Who can apply for universal health insurance and how to apply?

For people who have lived in Canada for a long time, a universal health insurance can reduce a lot of financial burden. Not only Canadian citizens and permanent residents can apply, but eligible international students or foreign residents with work permits can also participate in medical insurance in some areas.

Each province and region has its own public health plan. Some regions will stipulate that new residents need to live there for a certain period of time before they can apply for universal health insurance, while others have no time limit.

There are currently 7 provinces that provide immediate medical insurance for new residents, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia Province, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. In these areas, new residents can use compliant personal documents to register for local health cards and enjoy universal health insurance services.

British Columbia (BC), Ontario, Quebec and the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut require new residents (including their own citizens) to comply with the waiting period for health insurance According to the rules, you can only apply for a card after 6 to 12 months.

If the work permit certificate held by the immigrant applicant has been valid during the waiting period, and he has been living and working in the same province or region during this period, he will be eligible to apply for universal health insurance in that province or region. .

In addition to working as workers, international students face greater differences across Canada. Some areas may never provide universal health insurance to international students, while in some places international students only have registered academic courses for more than 12 months and have no medical insurance. Only those who have lived in the local area continuously for more than 12 months can enjoy universal medical insurance.

So, how to apply?

Take British Columbia as an example. The local government stipulates that if a person holds a study certificate, work permit, or working holiday program work permit valid for more than 6 months while living in British Columbia, Then he is considered a resident of BC and can apply for the local Medical Service Plan (MSP).

In addition, BC has introduced a new policy this year. Starting from May 1, 2022, while waiting for subsequent work or study permits, those who live in BC and whose personal identity documents are valid may have Eligible for basic 6 months and additional temporary coverage.

Those who want to take advantage of this benefit need to have previously registered for MSP and also need to apply for proof of a new license before the original work or study permit expires. If the applicant applies for temporary insurance 4 weeks after the original license expires, he or she is also required to provide documents issued by IRCC to prove that the applicant's application is still valid.

To apply to join MSP, applicants can apply online and fill in personal information on the official website of BC local government:

Applicants can also help others apply for MSP online, but To require identification of others, upload digital images of all relevant persons’ identification documents.

Applicants who live in British Columbia can also apply by mail using a paper application form. They only need to print and fill out the form (/appointment). Applicants can then present their service card to receive provincial health care benefits.

It should be noted that the universal health insurance covered by temporary residents in Canada will expire after their work or study permit expires. Therefore, temporary residents must remember to submit the latest immigration documents to the universal health insurance department in order to continue to enjoy universal health insurance. Health insurance benefits.

Before applying for and getting the province’s universal health insurance, temporary residents can only apply for private insurance on their own. However, some private insurances may stipulate a waiting period for some disease insurance items, so when you first arrive in Canada, you can reasonably provide yourself and your family with By planning a medical insurance plan, you can save money when necessary and be responsible for your own health.

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