policy.
What to bring to the application
- PR card, or your Confirmation of PR / acceptance letter
- Work or study permit, with its expiry date
- Proof of a renewal application if the permit expires soon (Empire: within 3 months)
- IRCC acknowledgement of your PR application, if you've applied
- Job offer or employment letter, and your SIN
- School, program and length of study, for students
- Names of doctors and medicines, here and back home
- Full legal names and dates of birth of your beneficiaries
Foreign income, foreign assets and how much cover you can justify
Insurers limit coverage to what your finances support, usually a multiple of your income. For newcomers, the question is which income counts.
Permanent residents are usually assessed on their whole financial picture. iA says it considers foreign assets when setting the amount for permanent residents. Temporary residents are often assessed on Canadian income only: Equitable's temporary resident guideline says foreign income and net worth are not considered except for permanent residents. iA's application now asks for the income you earn in Canada, your arrival date and your permit's expiry date.
For example, suppose you arrived 8 months ago on a work permit, earn $70,000 here and own a flat abroad. An insurer may look only at the $70,000, and the guideline cap for your status may be $500,000. Once you become a permanent resident, you can apply to increase the cover.
To work out the amount your family actually needs, use the life insurance needs calculator. Term life insurance is usually the lowest-cost way to cover these years.
Beneficiaries abroad and the group-coverage gap
Family outside Canada
You can name parents or siblings back home. Use the spelling on their passports, keep their phone and email on file, and tell them which insurer you're with. You can split the payout between several people by percentage.
Children under 18
A minor can't receive the money directly. Name a trustee or set up a trust in your will, or the province may hold the funds. Naming your estate can expose the payout to estate costs and creditors.
Cover from your job
Group life usually ends when the job ends. On an employer-specific work permit, losing the job can mean losing the cover just when you need it. Many plans only let you convert within a short window, often 31 days.
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada suggests checking what your employer already gives you before you buy, and reviewing beneficiaries from time to time. A personal policy fills the gap and stays with you when you change jobs.
Getting covered in your first year: a simple order
- First weeks: arrange new immigrant health insurance until your provincial health card starts. That covers medical bills, not death.
- Once you have a job or your 3 months: get life quotes. If you have PR, you can do this right away.
- Choose a term that runs until the mortgage is paid and the children are independent: 20 or 25 years is common.
- Answer every question fully, including treatment abroad. A wrong answer can let the insurer refuse a claim.
- When you get PR or a bigger income, review the amount. You can add a second policy rather than replace the first.
International students can also read student insurance in Canada. Pankaj is licensed in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and can only arrange cover for residents of those provinces.
Questions newcomers ask about life insurance
Can a new permanent resident buy life insurance right away?
Yes. Permanent residents can usually apply from the day they land, with the same plans and amounts as Canadian citizens.
Empire Life, for example, asks for a PR card or, if the card has not arrived, a copy of the acceptance letter. Expect a blood test if you have been in Canada less than a year.
Can I get life insurance on a work permit?
Yes. Most insurers cover work permit holders, but with lower maximum amounts and often a minimum time in Canada.
Empire Life's guideline (04/25) allows up to $500,000 after 3 months in Canada and up to $1,000,000 after 2 years. Co-operators' chart allows $250,000 in the first 3 months for full-time workers. Skilled professionals can often get more.
Can international students get life insurance?
Yes, at most insurers, usually with a lower limit and no critical illness cover.
Published limits include $250,000 at Empire Life and Co-operators and up to $500,000 at iA (from March 16, 2026). Empire asks for 3 months in Canada and a letter of intent to stay after graduation.
How long do I need to live in Canada before applying?
It depends on your status and the insurer: none for permanent residents, often 3 months for work and study permit holders.
Co-operators lets full-time workers apply in their first 3 months for up to $250,000. Critical illness can need longer: 6 months at Co-operators for workers.
Can visitors or refugee claimants buy life insurance in Canada?
Generally no. iA stopped covering visitors, tourists and refugee claimants on March 16, 2026, and Empire Life does not insure asylum seekers.
Some insurers cover people with documented refugee status. Visitors need visitor medical insurance instead: see visitors insurance.
Can my beneficiary live outside Canada?
Usually yes. You can name family members abroad, but give their full legal names and keep their contact details on file.
If a beneficiary is a minor, set up a trust and trustee; otherwise the province may hold the money. Naming your estate can expose the payout to estate costs and creditors.
Is the life insurance from my job enough?
Rarely on its own. Group life usually ends when the job ends, and on a work permit your job and your status are often linked.
Many group plans let you convert to a personal policy within a short window, often 31 days after the cover ends. A policy you own yourself stays with you.
Do insurers count income and assets from my home country?
For permanent residents, often yes; for temporary residents, often only Canadian income counts.
iA says it considers foreign assets for permanent residents. Equitable's temporary resident guideline says foreign income and net worth are not considered except for permanent residents.
Will I need a medical exam as a newcomer?
Often a blood test, yes, if you have been in Canada less than a year.
Empire Life asks for a blood profile with a hepatitis B and C screen for applicants 18 and older in Canada under a year. Co-operators asks for labs over age 40 for amounts above $250,000.
Written by Pankaj Bhatia, CHS, PFA
Insure In Canada Inc. · Licensed in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Pankaj helps newcomer families match their permit and time in Canada to the insurers that accept them. He compares iA, Empire Life, Foresters, Co-operators, Wawanesa, BMO Insurance, Equitable Life and Assumption Life, so one application goes to the insurer most likely to say yes.
Call 647-640-2222 · WhatsApp · info@pankajbhatia.ca · About Pankaj
Sources and related pages
- Empire Life: underwriting guidelines for immigrants (E-0769-EN-04/25)
- Co-operators: immigration quick reference chart
- iA: changes to immigration guidelines effective March 16, 2026
- iA: insurance for newcomers and Access Life
- Equitable: temporary resident guidelines (form 1530)
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: life insurance
- Example of group life conversion rules (31 days)
Guidelines reviewed October 2026. Insurers change newcomer rules without notice, and the underwriter makes the final decision. This page is general information, not immigration advice.