Insurance for New Permanent Resident Families in Canada

A new permanent resident family needs four things, in this order: provincial health coverage and a bridge policy for any waiting period, term life on each earner from the day of landing, critical illness or disability for the main earner, and visitor medical insurance for any parent who comes on a super visa. Life insurers treat permanent residents like citizens. PolicyAdvisor reports no minimum time in Canada for PRs and that Desjardins, BMO and Sun Life cover them “from the day they arrive”.

What is the order of priority?

Health first, because a hospital bill is the immediate risk; life second, because it is cheap at landing age and the obligations start at once; income protection third; the parents’ visitor cover when they come. The table sets out the sequence and the trigger for each step.

Step	What	When	Why first
1	Provincial health card; bridge policy if there is a waiting period	Week one	A single emergency can cost tens of thousands
2	Term life on each earner	First month	Rates rise with age; the mortgage and children are already there
3	Critical illness or disability on the main earner	First three months	Replaces income if illness stops work
4	Visitor medical insurance for parents	Before the super visa application	IRCC condition; $100,000 minimum
5	Review group benefits when employed	On hire	Avoid paying twice; note what ends with the job

How do you handle the provincial waiting period?

Apply for the health card on arrival and bridge any gap with a newcomer medical policy. Ontario has no OHIP waiting period, per the province’s OHIP page. British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces can apply a wait of up to three months. Our provincial waiting period hub and how to apply for OHIP cover the steps.

Super Visa Direct Insurance Services currently serves Ontario residents; British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are planned for 2028, and Quebec is not served.

How much term life should a PR family buy?

Enough to replace each earner’s income for the years the children depend on it, plus the mortgage and debts. PolicyAdvisor calls 5 to 10 times income a common rule of thumb and warns it “can be too little or too much”. Our how much coverage page works the lines.

Family member	Typical need	Note
Main earner	5-10x income plus mortgage and debts	A 20-year term usually fits a young family
Second earner	5-10x their income	Even part-time income matters once it is gone
Non-earning spouse	Cost of childcare and household work for the years needed	Often $250,000 to $500,000
Children	Not needed for income; a small rider at most	Term riders are cheap but rarely essential

PolicyAdvisor reports spouses and dependants are limited to 50 per cent of the primary applicant’s coverage at some insurers, up to 100 per cent at others. Apply for both spouses together so the advisor can match the limits.

Sample rates in PolicyAdvisor’s newcomer guide: $500,000 of 20-year term, non-smoker, regular health, $30 a month for a 30-year-old man and $22 for a woman, $45 and $34 at 40, seen Oct 2026 — verify at quote time. The guide notes that in the first 12 months, “adults applying for larger amounts usually need a paramedical exam plus hepatitis B and C bloodwork”.

Term, critical illness or disability for the main earner?

Term life first, then disability if available, then critical illness. The FCAC says disability insurance generally replaces 60 to 85 per cent of income and that many employers offer it; check the group plan before buying individual cover. Critical illness pays a lump sum on diagnosis and is simpler to obtain; see critical illness vs disability.

A common PR family package: 20-year term on both spouses, critical illness of $50,000 to $100,000 on the main earner, and disability once the employer plan or a year of income history supports it. Super Visa Direct Insurance Services arranges life and critical illness with Canadian life insurers, including Wawanesa Life and Canada Protection Plan (underwritten by Foresters Life Insurance Company), through a managing general agency; see critical illness insurance.

What about parents coming on a super visa?

They need visitor medical insurance before the application, and you need term life because you are the host. IRCC’s forms page requires a policy from a Canadian insurer, or an OSFI-authorised foreign insurer on OSFI’s list, with “a minimum emergency coverage of $100,000”, covering health care, hospitalization and repatriation, “valid for a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry”. See super visa insurance.

The parents cannot buy Canadian life or critical illness insurance on a super visa. Your term policy should include the support you promised them; see life insurance for the super visa host.

What do you do with insurance from your home country?

Keep it unless the premium is unaffordable, and declare it on the Canadian application. Check three things with the foreign insurer: whether it pays for a death in Canada, which currency it pays in, and whether moving abroad changed the terms. Most families keep the old policy for obligations at home and buy Canadian term life for the Canadian mortgage and children.

The FCAC reminds you to name a beneficiary on each policy; a family abroad can be named on the Canadian policy, see beneficiary outside Canada. Once group benefits start, read the booklet for life and disability amounts and note that they end with the job; see group benefits conversion.

What should a PR family do in the first 90 days?

Apply for the health card, bridge the gap if your province has one, book one needs call for both spouses, and apply for term life before the first birthday in Canada. Bring PR cards, the mortgage statement, income figures and any foreign policies. Our advisor disclosure explains how we are paid.

Nothing here is advice for your situation until you have spoken to a licensed advisor; our pages on TFSA and RRSP are general only and tax questions go to an accountant. Contact us with your landing date, province, ages and family size, and we will set the order and quote each step.

Questions people ask

Can a new permanent resident buy life insurance right after landing?

Yes. PolicyAdvisor reports no minimum time in Canada for permanent residents and that Desjardins, BMO and Sun Life cover PRs 'from the day they arrive.' Expect a paramedical exam and hepatitis B and C bloodwork for larger amounts in the first 12 months. Newcomers pay the same rates as citizens.

Is there a waiting period for provincial health coverage?

Ontario has no OHIP waiting period. British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces can apply a wait of up to three months. A visitors-to-Canada or newcomer medical policy bridges it. See our provincial waiting period pages for each province's rule.

How much life insurance should each spouse carry?

Start at 5 to 10 times each earner's income, then add the mortgage, debts and children's education, and subtract savings and group cover. A non-earning spouse still needs cover for childcare and household costs. PolicyAdvisor reports spouses are often limited to 50 per cent of the primary applicant's amount at some insurers, up to 100 per cent at others.

Should we buy critical illness or disability insurance?

Disability first if an insurer will issue it, because it replaces income monthly for any cause. Critical illness pays a lump sum on diagnosis and is easier to obtain. Many PR families buy term life for both spouses and critical illness for the main earner, then add disability once income history supports it.

What if my parents are coming on a super visa?

They need visitor medical insurance of at least $100,000 from a Canadian insurer, valid one year from entry, as a condition of the visa. They cannot buy Canadian life or critical illness insurance. You, the host, should hold term life sized to the support you promised; see our super visa host page.

Do I need to tell the insurer about my old policy abroad?

Yes, on the application question about existing insurance. A policy from your home country usually stays valid if premiums are paid, but check whether it pays for a death in Canada and in which currency. Most families keep the old policy and buy Canadian cover for the Canadian obligations.

Talk to a licensed advisor

Mon–Fri 8:00am–6:00pm ET

Request a callback

Insurance for new permanent resident families: what to buy, in what order