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Metro Vancouver, British Columbia · Licensed in BC · 2026

Super Visa insurance in Vancouver and Surrey, from a BC-licensed advisor

Compare IRCC-ready plans for parents visiting Metro Vancouver and buy online. Premiums are the same as anywhere in Canada.

For families in Newton, Fleetwood, Whalley, Cloverdale and South Surrey, North Delta, Burnaby, Richmond, Vancouver and Abbotsford. This page covers what is specific to British Columbia: why MSP can't cover a visiting parent, what BC hospitals and ambulances charge visitors, which date starts the policy when parents fly in through another city or drive up from Seattle, and where the Lower Mainland's emergency departments are.

By Pankaj Bhatia, CHS, PFA Updated Licensed in British Columbia and 6 more provinces
Get live quotes Check the start date Local hospitals

In short, for Vancouver & Surrey families

MSP is for BC residents: Canadian citizens and permanent residents who make their home in BC, plus some permit holders. A parent on a Super Visa needs private insurance: at least $100,000 of emergency cover, valid one year from the day they enter Canada. BC hospitals bill visitors, payment is due when care is given, and doctors send their own bills. A BC ambulance ride costs a visitor $848, against $80 for someone on MSP. Premiums don't change by province, and Pankaj is licensed in BC, so you can buy here.

Why MSP won't cover a visiting parent in BC

BC's Medical Services Plan is for residents. Three rules decide the question for a Super Visa parent.

1

A visitor isn't a BC resident

The province defines a resident as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who makes their home in BC and is physically there at least six months a year. A Super Visa parent is neither, so a long stay doesn't change anything.

2

Visitors are billed

Fraser Health, which runs Surrey Memorial, Burnaby Hospital and other hospitals east and south of Vancouver, says tourists and visitors are not covered by MSP and will be billed. Its hospital charges are due when the service is given.

3

Doctors bill separately

Physicians send their own bills from their own offices, so one emergency visit can produce two or more bills. Keep every one for the claim, along with the discharge notes.

Your own MSP card and workplace benefits can't be used for a parent. If your parent later becomes a permanent resident and moves to BC, MSP has a wait period: the rest of the month they become a resident plus two more months. The province advises keeping private insurance until MSP starts.

Flying in through another city, or driving up from Seattle? Check the start date

IRCC counts the year of coverage from the date of entry, and that is wherever the border officer first admits your parent: Vancouver airport on a direct flight, Toronto or Calgary on a connection, or the land crossing at Peace Arch or Pacific Highway if they fly into Seattle and drive up.

Entry-date checker

Use the local date shown on the arrival time of each flight.

What a visitor pays in BC: published fees

Fraser Health's billing pages don't list hospital rates for non-residents; the hospital bills after care, and the amount depends on the services used. BC Emergency Health Services does publish its ambulance fees.

BC ambulance service (BCEHS)Visitor (non-MSP rate)BC resident on MSP
Ground ambulance, 911 transport$848 flat fee$80
Helicopter ambulance$4,394 per hour$80
Airplane ambulance$11 per statute mile$80
 BC Emergency Health Services fees in effect since April 1, 2020. The ambulance bill is separate from the hospital and doctors' bills.

Call the insurer first. Save the insurer's 24/7 assistance number in your parent's phone. Unless it is a 911 emergency, call it before going in: it can direct your parent to a hospital or clinic and arrange payment with the hospital where possible.

For example, suppose your mother falls on a wet Surrey sidewalk and needs an ambulance, X-rays and a night in hospital. She would get three kinds of bills: BCEHS for the ride, Fraser Health for the hospital, and each doctor. A $100,000 policy is the IRCC minimum; many families choose more.

Emergency departments in Surrey, Vancouver and nearby

Addresses from the BC government's HealthLink BC emergency room list. Save the nearest one in your parent's phone next to the insurer's number.

AreaHospitalAddress
Surrey (Whalley)Surrey Memorial Hospital (adult and children's emergency)13750 96 Avenue, Surrey
South Surrey / White RockPeace Arch Hospital15521 Russell Avenue, White Rock
DeltaDelta Hospital5800 Mountain View Boulevard, Delta
LangleyLangley Memorial Hospital22051 Fraser Highway, Langley
AbbotsfordAbbotsford Regional Hospital32900 Marshall Road, Abbotsford
New WestminsterRoyal Columbian Hospital330 East Columbia Street, New Westminster
BurnabyBurnaby Hospital3935 Kincaid Street, Burnaby
RichmondRichmond Hospital7000 Westminster Highway, Richmond
VancouverVancouver General Hospital920 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver
Downtown VancouverSt. Paul's Hospital1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Tri-CitiesEagle Ridge Hospital475 Guildford Way, Port Moody
North ShoreLions Gate Hospital231 East 15th Street, North Vancouver
 Surrey Memorial, Peace Arch, Delta, Langley, Abbotsford, Royal Columbian, Burnaby and Eagle Ridge are Fraser Health hospitals; Richmond, Vancouver General and Lions Gate are Vancouver Coastal Health; St. Paul's is Providence Health Care.

911 first for chest pain, stroke signs, breathing trouble or a serious fall. For anything else, call the insurer's line before going in.

Seattle trips, ferries and life in the Lower Mainland

A day in Seattle or Bellingham is a trip outside Canada. Super Visa insurance is built for care in Canada. Some plans include side trips abroad with limits; for example, Manulife's visitors plans cover side trips that start and end in Canada, up to the lesser of 30 days per policy or 49% of the coverage days, and never to the home country. Other insurers differ, so check the wording before crossing, and remember your parent must also meet US entry rules.

Victoria, Whistler and the Okanagan are in Canada, so the policy covers them. Read the exclusions before skiing or hiking on steep trails; many visitor plans limit some sports.

Leaving and coming back: IRCC's checklist says the insurance must be valid for each entry. If your parent returns home for a few months, check that the policy is still in force on the day they re-enter at YVR or the border.

Metro Vancouver at a glance

Provincial plan
MSP (Medical Services Plan)
Surrey residents who speak Punjabi at home
18%
Health authorities
Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence
Time difference from Ontario
3 hours behind
Language figure from the City of Surrey. Pankaj works with BC families by phone, WhatsApp and video call, and can walk parents abroad through the medical questions.

Buy Super Visa insurance online from leading insurers

Press Buy online to go to the insurer's secure purchase page, or Plan details to read about coverage and claims first. Not sure? Compare them all in one quote. Availability depends on age, health and plan.

Buy online opens the insurer's own website in a new tab; policies are issued by each insurer. Price tables by age: Super Visa insurance cost.

Questions Vancouver & Surrey families ask

General questions are in the full Super Visa insurance FAQ.

Can my parents get MSP while visiting Vancouver or Surrey?

No. MSP is for BC residents, such as citizens and permanent residents who make their home in BC, and a Super Visa parent is a visitor.

Fraser Health says tourists and visitors are not covered by MSP and will be billed for care. That is why IRCC requires private insurance for the whole stay.

Can an Ontario advisor sell us Super Visa insurance in BC?

Only if they hold a BC licence. Pankaj Bhatia is licensed in British Columbia as well as Ontario and five other provinces.

BC families compare and buy online here and get the policy documents by email for the IRCC application. Questions, refunds and claims are handled by phone, WhatsApp or video call.

My parents fly Delhi to Toronto, then on to Vancouver. Which date starts the policy?

The date they land in Toronto, because that is where they enter Canada.

IRCC requires coverage for at least one year from the date of entry. On a direct flight to YVR, the YVR arrival date is the date of entry. Use the entry-date checker.

What if my parents fly into Seattle and we drive them across the border?

Then the date of entry is the day they cross at the land border, such as Peace Arch or Pacific Highway.

Start the policy on that date and keep it handy; the border officer can ask for it. Your parent also needs to meet US entry rules for the Seattle leg.

How much does an ambulance cost a visitor in BC?

BC Emergency Health Services charges a flat $848 for a ground ambulance at the non-MSP rate, against $80 for an MSP patient.

Air ambulance is $4,394 per hour by helicopter. Visitor plans usually list ambulance services as covered emergency care (Manulife's chart does, for example), subject to the policy terms.

Is Super Visa insurance more expensive in BC?

No. Insurers price on age, health, coverage amount and deductible, not on the province.

Price tables by age are on the Super Visa insurance cost page, and the live quote above shows current prices.

My parent is being sponsored for PR. When will MSP take over?

After the MSP wait period: the rest of the month they become a BC resident plus two more months.

The province advises keeping private insurance until MSP starts. Ask the insurer about a refund for unused days once MSP begins; refund rules differ by insurer.

Is my parent covered on a day trip to Seattle?

Only if the plan includes side trips outside Canada, and limits apply.

Manulife's visitors plans, for example, allow side trips up to the lesser of 30 days per policy or 49% of the coverage days, not to the home country. Check your own plan before the trip.

Pankaj Bhatia, CHS, PFA, Super Visa insurance advisor licensed in British Columbia

Your British Columbia-licensed advisor: Pankaj Bhatia, CHS, PFA

Insure In Canada Inc. · Licensed in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

For 11 years Pankaj has helped families bring parents to Canada. He is licensed in British Columbia, so Surrey, Vancouver and Fraser Valley families can buy here and get policy documents by email for the IRCC application. For pre-existing condition questions, the right start date when parents connect through another city, a refund after an early return, or a claim at a BC hospital, he is a phone call, WhatsApp message or video call away.

Call 647-640-2222 · WhatsApp · info@pankajbhatia.ca · About Pankaj · Google reviews

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Sources and related pages

Information about MSP, BC hospital and ambulance fees and hospital locations is for planning only and can change; check with the health authority or BC Emergency Health Services. Coverage, refunds and fees are subject to each policy's terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Insurer names and marks belong to their owners. Not immigration or legal advice.