Super Visa insurance, explained from the first dollar

The Super Visa is generous: it lets parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents visit for years at a time instead of months. In exchange, the government asks for one guarantee — that a medical emergency during the visit will not fall on the public health system. That guarantee is the insurance policy.

The three numbers that matter

Every qualifying policy has to clear the same bar: at least $100,000 of emergency medical coverage, valid for at least one year from the day your family member enters Canada, covering health care, hospitalization and repatriation. The policy must come from a Canadian insurer or a foreign provider on IRCC's approved list. Anything less and the application fails — regardless of how good the policy is otherwise.

What actually drives the cost

Age is the biggest lever — premiums step up in bands, and the jump past 70 is real. After that: the coverage amount, the deductible your family is willing to carry, and — most importantly — how the policy treats pre-existing conditions. A policy that covers a stable heart condition is worth more than one that quietly excludes it. Our pricing explainer lets you flip each lever and watch the effect.

The clause families miss

Pre-existing condition stability. Most policies only cover a condition that has been “stable” — same medication, same dose, no new symptoms — for a set period before the policy starts, commonly 90 or 180 days. If your mother's blood pressure medication changed last month, that detail decides whether her most likely claim is covered. Read this clause before comparing prices; it is the difference between real coverage and expensive paper.

Refunds, changes, and real life

Good policies bend around real life: the start date moves if the flight does, the premium comes back (sometimes minus a fee) if the visa is refused, and unused months can be refundable if your parent goes home early with no claims. None of this is automatic — it lives in the policy wording, which is why our checklist makes you find each clause before anyone pays.

Where a licensed human fits

HealthRate explains; we do not sell. When your family is ready to buy, talk to a licensed insurance professional or go to insurers directly — and arrive with the checklist done. Ten minutes of preparation turns the sales conversation into a confirmation exercise.