Super visa insurance treats a recent operation as a new treatment of the condition it addressed. That condition is unstable until the surgical follow-up has ended, any new medication has settled, and the insurer’s stability period has run with no further change: 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 surgery recommended or scheduled before the effective date is excluded at every insurer.
The clock does not start on the day of surgery. It starts on the last day anything changed, which is usually the discharge from follow-up.
What do insurers ask about surgery?
Questionnaires ask whether the parent has had surgery or been hospitalized in the last 12 months, whether any surgery or procedure has been recommended or is scheduled, and whether any treatment changed in the stability period. GMS asks at 55 and over whether the parent has any reason to seek or expect treatment. Allianz requires that the parent is not awaiting surgery.
| Typical question | Why it is asked |
|---|---|
| Hospitalized or had surgery in the last 12 months? | Manulife excludes a condition hospitalized more than once, or 2 consecutive days, in 12 months |
| Any surgery, procedure or test recommended or scheduled? | Excluded everywhere; GMS and Allianz treat it as eligibility |
| Any medication started or changed in the stability period? | Post-operative drugs started and stopped are changes |
| Any follow-up appointment pending? | A pending follow-up that could change treatment is unstable |
A yes to a surgery in the last 12 months moves to the stability questions, and at Manulife to the hospitalization exclusion for a stay of two or more consecutive days. A yes to a recommended surgery excludes that condition until the operation is done and the period has run.
What does stable mean after surgery?
Stable means the operation is complete, the surgeon has discharged the parent or set only routine long-term review, post-operative painkillers, antibiotics and blood thinners have stopped, physiotherapy has ended or is unchanged, no complication has arisen, and no further procedure is planned. The period then runs from the last of those dates.
| Event in the stability period | Stable? |
|---|---|
| Surgery done, follow-up finished, no medication since | Yes, from the discharge date |
| Painkillers or antibiotics still being taken or just stopped | No, until the period runs from the stop date |
| Short post-operative blood thinner course | No, until the period runs from its end |
| Physiotherapy continuing and being changed | No |
| Wound infection or other complication treated | No, clock resets |
| Second-stage or revision surgery recommended | No |
| Pathology result pending from the operation | No; see cancer rules if relevant |
| Routine annual review only, nothing else planned | Yes |
TuGo tests “no new treatment received, prescribed or recommended” and “no change in treatment by a physician.” Stopping a post-operative drug is a change in treatment by a physician, so the clock runs from the stop date.
Which insurers cover the operated condition, and when?
All 8 insurers we compare cover the condition once the stability period has run from the last change. The table shows the earliest a parent can have the operated condition covered, counting from the last change, by age.
| Insurer (underwriter) | Days from last change at 65 | Days from last change at 72 | Rule that matters after surgery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Travel/RIMI (iA Financial Group; claims by MSH) | 90 | 180 | Shortest wait to 69 |
| TuGo (iA Financial Group) | 120 | 180 | 7-day rider to 79 covers one unstable condition |
| Destination (Zurich, Canadian Branch) | 120 | 180 | Pre-existing excluded 80+ |
| Allianz (CUMIS General Insurance) | 180 | 180 | Not awaiting surgery or test results |
| Manulife CoverMe Plan B (Manufacturers Life) | 180 | 180 | 12-month hospitalization exclusion |
| GMS (Group Medical Services) | 180 | 180 | Any reason to expect treatment ineligible |
| 21st Century Enhanced (Manulife) | 180 | 180 | Questionnaire 55 to 85 |
| Travelance Premier (Old Republic) | 180 | 180 | Two or more listed conditions treated 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?
Get the operation note or discharge summary with the date, the final follow-up letter with the discharge date, the dates each post-operative drug started and stopped, the pathology report if one was taken, and the surgeon’s written confirmation that no further procedure is planned. Add the physiotherapy discharge date if relevant.
Keep the completed questionnaire; the THIA Bill of Rights entitles the buyer to a copy before the policy starts. The claims page explains the records request that follows an admission.
What typically voids a claim?
The common pattern is counting the period from the surgery date instead of the discharge date, so the questionnaire declares a stable condition that the records show was still being treated. The second is a recommended second procedure the family hoped to avoid. Manulife exclusion 7 denies benefits where the application was not truthful; GMS General Condition 8 denies related claims for non-disclosure.
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 after surgery?
No. It excludes the operated condition for the whole year and every other declared condition with it. The better route is a stable-pre-existing plan with the start date set after the period has run. IRCC requires the policy to be valid for a year from the date of entry, so a later entry and a later start date go together.
The parent’s doctor and the insurer’s policy wording decide whether the 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. For cardiac procedures, see stents and bypass; for a pathology result still awaited, see pending tests and referrals.
Questions people ask
My father had surgery three months ago. Can he get super visa insurance?
Yes, but the condition that was operated on is covered only once the stability period has run from the last change. At Secure Travel, 90 days to 69, that can be now if follow-up ended and nothing changed since. At the 180-day insurers it is excluded until then. Everything else on the policy is covered as normal.
When does the clock start after an operation?
On the date of the last change in treatment, not the date of surgery. That is usually the final follow-up where the surgeon discharged the parent, stopped the painkillers or antibiotics, or confirmed no further procedure. If physiotherapy continued and changed after that, the clock runs from its end.
Is a surgery that has been recommended but not booked excluded?
Yes, everywhere. TuGo tests no new treatment recommended, Allianz requires that the parent is not awaiting surgery, and GMS declines a parent who has any reason to expect treatment. An operation the parent is avoiding is still a recommended treatment and the condition is unstable until it is done and settled.
Does a cataract or minor day surgery count?
Yes, as a treatment of the condition it addressed, and the same clock applies. In practice a cataract operation with a clean discharge is stable quickly because there is nothing to change afterwards. The second eye, if planned, is a recommended surgery and the eye condition is unstable until it is done.
Can the super visa policy start date be moved to wait out the period?
Yes, before the policy starts. The start date can be changed before the effective date at every insurer we compare, and the policy must run a year from the date of entry in any case. Set the start date for the day the parent will enter Canada, after the stability period has run.
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