Why Visitors need medical insurance?

You’ve applied for the Super Visa, and aside from the proof of the necessary minimum income and letter of sponsorship, you’re wondering why medical insurance is important. This article can help.

Let’s say your mum or grandma comes to visit you and gets ill while she’s in Canada. She is then taken to the hospital, and you learn that the government’s health insurance plan doesn’t cover the mum (this is also a myth that will be discussed later in this piece). This may result in a delay in the medical attention given to the mother; imagine how much more uncomfortable it would be if this were an emergency.

A valid medical insurance policy is one of the requirements for obtaining a parent or Grandparent Super Visa. Applicants must prove that they have private insurance that has been legally binding for at least one year. A Canadian company must issue the policy. A tenable insurance policy should also have the following features:

• Generally, the insurance covers emergency medical care, hospitalization (meaning you can be admitted to the hospital for treatment) and repatriation (meaning you can return home for medical treatment);
• It provides at least $100,000 in coverage;
• Insurance is valid for every entry into Canada and is available for evaluation by an officer at the port of entry.

I mentioned earlier that the Government Health Insurance Plan (GHIP) does not cover visitors to Canada (this was the myth I mentioned earlier). The Government of Canada website states that the GHIP does not cover tourists, transients, or visitors to the province. So if a visitor falls ill and requires medical attention while in Canada, the visitor would be responsible for the fees since the government plans do not cover them. This is why visitors under the Super Visa need medical insurance that will cover them in an emergency. The insurance has to be provided at the time of application for the Super Visa as well.

So what’s so important about visitors’ medical insurance?

If visitors fall ill or are injured during their stay in Canada, they must pay for healthcare and medical services. According to the above example, if the mum had medical insurance, there would not be any unnecessary delay in receiving medical care because the insurance covers the health bill.

As an additional benefit, medical insurance offers the possibility of repatriation. In this case, if you require medical treatment in your home country, their medical insurance already takes care of this for you – so you don’t have to worry about getting it done. Moreover, health issues are exceptionally delicate, and it would be better not to take any chances, especially because insurance is beneficial in emergencies.

Are you planning to get super visa insurance? Contact us today for a quote.