Insurance Guide for Newcomers
What health, travel, tenant and auto insurance you need as a newcomer to Canada — and when you need it.
Last verified: · Sources: IRCC
This guide is for general information only and is not insurance or legal advice.
What insurance do newcomers need in Canada?
Most newcomers need interim private health insurance to cover the gap before their provincial health card starts — in some provinces this wait is up to about 3 months. If you're not yet a permanent resident, such as a visitor or a parent or grandparent on a super visa, you need travel or visitor insurance that meets Canada's requirements instead. Once you're settled, you'll also want to look at tenant insurance for your home and auto insurance if you drive.
Provincial health coverage, work permits & students
Waiting periods and eligibility rules are set by each province or territory, so they vary widely. Rows marked "Check official site" could not be confirmed on an official government page — verify them directly before you rely on them.
View health card application steps →
| Province / territory | New PR waiting period | Work permit holders | International students | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | No waiting period for new permanent residents. | Covered with a valid work permit if you work full-time for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months (Live-in Caregiver and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program permit holders also qualify). | Not covered by OHIP. University students use UHIP, a compulsory plan; college and private-institution students should ask their school's international student office about its required plan. | Official source |
| British Columbia | About 3 months: the rest of the month you become a resident, plus two more months. | Covered if your work permit is valid for 6+ months — you may be deemed a resident. The standard waiting period still applies. | Covered under the same rule as workers (a study permit valid 6+ months), but you'll also pay a mandatory provincial International Student Health Fee of $75/month on top of premium-free MSP. Fee details — official source | Official source |
| Alberta | No waiting period if you apply within 3 months of establishing residency. | Covered if your permit has at least 6 months remaining, names an Alberta employer or location (or is open), and you intend to live in Alberta for 12+ months. | Covered with a 12-month study permit, or a 6–12 month permit plus a school letter confirming intent to stay 12 months. | Official source |
| Saskatchewan | Check official site | Workers and businesspeople authorized to live in Canada temporarily for work are covered on or before the 1st day of the 3rd month. | International students with a valid study permit and proof of full-time enrolment may qualify. | Official source |
| Manitoba | No waiting period — coverage starts from your date of arrival. | Covered with a work permit valid for 12 consecutive months or more; coverage starts from the permit's issue date. | Not covered. Manitoba Health stopped covering study permit holders on September 1, 2018. | Official source |
| Quebec | Up to 3 months after you register with RAMQ. Children under 18, and people from 11 countries with a social-security agreement with Québec, may be exempt. | Covered if your permit authorizes a stay of more than 6 months; the same up-to-3-month wait applies. | Not covered unless you hold a study or internship permit from one of the 11 countries with a social-security agreement with Québec, or a fellowship to study from Québec's Ministère de l'Éducation. | Official source |
| New Brunswick | No waiting period for arrivals from outside Canada — coverage can start from your first day in New Brunswick once Medicare confirms you've established permanent residence. (People moving from another province wait until the 1st day of the 3rd month.) | Eligible with a valid work permit — New Brunswick's Medicare pages don't publish a minimum permit length for workers. | Eligible as a full-time student (undergraduate, graduate, diploma or certificate) for the full scholastic year, roughly September to April. Exchange students, part-time students, and online students at an out-of-province school are not eligible. | Official source |
| Nova Scotia | No waiting period — coverage usually starts on the date you become a resident of Nova Scotia. | Covered with a work permit valid for 12+ months; coverage starts on the later of your residency date or the permit's issue date. | Covered with a study permit valid for 12+ months, but only from the 1st day of the 13th month after arrival — plan for a school health plan during that first year. | Official source |
| Prince Edward Island | Check official site | Check official site | Check official site | Official source |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | No waiting period stated for permanent residents; coverage follows approval of your application. | Covered with a work permit valid for 12+ months plus a 12-month full-time job letter (6+ months for NLPNP/AIP participants); coverage starts from arrival or your job start date, whichever is later. | Covered with a study permit valid for 12+ months for a full-time program at Memorial University, College of the North Atlantic, or a registered private institution. | Official source |
| Yukon | 3 months — new and returning Yukon residents wait 3 months for coverage to start. | Covered with an open or Yukon-specific work permit valid for at least 1 year. | Not covered — you cannot apply for the Yukon Health Care Insurance Plan on a study or visitor visa. | Official source |
| Northwest Territories | Check official site | Check official site | Check official site | Official source |
| Nunavut | 1st day of the 3rd month — coverage may become effective then, provided you meet all eligibility requirements. | Eligible with an employment visa valid for 1 year or more with a Nunavut address. Contracts or visas under 1 year are not eligible. | Eligible with a student visa valid for 1 year or more with a Nunavut address. Visas under 12 months are not eligible. | Official source |
Private interim health insurance
If your province has a waiting period, you're responsible for the full cost of care until your public health coverage starts. British Columbia and Alberta both note that emergency care won't be refused during the wait, but you'll be billed for it, and Québec's RAMQ recommends taking out private insurance as soon as you arrive. Most private insurers for this gap exclude pre-existing conditions, including pregnancy, so read a policy's exclusions carefully and buy coverage before you need it. Québec also provides some care for free during the wait regardless of insurance: care for survivors of domestic or sexual violence, pregnancy- and childbirth-related care, and care for infectious diseases of public-health concern.
Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP)
The Interim Federal Health Program gives limited, temporary health coverage until provincial or territorial insurance starts. It's for asylum claimants, protected persons (for 90 days after a positive decision or until provincial coverage starts), resettled refugees, victims of human trafficking or family violence holding a temporary resident permit, people detained under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and people covered under certain public policies. Basic coverage has no cost; prescriptions have a $4 co-payment and supplemental coverage has a 30% co-payment.
Who IFHP does not cover
IFHP is not for economic immigrants (such as Express Entry or a Provincial Nominee Program), family-class permanent residents, work permit holders, international students, or visitors. These groups need provincial health coverage once it starts, or private insurance in the meantime.
Visitor and travel insurance
If you haven't landed yet, or you're visiting Canada — including visiting parents or grandparents — you need travel or visitor-to-Canada insurance from a private insurer, since you aren't eligible for any provincial health plan. Buy it before you travel, and check what it covers for emergency care, hospitalization, and medical evacuation.
Super visa medical insurance requirements
Parents and grandparents applying for a super visa must buy a medical insurance policy that meets all of the following IRCC requirements:
- From a Canadian insurance company, or a foreign insurer authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)
- Valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry to Canada
- Provides at least $100,000 in emergency coverage
- Covers health care, hospitalization and repatriation
- Paid in full, or in instalments with a deposit paid — a quote is not accepted
- Valid for each entry to Canada
- Available for review by a border services officer on request
Student health plans
Provincial health plans don't cover every international student. University students in Ontario are enrolled in UHIP, a compulsory plan created by Ontario's universities; college students get a plan arranged by their school. Manitoba stopped covering study permit holders in 2018, and Yukon doesn't cover study permits at all. Where you're not covered provincially, check with your school's international student office about its required health plan before you arrive.
Employer group benefits
Government health plans cover basic medical services, but not everything — most prescriptions and dental care, for example, aren't publicly covered. If you work, your employer may offer an extended health plan that fills some of these gaps. Ask about group benefits during onboarding, including any waiting period before coverage starts.
Tenant insurance
Tenant (renter's) insurance isn't required by law in any province, but your landlord may require it as a condition of your lease. It typically covers your personal belongings, liability if someone is injured in your rental, and additional living expenses if you need temporary housing after a covered loss. Compare policies for what they exclude, and check your lease for any insurance requirement before you sign.
In Québec, the insurance regulator (the AMF) confirms tenant insurance isn't compulsory but recommends getting it anyway: a tenant can be held liable for damage to the building, such as from a fire, even when the landlord has insurance. Home insurance covers both your belongings and your civil liability.
Auto insurance
Public auto insurance provinces
British Columbia (ICBC), Saskatchewan (SGI) and Manitoba (MPI) run public basic auto insurance, sold through brokers or the insurer directly. Québec's public plan (SAAQ) covers bodily injury from a traffic accident for all Quebecers, anywhere in the world, regardless of fault. Civil liability coverage for damage you cause to someone else's property is mandatory in Québec but bought privately, per the AMF (Québec's financial markets regulator); insuring your own vehicle against damage or theft is optional by law, though lenders and leases usually require it.
Private-insurer provinces and territories
Ontario, Alberta, the Atlantic provinces and the territories use private insurers for auto insurance. Ask an insurer whether it will recognize driving experience from outside Canada — this varies by company.
Frequently asked questions
What insurance do newcomers to Canada need?
Most newcomers need private health insurance to cover the gap before their provincial health card starts. If you're visiting or not yet landed, you need travel or visitor insurance instead. Once settled, tenant insurance and auto insurance (if you drive) usually follow.
How long is the wait for my provincial health card?
It depends on the province or territory. Ontario, Alberta (if you apply within 3 months), Manitoba, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have no waiting period for new permanent residents arriving from abroad, and Newfoundland and Labrador's MCP doesn't state one. British Columbia (the rest of the month plus 2 more), Québec (up to 3 months, not for children under 18), Yukon (3 months) and Nunavut (the 1st day of the 3rd month) have a stated wait. Saskatchewan, PEI and the Northwest Territories aren't clearly confirmed — check the table above, and see the health card guide for how to apply.
What is interim or bridge health insurance?
It's private health insurance you buy to cover the period before your provincial health plan starts. You're responsible for the full cost of any care you receive until then, so most provinces with a waiting period recommend arranging this coverage before you arrive.
Who is covered by the Interim Federal Health Program?
IFHP covers asylum claimants, protected persons, resettled refugees and some other specific groups until they get provincial coverage. It does not cover economic immigrants, family-class permanent residents, work permit holders, international students or visitors.
What insurance do I need for a super visa?
A policy from a Canadian insurer or an OSFI-authorized foreign insurer, valid for at least 1 year from your date of entry, with at least $100,000 in emergency coverage for health care, hospitalization and repatriation, paid in full or by instalments with a deposit. A quote alone isn't accepted.
Do international students need their own health insurance?
Often, yes. Many provinces don't cover international students under their public plan — Ontario university students use UHIP, and Manitoba and Yukon don't cover study permits at all. Check with your school's international student office.
Is tenant insurance required in Canada?
It isn't required by law in any province, but many landlords require it as a lease condition. It typically covers your belongings, liability and temporary living expenses after a covered loss.
Is auto insurance public or private in Canada?
British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have public basic auto insurance. Québec's public plan covers bodily injury, but civil liability for property damage there is mandatory and bought privately; all auto insurance in the remaining provinces and territories is also bought from private insurers.
Sources
- IRCC — Canada's universal health care system
- IRCC — IFHP eligibility
- IRCC — IFHP coverage summary
- IRCC — Super visa requirements
- BC — International Student Health Fee
- AMF — Québec auto insurance
- AMF — Québec home insurance
This guide is informational only — it is not insurance advice or legal advice. Insurance rules, provincial waiting periods and eligibility criteria change; confirm current details with your province or territory, IRCC, or a licensed insurance broker before you rely on them.
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