There is a wide range of companies from whom you can buy travel insurance for Canada irrespective of whether you are planning a visit, or possess a temporary work permit.
In a situation whereby you are moving to Canada through a permanent residence program, you are eligible for publicly-funded healthcare in Canada although you will not be able to access it for the first few months after arrival.
This can also apply if you are moving to Canada on a study permit or a work permit though there are some exceptions to this as stated below. That being said, you and your family must get quality health insurance to cover the duration you are without public health insurance.
In addition to this, you are expected to have travel insurance that will take care of the total duration of your work permit and cover repatriation costs if you’re partaking in the IEC Working Holiday Visa in Canada. Also, you need to obtain separate travel insurance for Canada because provincial healthcare and medical cover from your employment do not take care of these items. A lot of companies have policies designed specifically for the IEC market.
When it comes to skiing and snowboarding, provinces such as British Columbia and Alberta are well known for such. You should ensure that your Canadian travel insurance policy will take care of any potential injuries if you want to hit the slopes.
Where can one buy travel insurance for Canada?
When you are buying your travel insurance for Canada, you have to put into consideration the region you will be in.
If you are applying for permanent residence, you should consider more extensive health insurance policies, other than typical plans for travel insurance for Canada.
The essence of expatriate health insurance is to ensure that you have access to the best possible healthcare while residing and working abroad.
Why does IEC work permit holder need travel insurance for Canada?
1. It is compulsory for IEC work permits.
It is no longer news as every year, numerous people aren’t issued an IEC work permit because they failed to buy Canadian travel insurance. This is because the rules state that you must have insurance for the complete duration of your work permit (for instance 2 years).
2. You are not allowed to buy a short policy, and later extend it.
Furthermore, the rule clearly states that you are not permitted to buy a three-month policy and conform to spread it to a two-year policy just to pacify the immigration officer.
For instance, the immigration officer has the right to issue only a three-month or six-month visa if you only buy travel insurance on a three-month or six-month policy. Please note that this cannot be extended at a later date.
3. You cannot get the coverage you need through provincial insurance.
Federal immigration officers do not accept provincial insurance that’s on offer as adequate insurance. This is owing to the fact that this does not take care of repatriation costs, that is, flying you to your home country in the case of death.
Aside from this, other costs are not contained in provincial cover, and they are medications, ambulance, dental accidents, medical devices such as crutches and casts, as well as trips to the US and Mexico.
4. It is true that nobody enjoys paying for insurance, but note that alternatives could be a lot worse.
The reason behind buying insurance is in case the worst happens. Most times, people perceive it to be a waste if that big event does not happen. We encourage you to be responsible as an adult because we all know that no family would appreciate a $20,000 hospital bill in the occurrence of severe injury or death and your repatriation home.
In conclusion, we hope that this article has provided you with everything you need to know about IEC Travel insurance.