IRCC facilitates families to reunite by relaxing Medical Insurance payment norms for Super Visa applicants.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) declared a monthly payment option to meet the medical insurance requirement of the Super Visa program. The monthly payment option for private insurance of Super Visa applicants was in place earlier. However, the IRCC canceled the facility in August 2022, mandating upfront annual payments.
The decision resulted in criticism by prospective Super Visa applicants, as they could not afford a one-time medical insurance payment. It also reduced the number of applications for the program, impacting families who wanted to come together. The minimum annual expense to get medical insurance for an applicant works out to be $1,500.
The medical insurance secures healthcare, repatriation, and hospitalization of the applicant, besides a minimum emergency coverage of $100,000. The validity of the medical insurance is for up to one year from the applicant’s entry into Canada.
The recent announcement by the IRCC to restore the facility to pay for medical insurance of Super Visa applicants in monthly installments shows Canada’s commitment to reuniting families of immigrants.
Super Visa
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can bring their parents and grandparents by qualifying for the Super Visa program. A super visa enables eligible applicants to visit Canada on multiple occasions for up to ten years. A popular alternative to the Parents and Grandparents program (PGP), Super Visa has no lottery system to select eligible applicants, unlike the PGP. The process to get a Super Visa is faster than the PGP program.
