Super visa insurance assesses each pre-existing condition on its own stability clock: 90 days at Secure Travel to 69, 120 days at TuGo and Destination from 60 to 69, and 180 days at Manulife, GMS, Allianz (from 60) and 21st Century Enhanced in October 2026. A parent with diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and a stent needs all four stable. One recent change excludes that condition, and at claim time anything the adjuster links to it. Two insurers add screens that count conditions rather than test them one by one.
The typical super visa applicant is 60 to 74 and has three or four of these. The problem is rarely one serious condition. It is one small change in one of several.
How do insurers assess several conditions?
Each condition is tested separately for stability, and each unstable condition is excluded. Two insurers then apply counting rules. Travelance declines a parent who received a diagnosis or treatment for two or more of its listed conditions in the previous 12 months, including coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, insulin-dependent diabetes, stroke or TIA and blood clots. GMS declines, at 55 and over, heart medication combined with insulin.
| Rule | Where it applies | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Each condition tested separately | All 8 insurers | Unstable condition excluded; others covered |
| Linked conditions read together at claim time | All 8 insurers | A claim traced to an unstable condition is denied |
| Two or more listed conditions treated in 12 months | Travelance Premier | Ineligible |
| Heart medication plus insulin | GMS, 55 and over | Ineligible |
| Hospitalized more than once, or 2 consecutive days, in 12 months | Manulife Plan B | That condition excluded |
| Any reason to expect treatment | GMS, 55 and over | Ineligible |
The IRCC rule is unaffected by any of this. A policy with one or more exclusions still provides $100,000 of emergency coverage for a year from entry.
What does stable mean across a cluster?
Every drug for every condition at the same dose for the whole period, no new symptom in any of them, no test or referral pending for any, and no hospital visit. The carve-outs for routine warfarin, insulin and at GMS blood pressure and cholesterol adjustments apply drug by drug; a change outside them resets that condition’s clock.
| Event in the stability period | Effect on a parent with diabetes, hypertension and a stent |
|---|---|
| All drugs renewed at the same doses | Stable; all three covered |
| Metformin dose increased 4 months ago | Diabetes excluded at 180-day insurers; stent claim at risk if linked |
| Blood pressure dose reduced 2 months ago | Hypertension excluded except GMS carve-out; stroke or cardiac claim at risk |
| Routine insulin adjustment on readings | Not a change at Manulife, GMS, TuGo |
| Stress test ordered, result pending | Heart condition excluded; GMS ineligible at 55+ |
| Admission for chest pain in the last 12 months | Manulife excludes the heart condition; GMS and Travelance screens may apply |
The clock that matters is the most recent change in the cluster. Find that date first; it decides which insurers are open.
Which insurer suits a parent with several conditions?
The choice turns on which drug changed last and how long ago, the parent’s age, and the counting screens. The table shows the rule that most often decides.
| Insurer (underwriter) | Stability at 65 | Stability at 72 | Rule that decides for multiple conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Travel/RIMI (iA Financial Group; claims by MSH) | 90 days | 180 days | Shortest period to 69; pre-existing cover to 84 |
| TuGo (iA Financial Group) | 120 days | 180 days | 7-day rider to 79; diabetes and blood thinner carve-outs |
| Destination (Zurich, Canadian Branch) | 120 days | 180 days | Pre-existing excluded 80+ |
| Allianz (CUMIS General Insurance) | 180 days | 180 days | Treatment plan unchanged in type and frequency, every condition |
| Manulife CoverMe Plan B (Manufacturers Life) | 180 days | 180 days | Warfarin and insulin carve-outs; 12-month hospitalization exclusion |
| GMS (Group Medical Services) | 180 days | 180 days | Widest carve-outs; insulin plus heart medication ineligible at 55+; max 79 |
| 21st Century Enhanced (Manulife) | 180 days | 180 days | Questionnaire 55 to 85 |
| Travelance Premier (Old Republic) | 180 days | 180 days | Two or more listed conditions in 12 months ineligible |
Stability periods seen October 2026 — verify in the policy wording. The full age matrix is on the stability periods by insurer page.
What should you document?
One prescription list for everything, with each drug, dose and the date of its last change, in date order. Then the most recent letter for each condition, the last results for each, the date and reason for any hospital visit in 12 months, and one doctor’s letter confirming nothing is pending. Sort the list by date of last change; the top line decides the insurer.
Keep the completed questionnaire; the THIA Bill of Rights entitles the buyer to a copy before the policy starts. The individual pages cover the detail: diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions.
What typically voids a claim?
The common pattern is one small change in one condition, missed because the family was concentrating on the serious one. The admission is for the serious condition, the records show the small change, and the insurer links them. The $96,311 Hamilton case turned on a heart condition in the records that the family said they did not know about.
Any misrepresentation can void the whole policy. TuGo adds a $15,000 deductible to any claim where a questionnaire answer at 60 or over was inaccurate.
Is a no-pre-existing plan safer with many conditions?
No. It excludes all of them at once, which for this parent is most of what could be claimed. The better route is a stable-pre-existing plan with the start date set after the most recent change has aged past the period, or with that one condition excluded if the trip cannot wait.
The parent’s doctor and the insurer’s policy wording decide whether each condition is stable; this page describes insurer rules, not medical advice. SuperVisaDirect’s advisor can run the questionnaire with the parent on the line by callback, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm ET. The medical questionnaire by insurer guide lists what each insurer asks.
Questions people ask
If one of my mother's conditions is unstable, is the whole policy refused?
Usually not. At most insurers the unstable condition is excluded and the rest are covered, and the policy still meets IRCC's $100,000 rule. The exceptions are eligibility screens: GMS at 55 and over declines any reason to expect treatment, and Travelance declines two or more of its listed conditions treated in 12 months.
Do linked conditions get excluded together?
Yes, at claim time. If hypertension is unstable and the parent has a stroke, the insurer can link the stroke to the unstable hypertension and deny it. Diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease are read as one cluster by most adjusters. One unstable condition in the cluster puts the cardiac claim at risk.
Does having many conditions raise the premium?
At most of the 8 insurers we compare, premiums are set by age, coverage amount, deductible and whether pre-existing cover is included, not by the number of conditions. A few price insulin or specific answers higher. The cost of several conditions is the risk that one is unstable, not the premium.
Which insurer is simplest for a parent with four or five conditions?
The one whose carve-outs cover the drugs that change most. GMS exempts routine adjustments of insulin, GLP-1, oral diabetes, warfarin, blood pressure and cholesterol drugs, but declines insulin with heart medication at 55 and over and anyone 80 and over. Manulife exempts warfarin and insulin only. Secure Travel has the shortest period to 69.
Can the TuGo 7-day rider cover more than one unstable condition?
The rider covers unstable pre-existing conditions to a combined maximum per trip for applicants 79 and under, with each declared and accepted. Whether a second unstable condition is accepted depends on TuGo's underwriting at the time. Ask before relying on it for two conditions, and get the answer in writing.
Get the policy IRCC requires, in minutes
Three questions, one price, one button. The certificate your parent needs is emailed the same day.