Canada is one of the leading countries in the world that provide free and universal health care. This is a truly astonishing motivation for a lot of people around the world to move to Canada for a better life. However, what a lot of people do not know is that free health care in Canada is only for people who are permanent Canadian residents and Canadian citizens. This means that all travelers and international students who enroll themselves and attend school, college, or university in Canada must get themselves an International Student Insurance Canada. This international student health insurance program is only valid from the start to the end of their study period in Canada, since after the study period ends, the individual is no longer a student.
Another factor that comes with international student health insurance Canada is that all provinces in Canada, have varying health care laws. This means all international students must understand the health care services that their province of residence has to offer. A few Canadian provinces cover international students under their provincial health insurance plans. That is, however, not the case entirely. Some provinces require foreign students to obtain an international student insurance program from a private company.
A lot of Canadian schools require international students to obtain private international student health insurance from their choice of insurance providers. This is not always the case as some schools allow international students to leave the school’s designated insurance provider after they can assure and prove to the school that they are already receiving coverage from another private company. Here is our personalized guide according to popular provinces:
Ontario
The province of Ontario does not provide a provincial health insurance plan for international students. Therefore, it is the educational institutions that provide health insurance plans to international students in schools, colleges, and universities. State-owned public universities usually offer health insurance through the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP), while private institutions can opt for private insurance program providers. These insurance plans that are offered to international students are extremely expensive and they come added with the university fee of students
Quebec
Quebec has reciprocity agreements with a few countries. This agreement enables nationals of these countries to register for free with the provincial health insurance plan. However, students who belong to a country that has no agreement with the province of Quebec, are directly registered to purchase the health insurance plan provided by their respective institutions. For students to choose a private insurance provider may turn out to be a tough job, due to multiple complexities in agreements. Therefore, it is better to get your case handled by a professional who has experience with insurance policies so that international students can choose a plan that doesn’t completely rip them off.
