Health insurance for international students and their families

International students in Ontario are excluded from OHIP and pay $948 a year for UHIP from 1 September 2026, with a spouse or child added at $1,896 for one dependant and $2,844 for two or more. Outside Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba cover students with no wait, BC and Quebec apply about three months, and the Atlantic provinces vary. In every province there is a gap between landing and the first day of coverage, and a private plan bought before the flight is the only thing that covers it.

What does UHIP cost and who must enrol?

UHIP, the University Health Insurance Plan, costs $948 for a single student for the 12 months from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027, up from $792. CIC News reports the increase at 20%. Enrolment is compulsory at the 22 publicly funded Ontario universities unless the student holds OHIP, an approved equivalent plan, diplomatic status or a sponsored government plan.

Source: Moving2Canada and CIC News. UHIP covers hospital and physician services at roughly OHIP levels; it does not cover drugs, dental or vision, which student union extended plans at $200 to $400 a year pick up. Ontario colleges run separate compulsory plans with their own rates.

When does UHIP start, and what covers the gap?

Coverage begins on the later of the arrival date or the 10th day of the month before the study period starts. A student who lands on 5 August for a 1 September term is covered from 10 August, and the five days in between are uninsured. A student who lands on 20 July to find housing is uninsured for three weeks.

A visitors-to-Canada plan from GMS, TuGo or another carrier covers that gap for a few dollars a day, and has no waiting period for illness if bought before the flight. GMS waives its waiting period for policies bought before arrival; TuGo’s policy names international students as eligible and applies a 48-hour illness wait only if bought after landing. Set the end date to the UHIP start date plus a few days.

Which provinces cover international students?

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba do, with no waiting period. BC does after about three months. Ontario and, for most students, Quebec do not, and instead require a compulsory private plan through the institution. The PolicyMe 2026 guide sets out the rules by province.

Sources: PolicyMe, Ontario. Provincial rules change each year; confirm with the international student office before relying on a row above. Compulsory school plans cover the student and, at most schools, dependants who are added and paid for; they never cover visiting parents.

Spouses, children and parents

A spouse on an open work permit and children on study permits or visitor records can usually be added to the student plan, and in Ontario the UHIP family tiers above apply. They must be added by the student; nothing is automatic. A spouse who takes up full-time work in Ontario may qualify for OHIP in their own right and can then drop UHIP for themselves.

Parents are different. No student plan, provincial plan or UHIP tier covers a visiting parent. A parent on a visitor visa is billed at non-resident rates, $3,750 to $4,005 a day on an Ontario ward per Niagara Health and Queensway Carleton, and needs a visitors to Canada plan bought before the flight. A parent who wants to stay longer than six months needs a super visa, and a student who is a permanent resident or citizen can host one if their income meets LICO; see the decision guide.

The 2026 cap and what it means for families

IRCC set the 2026 study permit cap at 309,670 applications for students needing a provincial attestation letter and expects to issue up to 408,000 permits in total, 155,000 to new students and 253,000 as extensions, per the 2026 allocations notice. Master’s and doctoral students at public institutions are exempt from the attestation requirement from 1 January 2026.

The practical effect is a shift toward graduate students, who are older and more often arrive with a spouse and children. Those families face the same gaps as a work permit family: nothing between landing and the first day of coverage, and up to three months of provincial wait outside Ontario. The work permit page covers spouses’ plans, and the waiting-period page lists the provinces.

What to buy, and when

Buy a visitors-to-Canada plan before the flight for every family member, running from the arrival date to the first day of school or provincial coverage plus a week. For a single student in Ontario that is often a two-to-four-week policy. For a graduate student’s family in BC or Quebec it is three months plus. Children under 55 need no medical questions; a spouse or parent with a pre-existing condition should answer the questionnaire and buy the plan that covers stable conditions.

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; other provinces are coming in 2028. Get a quote for the pre-arrival gap, or a super visa quote if a parent is coming to stay.