A wrong answer on the medical questionnaire lets the insurer void the policy or refuse the related claim, whether the error was deliberate or honest. TuGo’s wording voids coverage and refunds the premium, and applies a $15,000 deductible where the rate-determining answers were inaccurate. Manulife’s voids the policy for a concealed or misrepresented material fact. GMS’s refuses any related claim. Found before the effective date, the error can be corrected or the policy cancelled in the free look at no cost.
The clause sits in the general conditions of every policy we compare. It is the clause behind most of the denials on the claims page, and the reason the questionnaire method matters more than the premium.
What does each insurer’s wording say?
Three patterns: void the whole policy, refuse the related claim, or apply a penalty deductible. The wordings below are quoted from the policy documents; the full text governs.
| Insurer (underwriter) | Clause | Effect | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| TuGo (iA Financial Group) | Failure to disclose a material fact, or a false or exaggerated statement: “your coverage will be void, which means that any claim submitted will not be paid” | Policy void | Refunded |
| TuGo (iA Financial Group) | Inaccurate answers to the questions that set the rate | “A $15,000 CAD deductible will apply to any incident claimed” | Kept |
| Manulife CoverMe and 21st Century (Manufacturers Life) | “This insurance is void in the case of fraud or attempted fraud, or if you conceal or misrepresent any material fact”; no benefits where application information is “not truthful and accurate” | Policy void; claim excluded | Per wording |
| GMS (Group Medical Services) | “Any material misrepresentation, provision of incorrect information or non-disclosure of information, related to medical conditions, will result in non-payment of any related claims”; “this contract is void in the case of fraud” | Related claims refused; void for fraud | Per wording |
| Allianz Global Assistance (CUMIS General Insurance) | “If you make a claim knowing it to be untrue in any respect, you will not have coverage and your claims will not be paid” | Coverage lost | Per wording |
| Secure Travel/RIMI, Destination, Travelance | Equivalent clauses; confirm the exact wording at quote time | Per wording | Per wording |
Sources: TuGo, Manulife, GMS, Allianz summary. TuGo’s two-tier approach is the most explicit: an inaccurate rating answer costs $15,000 off the claim; a material non-disclosure costs the policy.
Does an honest mistake count?
Under these wordings, yes. The clauses turn on whether a material fact was misstated or left out, not on why. Fraud is named separately and treated more severely, but an honest omission of a dose change still fits “non-disclosure of information related to medical conditions.”
| Error | Honest or not | Likely treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Host answered without the parent and missed a dose change | Honest | Material non-disclosure; policy void or related claim refused |
| Parent forgot a specialist referral made last month | Honest | Material; pending referral makes the condition unstable anyway |
| Parent answered “no diabetes” because it is diet-controlled, and the question asked about any diabetes | Honest misreading | Material; the wording of the question governs |
| Diagnosis never communicated to the parent | Honest, unknowable | Arguable; records showing no diagnosis was made are the defence |
| Condition left off to get the lower rate | Deliberate | Void; TuGo’s $15,000 deductible at minimum; possible fraud finding |
The practical rule: disclose everything, because disclosure never voids a policy. The worst outcome of disclosing is an exclusion or a higher premium you can see before paying. The questionnaire by insurer page shows who asks what at which ages.
What is a material fact?
Anything that would have changed the insurer’s decision to issue, its price, or its exclusions. In practice that means every diagnosis, every medication and dose, every change, every admission, every pending test or referral within the look-back period, and any serious condition at any time. Materiality is judged by what the insurer would have done, not by how serious the family thought it was.
| Material | Usually not material |
|---|---|
| Any diagnosed condition under treatment | A resolved infection years ago |
| Any prescription drug, including dose changes | A single over-the-counter painkiller, unless the question asks |
| Hospital admission in the period | An outpatient flu shot |
| Test ordered or result awaited | A routine eye test with no finding |
| Specialist referral pending | A dental cleaning |
Where a question is ambiguous, email the insurer and keep the reply. A written interpretation from the insurer before purchase is evidence that the answer was given in good faith on the insurer’s own reading.
What happens at claim time?
The claims administrator requests the parent’s records from the Canadian hospital and the home-country doctor and pharmacy, and compares them with the questionnaire answers. A mismatch triggers the clause. The insurer then either voids the policy and returns the premium, or refuses the claim and keeps the policy in force. Manulife also deducts a $300 handling fee from any premium refund where a claim was withdrawn, per its policy.
The Hamilton case shows the sequence. An 88-year-old on a no-questionnaire plan was admitted for three weeks; the insurer found congestive heart failure in her records and denied the $96,311 claim; the family said it had never appeared in three years of prescriptions; the insurer reversed after press coverage. The orderly version of that reversal is the appeal route on denied claim: what next, ending at OLHI if needed.
How do you fix an error before it costs anything?
Tell the insurer in writing before the effective date. There are three windows, and the cost rises at each.
| When the error is found | What to do | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Within the 10-day free look | Write to the insurer with the corrected answer; accept the re-rate or exclusion, or cancel for a full refund and buy elsewhere | None |
| After the free look, before the effective date | Write with the correction; the insurer re-rates, excludes or declines; cancel if needed, usually for a full refund less any fee | Possible fee, $0 to $250 |
| After the effective date, before any claim | Write with the correction; the insurer may endorse the policy with an exclusion from that date | Possible exclusion; better than a void |
| At claim time | Appeal with records; see denied claim page | The claim, or the policy |
The THIA Bill of Rights entitles you to a copy of your answers before the policy starts and sets the traveller’s responsibility to “provide accurate information.” Use the copy to re-read every answer against the pharmacy printout during the free look. If the policy is voided mid-stay, the parent is uninsured and may fail the one-year test at the next entry; replace it at once via switching insurers.
Super Visa Direct Insurance Services helps families correct answers before the effective date and assemble the records for an appeal after a denial, by email at [email protected] or callback, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm Eastern Time. We cannot overturn an insurer’s decision; only the insurer, and then OLHI, can.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a voided policy and a refused claim?
A voided policy is treated as never having existed; no claim under it is paid and the premium is usually returned. A refused claim leaves the policy in force but denies the one claim tied to the undisclosed or unstable condition. TuGo and Manulife wordings void; GMS's wording refuses related claims. Either way the hospital bill is the family's.
Does an honest mistake count as misrepresentation?
Under most wordings, yes. The clauses turn on whether a material fact was misstated or not disclosed, not on intent. TuGo's clause covers failure to disclose a material fact or a false or exaggerated statement; Manulife's covers concealing or misrepresenting any material fact. Fraud is treated separately and more severely, but an honest error still voids.
What is a material fact?
A fact that would have changed whether the insurer issued the policy, what it charged, or what it excluded. A diagnosis, a medication, a dose change, a pending test or an admission in the look-back period is material. A healed sprain from years ago is not. If in doubt, disclose; disclosure never voids a policy, and non-disclosure can.
Can the insurer void the policy for a condition the parent did not know about?
It can try. The $96,311 Hamilton denial in 2025 cited heart failure that the family said had never appeared in three years of prescriptions; the insurer reversed after press coverage. Records showing the diagnosis was never made or never communicated are the answer, and the appeal route runs through the insurer, then OLHI.
What if I realize the answer was wrong before my parent arrives?
Tell the insurer in writing before the effective date. It will re-rate, exclude the condition, or decline. If the result does not suit, cancel for a full refund under the 10-day free look, or before the effective date at most insurers, and buy elsewhere with the correct answers. Correcting early costs nothing; correcting at claim time costs the claim.
What does misrepresentation on insurance mean for the super visa itself?
Nothing directly. IRCC checks that a compliant policy exists; it does not see the questionnaire. But a voided policy is no policy, so a parent whose cover is voided is uninsured for the rest of the year and may fail the one-year insurance test at the next entry. Replace the cover immediately; see switching insurers.
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Sources
- TuGo — Visitors to Canada policy wording (General Condition 3; $15,000 deductible)
- Manulife CoverMe — Visitors to Canada policy (Section 11; exclusion 7; $300 handling fee)
- GMS — Immigrants and Visitors to Canada policy wording (Condition 8; fraud)
- Allianz Global Assistance / CUMIS — Visitors to Canada summary (untrue claims)
- THIA — Travel Insurance Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
- CP24 — $96,311 hospital bill initially denied for undisclosed heart failure
- OLHI — Our process