Super Visa · Updated August 2026

Super Visa Insurance From a Foreign Insurer: What Qualifies?

IRCC now permits certain policies from companies outside Canada—but “foreign insurer” does not mean any insurer in any country.

On January 28, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada changed the Super Visa insurance rules. Eligible applicants can use a policy from a company outside Canada if the company and policy meet specific Canadian regulatory conditions.

That change was widely reported as “you can now buy Super Visa insurance from your home country.” In practice the door opened much less than the headlines suggested. The insurer still has to be regulated in Canada, and the policy still has to be issued through that Canadian regulated business. Most policies sold overseas do not meet either test — which is why families who buy abroad on price alone are the ones most likely to be asked for new documents partway through an application.

The requirements that did not change

Before looking at where a policy comes from, it has to clear the baseline Super Visa rules. IRCC's eligibility page requires private medical insurance that:

• Provides at least $100,000 in emergency medical coverage.
• Covers health care, hospitalization and repatriation.
• Is valid for at least one year (365 days) from the date of entry.
• Is valid for each entry to Canada, and available for review by the officer on request.

A policy that fails any one of these is not rescued by the insurer being eligible. Country of origin is an additional test layered on top of these — not a replacement for them.

The three conditions for a foreign insurer

IRCC states that a policy from a company outside Canada must:

1. Be issued by a foreign insurance company authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to provide accident and sickness insurance.
2. Come from a company that appears on OSFI's list of federally regulated financial institutions.
3. Be issued under that company's insurance business in Canada.

Canadian policy vs foreign policy: what to verify

A practical verification checklist

1. Check the current IRCC Super Visa eligibility page—not a screenshot, a forum post or an old article.
2. Confirm the insurer appears on the current OSFI list of federally regulated financial institutions.
3. Confirm the authorization specifically includes accident and sickness insurance.
4. Ask for written confirmation that the policy is issued under the company's Canadian insurance business — a sentence in an email from the insurer, not a verbal assurance from a broker.
5. Confirm the certificate clearly shows the insured person's name, effective and expiry dates, the coverage amount, and the policy number.
6. Confirm the coverage amount is stated in Canadian dollars, or that the equivalent is unambiguous.
7. Review deductibles, exclusions, pre-existing-condition stability and refund rules — not only immigration acceptability.

Why most families still choose a Canadian policy

An acceptable immigration document is only one part of the decision. Once a parent or grandparent is actually in Canada, the questions change: who answers the emergency line at 3 a.m., whether a Toronto hospital will bill the insurer directly, and how quickly a claim gets reimbursed. Practical reasons Canadian policies remain the default:

• Direct billing. Canadian insurers have existing relationships with Canadian hospitals. Without that, families often pay out of pocket and wait for reimbursement — on bills that can reach five figures.
• Assistance in the right time zone. Emergency approval for a procedure is difficult when the assistance centre is asleep.
• Refund terms. Most Canadian Super Visa policies are refundable if the visa is refused, and partly refundable on early departure. See our guide on Super Visa insurance refunds.
• Documents officers recognize. Canadian Super Visa certificates are built to show exactly what IRCC asks for.
• Someone accountable locally. A licensed Ontario advisor is reachable after the sale and regulated by FSRA.

What tends to cause problems

The failures we see are rarely dramatic. They are usually paperwork:

• The certificate names a policyholder — an adult child in Canada — but never names the visiting parent as the insured person.
• The coverage amount is shown in a foreign currency and falls below $100,000 CAD at the applicable exchange rate.
• The policy runs 12 months from the purchase date rather than 365 days from the date of entry, leaving a gap at the end.
• The plan is a general travel policy with emergency medical benefits, rather than a policy meeting the Super Visa conditions.
• The insurer is on OSFI's list, but the policy itself was issued by an overseas subsidiary outside the Canadian business.

Coverage must remain valid

IRCC says private insurance must be valid for each entry. Super Visa holders should maintain valid coverage during their stay and may need to renew if the policy expires before they leave Canada. A Super Visa allows stays of up to five years at a time, so a single one-year policy rarely covers the whole visit. Keep the certificate and assistance contact details available when travelling, and diarize the expiry date well in advance — buying a fresh policy after a medical event has occurred is far harder and more expensive.

What this costs

For the required $100,000 of emergency medical coverage, most families pay roughly $1,000–$6,000+ per year, driven mainly by the applicant's age, health and chosen deductible. Shopping abroad to escape that range usually means accepting a lower limit or stricter medical wording rather than a genuinely better deal. Our Super Visa insurance cost guide breaks the range down by age and deductible, and the travel insurance calculator gives an illustrative estimate in about a minute.

Common mistakes

• Buying before verifying the exact issuing company and its regulatory status.
• Assuming a travel plan meets Super Visa requirements because it includes emergency medical coverage.
• Looking only at the certificate and not the deductible or exclusions.
• Choosing unsuitable pre-existing-condition terms to save on premium.
• Allowing coverage to expire during a long stay.
• Relying on a broker's verbal assurance instead of written confirmation from the insurer.

Frequently asked questions

Can any overseas insurer issue Super Visa coverage?

No. IRCC specifies regulatory and Canadian-business conditions, and most policies sold overseas do not meet the third one.

Does an eligible policy guarantee visa approval?

No. Insurance is one requirement. IRCC decides the application using all applicable criteria, including the host's income and the applicant's admissibility.

Can the policy expire after the first year?

The application requires at least one year of valid coverage from entry, and coverage must be valid for each entry. A holder staying longer should ensure coverage remains valid and renew when necessary.

Is foreign Super Visa insurance cheaper?

Not reliably. A lower premium usually reflects a lower limit, a higher deductible or stricter stability wording. Compare like for like before assuming a saving.

What if the parent has a pre-existing condition?

Many Canadian plans cover stable pre-existing conditions, subject to a stability period commonly between 90 and 180 days. See our guide to travel insurance and pre-existing conditions.

Related guides

• Super Visa insurance in Ontario — quotes and requirements
• How much does Super Visa insurance cost?
• Is Super Visa insurance refundable?
• Super Visa vs visitor insurance: key differences
• Does OHIP cover visitors to Canada?

Official sources

• IRCC: January 2025 insurance change
• IRCC: current Super Visa eligibility
• OSFI: regulated financial institutions

General information only, not immigration advice or a guarantee that IRCC will accept a policy or approve an application. Rules may change; confirm the current IRCC and OSFI requirements before purchase. Coverage amounts, deductibles, stability periods and refund terms are subject to each insurer's policy wording.