Super visa insurance for parents from the UK

British parents are visa-exempt, but a super visa is still the only way to stay in Canada for more than six months at a time, and it requires a $100,000 Canadian policy valid one year from the date of entry, paid before the application is filed. The NHS pays nothing in Canada. IRCC’s September 2026 processing figure for the UK was about 97 days. At age 65 a $100,000 policy with stable pre-existing conditions covered costs about $2,051 to $3,095 a year, roughly £1,090 to £1,650.

Who buys the insurance: the parent in Surrey or the child in Surrey, BC?

The child in Canada should buy it. Your parent is the insured person on the certificate, but the purchaser and payer can be you. You pay in Canadian dollars with no card conversion charge, and you hold the paperwork if a refund is needed.

The search usually starts in the UK. A parent in Manchester or Kent reads that they do not need a visa for Canada, plans a nine-month stay, and assumes an annual multi-trip policy from a UK insurer will do. It will not, on two counts: the stay needs a super visa, and the super visa needs a Canadian policy.

If you are the parent reading this, do not renew or extend a UK travel policy for the trip. Send this page to your child in Canada, who can buy the right policy and email you the certificate to upload.

Why UK insurers and the NHS do not count

IRCC accepts a Canadian insurance company, or a foreign insurer authorized by OSFI for accident and sickness insurance and listed on OSFI’s public register, issuing the policy in the course of its insurance business in Canada. UK retail travel insurers sell through UK-regulated entities, not Canadian branches. There is no “IRCC-approved list”; OSFI’s register is the only test.

The NHS is a separate problem. The UK’s reciprocal healthcare list covers Australia, New Zealand and a handful of territories; Canada is not on it, and the page states that an unlisted country has no agreement. The GHIC and EHIC are EU instruments and do not apply. Ontario hospitals charge non-residents $3,750 to $4,005 a day on a general ward and up to $15,642 a day in intensive care (Niagara Health, Queensway Carleton).

Aviva Canada is a Canadian company and would pass the OSFI test, but it does not sell super visa or visitor medical cover. The officer instructions also require a foreign insurer’s policy to state that it was issued in Canada. Brokers and claims administrators are not insurers; quotes are not accepted. The full rules are on our super visa insurance hub.

What does super visa insurance cost in pounds?

At age 60, rates seen in October 2026 run $1,621 to $2,741 a year for $100,000 of cover with stable pre-existing conditions. At 65 the range is $2,051 to $3,095, and at 70 it is $3,380 to $4,683. At about 53 pence to the dollar, that is roughly £860 to £2,500 depending on age and carrier.

Annual premium, $100,000 coverage, $0 deductible, stable pre-existing conditions covered, rates seen Oct 2026 — verify at quote time. Sterling figures are approximate conversions at 1 CAD = 0.5328 GBP (exchange-rates.org, 1 Oct 2026), labelled “approximate, Oct 2026”.

Source tables: BestQuote and PolicyAdvisor. Lowest of the six carriers compared on 17 October 2026 for a 65-year-old with stable pre-existing conditions: Secure Travel at $2,051. A $500 deductible cuts roughly 15% off the Manulife premium; British parents used to excess-based UK policies often choose one. IRCC accepts monthly instalments with a deposit.

How long does a super visa take from the UK, and when should the policy start?

IRCC’s September 2026 figure for applications from the UK was about 97 days, against a service standard of 112 days. Biometrics time is not included. That is slower than India (70 days) or Nigeria (44 days), partly because UK files share a queue with applicants from several other countries.

Buy a policy whose effective date can be moved before coverage begins. Set it to the planned flight, then change it when the approval arrives. Visa-exempt parents do not receive a visa counterfoil; IRCC’s eligibility page explains they receive a letter authorizing a five-year stay, which they show with the insurance at the border.

Source: Immigration.ca, 22 Sep 2026 and the SuperVisaDirect fact sheet for the UK and US figures. If your parent only wants a winter of up to six months, an eTA and visitors to Canada insurance may be the simpler route; the decision guide compares the two.

Timing tips for applicants in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Book the medical exam the week the application is submitted and the biometrics the day the instruction letter arrives. The insurance certificate must already be in the file at submission. Medical results are valid for 12 months, so do not do the exam months before applying.

Immigration medical exam. Only an IRCC panel physician can perform it. An NHS GP cannot. Panel clinics in the UK are private and concentrated in London, with others in the larger cities; search “United Kingdom” on the IRCC tool and phone for the fee, which the clinic sets. The exam includes a chest X-ray and urine test.

Biometrics. Canada’s visa application centre in the UK is in London, per IRCC’s VAC finder. Parents outside the southeast should plan a day trip; booking is free once the biometric instruction letter arrives. Biometrics are valid for ten years, so a parent who gave them for an earlier Canadian application may be exempt.

Documents. UK birth certificates and long-form certificates are in English, so no translation is needed. Welsh-language documents need an English or French translation per IRCC’s document page.

Share this with your son or daughter in Canada. They need to check their income against the LICO table for their household size, sign the letter of invitation, and buy the insurance in Canadian dollars. Send them this link and ask them to get a quote before you renew any UK travel policy.

The exact IRCC document checklist

IRCC’s document list is short, and each item is checked. The insurance certificate must name the insurer, the insured parent, the coverage amount and dates, and show that it is paid. A missing item turns a 97-day file into a refusal or a request for more documents.

1. The online super visa application and the $100 fee plus $85 biometrics fee (family cap $170).
2. A letter of invitation signed by the host child or grandchild in Canada, listing everyone in the household with name and date of birth, and showing the host meets the minimum necessary income. A spouse or common-law partner may co-sign; a sibling cannot.
3. Proof of the host’s income (notice of assessment, pay stubs or T4s).
4. Proof of the host’s status: Canadian citizenship document, permanent resident card, or Certificate of Indian Status.
5. Proof of relationship: the host’s birth certificate or another official document naming the applicant as parent or grandparent.
6. Proof of paid medical insurance: $100,000 minimum per applicant, health care, hospitalization and repatriation, valid one year from the date of entry, from a Canadian insurer or an OSFI-listed foreign insurer. Quotes are not accepted.
7. Proof of a completed immigration medical exam with an IRCC panel physician.
8. Form IMM 5476 if a representative is used.
9. Certified translations of any document not in English or French.
10. Any extra documents required by the London visa office, shown when you select the United Kingdom on the IRCC page.

The policy must also be shown to the border services officer at the airport. Print it and keep it with the passport and the approval letter.

Pre-existing conditions: the UK habit to unlearn

British parents are used to declaring conditions to a UK insurer and paying a loaded premium. Canadian super visa plans work on stability periods instead: a condition is covered if it has not changed, and no new medication or specialist referral has occurred, for a set number of days before the start date. Stability periods run from 90 days at Secure Travel (to age 69) to 180 days at Manulife, GMS and 21st Century, with TuGo at 120 days for ages 60 to 69. Compare them on our cost page, then get a quote.