Insurance for refugee claimants: what IFHP covers and what it does not

A refugee claimant in Canada is covered by the federal Interim Federal Health Program, not by a provincial plan and not by a private plan. Coverage starts when you receive the Acknowledgement of Claim letter and is “activated or cancelled automatically” on immigration status, per IRCC. Since 1 May 2026, prescriptions carry a $4 co-payment and supplemental benefits a 30% co-payment. The steps below cover using IFHP, moving to a provincial plan, and the narrow cases where a private plan helps.

Before you start

You need one of three documents, per IRCC’s services page: the Acknowledgement of Claim and Notice to Return for Interview letter, issued when you make the claim; the Refugee Protection Claimant Document, issued after the interview when the claim is referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board; or an Interim Federal Health Certificate, issued to resettled refugees and other eligible groups. There is no application. Time needed: none beyond keeping the document with you.

Steps

1. Keep your Acknowledgement of Claim letter or Refugee Protection Claimant Document with you. It is your proof of coverage; providers check it against the Medavie Blue Cross system.
2. Find a provider registered with IFHP using the Medavie Blue Cross search tool linked from IRCC’s services page. Unregistered providers can refuse to bill the program and charge you.
3. Before any treatment, ask whether it is basic, supplemental or not covered. The provider “must tell you” whether a co-payment applies. Basic care cannot be charged to you.
4. Pay co-payments directly to the provider and ask for a receipt: $4 per prescription fill or refill, and 30% of eligible supplemental costs such as urgent dental, vision, counselling, physiotherapy and assistive devices, per IRCC’s coverage summary.
5. Sign the treatment confirmation form if the provider asks; it lets them bill Medavie Blue Cross. If Medavie later writes asking you to confirm a service date, respond and return it. IRCC says the letter “is not a bill” and does not affect your claim.
6. When your claim is accepted, apply to the provincial plan immediately. In Ontario, a Convention refugee or protected person is on the OHIP eligibility list with no waiting period; see how to apply for OHIP. IFHP ends 90 days after acceptance, per the May 2026 CLEO slides, so the 90 days are the handover window.
7. Arrange private cover for any family member who is not a claimant and not provincially eligible, such as a parent visiting on a visitor visa.

What IFHP covers, and at what cost to you

Source: IRCC coverage summary. Some supplemental items need a referral or IRCC prior authorization, and some are capped at a dollar maximum. IFHP “does not reimburse out-of-pocket payments,” so paying first and claiming later does not work.

When IFHP ends

IRCC’s 2016 notice removed the former 12-month expiry for claimants, so coverage runs for the life of the claim. A claimant whose claim is refused and who is awaiting removal should ask a legal clinic about continuing eligibility rather than assuming either way.

What a private plan can and cannot add

Less than most people expect. IFHP’s exclusions list “services or products you can claim under other health insurance (private or public),” and the program “does not coordinate with other health insurance plans.” A private medical plan held alongside IFHP can therefore make IFHP the second payer for anything the private plan covers, shifting deductibles and limits onto you. Do not buy a visitors-to-Canada plan as a claimant without asking the insurer in writing whether it accepts claimants and how it treats IFHP.

Where private insurance does help:

• A family member who is not a claimant: a visiting parent or a spouse on a visitor visa has no IFHP and no provincial plan, and needs a visitor plan for the stay.
• The handover after acceptance: a protected person who has not yet registered with the province can hold a short private plan if the 90 days run out first.
• Life insurance for the household: some Canadian insurers accept protected persons, usually after a year; see life insurance for newcomers. Claimants are generally not accepted; confirm with the insurer at quote time.

If something goes wrong

A provider demands payment for basic care: show the document and state that basic treatment cannot be charged under IFHP; if they refuse, find a registered provider and report the first to Medavie Blue Cross. A pharmacy charges more than $4: ask whether the drug is on the IFHP formulary, since non-listed drugs are not covered. A hospital bill arrives for care before your Acknowledgement of Claim: coverage does not backdate, and a community legal clinic can advise on the bill.

SuperVisaDirect is operated by Super Visa Direct Insurance Services, an independent Ontario life and accident-and-sickness insurance agency licensed by FSRA (licence [FSRA-LICENCE]), serving Ontario residents. We do not sell IFHP, which is a federal program, and we do not recommend layering a private medical plan over it. For a visiting relative, or for life insurance once your status allows, contact a licensed advisor.