Vancouver hosts need at least $100,000 of emergency medical cover for one year from a Canadian insurer, priced from about $1,577 a year at 55 and $4,000 at 75 with stable conditions covered (lowest of eight insurers compared in October 2026). SuperVisaDirect serves Ontario residents today; coverage for British Columbia residents is coming in 2028, so this page is informational.
Who in Vancouver is buying super visa insurance?
The City of Vancouver’s 662,248 residents were 42.2 percent immigrants (274,365 people) in the 2021 Census, with over 25 percent of Chinese heritage, about 7 percent South Asian and 5.9 percent Filipino (Statistics Canada Census Profile, via Wikipedia). Chinese parents dominate Vancouver’s super visa demand, with the South Asian market concentrated in Surrey.
Nationally, China supplied 11 percent of super visa applicants from 2011 to 2023, second to India at 56 percent. Chinese applicants skew older, which puts the stability-period rules at the centre of every quote. Parents apply from China, complete the immigration medical with a panel physician there, and saw 77-day processing in September 2026.
What does IRCC require from a Vancouver host?
The IRCC rules are national: at least $100,000 per applicant for health care, hospitalisation and repatriation, valid one year from the date of entry and on each entry, from a Canadian insurer or an OSFI-authorised foreign insurer issuing in Canada. Instalments are accepted with a deposit; quotes are not.
| IRCC requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum coverage | $100,000 per applicant |
| Must cover | Health care, hospitalisation, repatriation |
| Validity | At least 1 year from date of entry, on each entry |
| Insurer | Canadian, or OSFI-authorised foreign insurer issuing in Canada |
| Proof | Certificate naming the underwriter, uploaded with application, shown to CBSA |
| Not accepted | Quotes, broker letters, Chinese or other domestic foreign insurers |
The PGP permanent residence intake has been paused since 15 July 2026, which has pushed more Vancouver families to the super visa. Full rules are on our super visa insurance guide.
How does buying work, and when can Vancouver use SuperVisaDirect?
Buying is online with any licensed agent: enter the parent’s age, entry date and health answers, compare prices, pay, and download the certificate. SuperVisaDirect’s quoter serves Ontario residents now and BC residents from 2028. The site is in English, with Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog pages planned and Chinese under review before the BC launch.
What does a Vancouver hospital charge an uninsured parent?
The Provincial Health Services Authority rate list at BC Women’s Hospital shows $9,270 a day for a standard ward bed and $18,105 a day in intensive care for non-residents, effective 1 November 2025, before physician fees. CTV News reported Vancouver Coastal Health carrying nearly $18 million in unpaid bills in 2022-23.
| Item | PHSA non-resident rate, Nov 2025 ($) |
|---|---|
| Standard ward, per day | 9,270 |
| Intensive care, per day | 18,105 |
At those rates a five-day admission with two days in intensive care exceeds $60,000. BC’s three-month MSP wait never applies to visitors, so the private policy must run for the whole stay; see pre-existing conditions for the questions that decide whether a claim is paid.
What will it cost a Vancouver family?
Annual premium, $100,000 coverage, $0 deductible, stable pre-existing covered, rates seen Oct 2026 — verify at quote time.
| Parent’s age | Lowest of 8 insurers ($/yr) | Highest ($/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | 1,577 | 2,373 |
| 65 | 2,051 | 4,201 |
| 75 | 4,000 | 9,910 |
Source: BestQuote. TuGo, based in Richmond and the only plan with no maximum age, is reviewed on our TuGo page. Insurer figures are on the cost page, instalments on monthly plans, and the South Asian market next door on our Surrey page.
Questions people ask
Can I buy from SuperVisaDirect if I live in Vancouver?
Not yet. Super Visa Direct Insurance Services is licensed in Ontario and serves Ontario residents now. Coverage for British Columbia residents is coming in 2028. This page sets out the IRCC rules, the eight insurers and October 2026 prices so you can buy correctly from a BC-licensed agent or insurer in the meantime.
My parents are from China and in their 70s. What should I check first?
The stability period. At 70 to 79 most carriers need 180 days without medication changes, new symptoms or new tests; Destination excludes pre-existing conditions entirely at 80, and TuGo needs 365 days at 86. Chinese domestic insurers do not qualify. Processing from China took 77 days in September 2026.
Does BC's three-month MSP wait apply to super visa parents?
No. Super visa holders are visitors and never get MSP, so they need private cover for the whole stay. The wait applies to new BC residents, and a visitor policy can bridge it if a parent later becomes a permanent resident under the parent and grandparent program, whose intake has been paused since July 2026.
What does Vancouver General charge a visitor without insurance?
The Provincial Health Services Authority rate list shows $9,270 a day for a standard ward bed and $18,105 a day in intensive care for non-residents, effective November 2025, at BC Women's Hospital. Vancouver Coastal Health, which runs VGH, had nearly $18 million in unpaid bills in 2022-23. Physician fees are additional.
Get the policy IRCC requires, in minutes
Three questions, one price, one button. The certificate your parent needs is emailed the same day.
Sources
- Statistics Canada, Census Profile 2021, Vancouver (City), visible minority
- Wikipedia, Vancouver (2021 census demographics, citing Statistics Canada)
- IRCC, Super visa: documents and insurance requirement
- IRCC, PGP intake pause (July 2026)
- BC Women's Hospital, patient rate list (November 2025)
- CTV News BC, growing number of unpaid medical bills at Metro Vancouver hospitals
- BestQuote, Super Visa Insurance rates