Super Visa insurance in Canada: what to buy, and how to buy it
A buying guide for families bringing a parent over: which options to pick, what each one changes, and how to compare quotes before you pay.
Every policy on the quote screen meets the IRCC minimum, so the visa officer will accept any of them. The differences show up later, in a hospital in Brampton or Calgary, when the plan either covers your mother's blood pressure or it doesn't. This page walks through the choices in the order I make them with families, then gives you a calculator to compare two or three real quotes.
What are you actually buying?
Super Visa insurance is a one-year emergency medical policy for a parent or grandparent visiting Canada on a Super Visa. It pays when something sudden happens here: a fall, a heart attack, pneumonia, a kidney stone. It pays the hospital, the doctors, the tests, the ambulance, drugs for that emergency, and the trip home or repatriation if it comes to that, up to the amount you choose, which must be at least $100,000. It does not pay for check-ups, refills of regular pills, or a known condition that wasn't stable, unless the plan you picked covers it.
Three other pages on this site deal with the paperwork around the policy. The insurance rules IRCC checks are on Super Visa insurance requirements. The visa itself, forms and invitation letter are on the Canada Super Visa guide. The minimum income for the host is on Super Visa income requirements. This page is about the purchase: what to choose, and how.
How to buy it, in the order I do it with families
Most families start with price. I start with the parent's medicine list, because that decides which plans are worth pricing at all.
- Write down every condition and every medicine, with dates.Ask the pharmacy back home for a printout of the last 12 months. What matters is not that your father takes a blood pressure pill, but when the dose last changed. That date decides whether a plan's stability period is met. The guide to pre-existing conditions shows how to count it.
- Decide whether you need pre-existing cover.If your parent takes any regular medicine, pick a plan option that covers stable pre-existing conditions. The cheaper option that excludes them leaves the most likely emergency, the one linked to the condition they already have, without cover.
- Pick the coverage amount.$100,000 is the IRCC floor, not a recommendation. The maximum you can buy varies by insurer: $150,000 on GMS, $200,000 on Manulife, up to $500,000 on TuGo's main plan. For a parent over 70, or one with a heart history, I usually price $150,000 next to $100,000 so the family can see the difference.
- Choose the deductible, and check how it applies.A $1,000 deductible paid once per policy is very different from $1,000 paid on every claim. Enter both kinds in the calculator below and look at the "two claims" column.
- Set the start date to the day your parent lands.The policy must be valid for a full year from entry. If the arrival date moves, most insurers let you change the start date before it begins; tell your broker before the old date passes.
- Choose full payment or monthly.IRCC accepts a policy paid in full, or paid in instalments with a deposit. Only some insurers offer monthly plans, some add a small instalment fee, a missed payment can cancel the policy, and refunds work differently. The details are on Super Visa monthly payment plans.
- Answer the medical questions with the records in front of you.Insurers rarely check history when you buy. They check it when there is a large claim. A wrong answer found then can cost the whole claim.
- Keep three things.The policy confirmation for the visa application, the wallet card with the 24-hour assistance number, and the policy wording. Put the assistance number in your parent's phone and yours on the day you buy.
What Super Visa insurance usually covers
These benefits appear in most Canadian Super Visa plans. The limits on each one, such as how many follow-up visits or how much for dental, differ by insurer, and the policy wording is what the claims team reads.
Hospital care
Emergency admission, semi-private room, treatment and surgery for a sudden illness or injury.
Doctors & emergency visits
Physicians, walk-in clinics and emergency rooms, including limited follow-up visits for the same emergency.
Diagnostics
Lab tests, X-rays, CT scans and other tests ordered to diagnose or treat the emergency.
Ambulance
Licensed ground ambulance, and air ambulance when medically necessary and pre-approved.
Emergency prescriptions
Drugs prescribed for the emergency, usually up to a set supply. Regular medication refills are not covered.
Accidental dental
Treatment for an accidental blow to the mouth, and sometimes limited relief of sudden dental pain, up to a set amount.
Nursing & paramedical
Private nurse when prescribed, and limited physiotherapy or chiropractic care related to the emergency, depending on the plan.
Return home & repatriation
Return to the home country after an emergency when approved, and repatriation or burial costs if the insured dies in Canada.
Family support
On some plans: transport of a family member to the bedside, meals and accommodation, and return of a travel companion.
What Super Visa insurance doesn't cover
- ✗Routine and ongoing careCheck-ups, regular doctor visits, and treatment of known conditions that isn't an emergency.
- ✗Regular medicationBring enough of the usual prescriptions for the stay, or plan to buy them.
- ✗Excluded or unstable pre-existing conditionsEither excluded by the plan, or not stable for the required period.
- ✗Elective or non-urgent treatmentIncluding treatment that could safely wait until the parent returns home.
- ✗Waiting-period illnessesIf a policy is bought after arrival, illness that starts during the waiting period.
- ✗Other common exclusionsSelf-inflicted injury, alcohol or drug misuse, high-risk activities, and travel to the home country or against government advisories.
Pre-existing conditions, explained
A pre-existing condition is any illness or symptom your parent had before coverage starts, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or a heart condition. Super Visa plans handle them in one of two ways:
| Plan option | What happens to related claims |
|---|---|
| Pre-existing conditions excluded | Not paid, even in an emergency. Lower premium. |
| Stable pre-existing conditions covered | Paid if the condition was stable for the plan's period before coverage started. Higher premium. |
Stable usually means no new symptoms, no new or changed medication, no new tests and no hospital visits for the condition during the stability period, often 90, 180 or 365 days, and usually longer as the parent gets older. Heart conditions carry extra rules on several plans; see Super Visa insurance for parents with heart conditions.
Super Visa insurance calculator: compare plans by real cost
Type in two or three quotes you already have. The calculator adds the deductibles you would pay with no claim, one claim and two claims, and warns you if a plan excludes pre-existing conditions when your parent has one.
A comparison aid only. Enter the figures from real quotes; plan benefits and wording also matter. Not a quote or an offer of insurance.
Eight questions to ask about any quote before you pay
The quote screen shows the premium. These are the things it usually doesn't show, and they are what I check on every plan before a family pays.
- Does it meet every IRCC rule?$100,000+, one year from entry, health care, hospitalization and repatriation, a qualifying insurer. Check a policy.
- Are stable pre-existing conditions covered?If your parent takes any regular medicine, a plan that says no is the wrong plan, whatever it costs.
- How long is the stability period?90, 180 or 365 days, and what counts as a change in medication.
- How does the deductible work?Per claim or once per policy, and how much you'd pay in a bad year.
- What are the benefit limits?Dental, nursing, paramedical, follow-up visits and family-support benefits.
- What about side trips?Whether travel to the U.S. or elsewhere is covered, and for how long.
- What are the refund and change terms?Visa refusal, early return, date changes and admin fees.
- How are claims handled?24/7 assistance, direct billing with hospitals, and how quickly claims are paid.
Mistakes I see when families buy
Most claim problems I deal with were set up on the day the policy was bought. These are the ones that come up again and again.
- Buying the option without pre-existing cover for a parent on daily blood pressure or diabetes pills, to save money on the premium.
- Counting the stability period from the diagnosis instead of from the last change in dose.
- Choosing a high per-claim deductible without thinking about two separate emergencies in one year.
- Leaving a booked test or a specialist referral off the medical questions because "it was only routine".
- Letting the policy lapse for a few days at renewal. A gap can bring a new waiting period, and a condition that changed during the year may no longer meet the stability rule.
After you buy, the claim steps are always the same: call the assistance line first, keep every itemized bill, and send the claim within the deadlines. The details, numbers by insurer and a deadline calculator are on how a Super Visa insurance claim works.
Renewals, extensions and refunds
Renew before the policy ends for every day your parent stays in Canada. A gap can mean a waiting period and a fresh look at stability.
If the visa is refused, most insurers refund the premium, some minus an admin fee, when you send the refusal letter.
Leaving early with no claims usually earns a refund for unused days, minus a fee. The rules by insurer are on Super Visa insurance refunds.
Questions about buying Super Visa insurance
Questions families ask me while they are choosing a plan. For sample prices by age see how much Super Visa insurance costs.
What does Super Visa insurance cover?
Emergency medical costs from a sudden illness or injury in Canada: hospital care, doctors, diagnostics, ambulance, drugs for the emergency and repatriation, up to the coverage amount.
Many plans add accidental dental, private nursing, limited paramedical care and family-support benefits. Routine check-ups and refills of regular medicine are not covered.
Should we buy more than $100,000 of coverage?
$100,000 meets the IRCC rule, and for many healthy parents it is enough. For a parent over 70 or with a heart history, price $150,000 as well and decide with both numbers in front of you.
Canadian hospitals bill visitors at non-resident rates, before doctors' fees, so a cardiac admission with tests and a procedure can use a large share of $100,000. Maximums differ by insurer.
Do we need a plan that covers pre-existing conditions?
IRCC doesn't require it, but if your parent takes any regular medicine, a plan that excludes pre-existing conditions won't pay for an emergency linked to that condition.
Plans that cover stable conditions cost more, and the condition must meet the plan's stability period on the start date. Count it from the last change, not the diagnosis.
What is the difference between a per-claim and a per-policy deductible?
A per-claim deductible is paid on each separate claim; a per-policy deductible is paid once for the policy period.
With two claims in a year, a $2,500 per-claim deductible can cost $5,000. Use the comparison calculator to see the effect.
Is the cheapest Super Visa plan the best choice?
Only if it covers your parent's actual health. A low premium with a high per-claim deductible, or no pre-existing cover, can cost far more when your parent needs care.
Compare the cheapest plan that covers stable pre-existing conditions with the cheapest plan that doesn't. The gap between them is roughly what it costs to cover the condition.
Do we buy the insurance before the visa is approved?
Yes. Proof of insurance goes in with the Super Visa application, so you buy first, with the start date set to the expected arrival date.
If the visa is refused, send the refusal letter to the insurer for a refund. Most refund the premium, some minus an admin fee.
Is my parent covered on a trip to the U.S. or elsewhere?
Many plans cover side trips outside Canada for a limited time, but the rules differ, and trips to the home country are usually not covered.
Check the plan's side-trip limits before booking, especially for travel to the U.S., where hospital bills are higher.
About the author: Pankaj Bhatia, PFA, CHS
Licensed insurance & financial advisor · Insure In Canada Inc. · Mississauga & Cambridge, Ontario
Pankaj has 11 years in financial services and sells Super Visa insurance from all the insurers in this site's quote engine. He starts with the parent's medicine list, not the price, and he helps families with renewals, refunds and claims after the sale. He is the broker, not the insurer, so the insurer makes claim decisions; he helps families prepare the claim and follow it up.
More about Pankaj · Call 647-640-2222 · WhatsApp · Google reviews
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Send Pankaj your quotes, or get new ones above. He'll check pre-existing condition rules, deductibles and benefits against your parent's situation.
Where these rules come from, and where to read more
This page describes benefits and exclusions commonly found in Canadian Super Visa insurance plans as general information. Coverage, limits, stability periods and exclusions vary by insurer and plan; the policy wording governs. Not immigration or legal advice.