Your Parents Are Coming. Have You Thought of Everything?

Picture this. Your mother has just landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport. She is beaming. Three years since you last held each other. You cross the arrivals hall and the hug lands like relief.

You have been planning this visit for eight months. You fixed the spare bedroom. You stocked the kitchen with her favourite foods. You drove to the airport an hour early. You have thought of everything.

Except one thing.

Two weeks into the visit, she slips on your icy front steps and breaks her wrist. The emergency room costs $4,200. The orthopedic follow-up adds $900. The prescription painkillers run another $180. You are looking at a $5,280 bill your provincial health card covers exactly zero dollars of.

This happens to Canadian families every year. The fix is simple, affordable, and takes less time to buy than ordering dinner online.

Understanding Travel Insurance, Super Visa Insurance, and Visitor to Canada Insurance is one of the most practical things a Canadian family can do. These three products protect different people in different situations. Getting the wrong one, or skipping coverage entirely, carries real financial consequences.

This guide explains what each type of coverage does, who needs it, what it costs, and how to choose the right plan. We cover the mistakes families make most often, the IRCC rules that catch people off guard, and what makes GMS different from the rest of the market.

GMS has insured Canadians since 1949. We are a not-for-profit organization, which means our focus stays on you, not on investor returns. That distinction matters more than it might seem at first.

Over 500,000 immigrants arrived in Canada in 2024. Many brought family. Many needed coverage. The ones who planned ahead saved thousands.

Three Types of Coverage. Three Different Situations.

People use these terms as if they mean the same thing. They do not. Each product covers a completely different person, situation, and risk. Getting clear on this distinction before you buy anything is the most important step.

Travel Insurance: Built for Canadians Heading Out

Travel Insurance protects Canadians when they travel away from home. Whether you are flying to Mexico for two weeks or crossing the border for a weekend in New York, your provincial health card does not cover you the way you think it does.

Provincial plans pay very little outside their home province and almost nothing internationally. A single day in a U.S. hospital costs between $3,000 and $15,000. Canadian emergency medical travel coverage closes that gap, covering emergency medical expenses abroad, trip cancellation, trip interruption, lost baggage, and flight delays.

GMS offers Travel Insurance through two TravelStar plans (Details about the same can be found here). One focuses on emergency medical coverage only. The other adds trip cancellation and interruption protection. If you book trips in advance with non-refundable deposits, the fuller plan is worth the additional premium.

Visitor to Canada Insurance: For Anyone Coming Here

If Travel Insurance covers Canadians heading out, the next product works in the opposite direction. It covers the people coming in.

Visitor to Canada Insurance covers people who travel to Canada from abroad. That includes tourists, extended family members, new immigrants waiting for provincial coverage to begin, and returning Canadians who have been away long enough to lose their provincial eligibility.

Canada’s public health system is excellent for residents. For visitors, it covers nothing. A hospital visit, a broken bone, an allergic reaction that needs an EpiPen and a night of observation — all of it falls entirely on the visitor without insurance in place.

Visitor to Canada Insurance covers emergency medical care, hospitalization, ambulance services, diagnostic tests, prescription drugs for emergency use, and repatriation back to the home country if medically necessary. Coverage goes up to $150,000, and visitors under 55 need no medical questionnaire at all.

Super Visa Insurance: The Mandatory One

Super Visa Insurance is a specific form of visitor coverage that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requires as part of the Super Visa application process. Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents need it to qualify.

The Super Visa program lets parents and grandparents stay in Canada for up to five years per entry, with a 10-year multi-entry visa. It is one of the most family-friendly immigration programs Canada runs. But the visa requires valid insurance at the time of application.

IRCC is specific. The policy must provide at least $100,000 CAD in emergency medical coverage. It must be valid for a minimum of 365 days from the date of entry. And it must come from an IRCC-approved Canadian provider or a foreign provider authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). Miss any one of these conditions and IRCC rejects the application.

Side-by-Side: How All Three Types Compare

Feature	Travel Insurance	Visitor to Canada Insurance	Super Visa Insurance
Who it covers	Canadian residents abroad	Any international visitor	Parents and grandparents on Super Visa
Is it mandatory?	No, but strongly advised	No, but essential	Yes. IRCC requirement
Minimum coverage	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	$100,000 CAD minimum
Maximum duration	Trip length	Up to 365 days	Up to 2 years per entry
Pre-existing conditions	Limited or optional	Optional with stability requirement	Optional with 180-day stability
IRCC compliant?	Not applicable	Not sufficient for Super Visa alone	Yes. Required for visa approval
GMS product name	TravelStar	Visitors to Canada Plan	Super Visa Plan

Super Visa Insurance: What Every Canadian Family Needs to Know

This section matters most. It is where families make decisions they will either be glad about or regret. The Super Visa program is genuinely life-changing. And the insurance that comes with it is the one non-negotiable condition you walk through to access it.

What the Super Visa Actually Does

Before 2011, parents and grandparents visiting Canada were limited to six-month stays. They had to leave, re-apply, and wait before returning. For diaspora families spread across continents, this was exhausting and emotionally costly.

The Super Visa changed that. Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents can now stay for up to five years per entry. The visa is valid for 10 years with multiple entries permitted. It genuinely keeps families together.

The conditions are clear. The Canadian child or grandchild sponsoring the visit must meet minimum income thresholds. For 2025, that figure for a household of two sits at approximately $36,903 CAD. The applicant must pass an immigration medical exam, provide a letter of invitation, and show valid insurance at the time of application.

The IRCC Insurance Checklist

What Your Super Visa Insurance Policy Must Include

Minimum $100,000 CAD in emergency medical coverage

Valid for at least 365 days from the visa holder’s date of entry to Canada

Issued by a Canadian insurance provider or an OSFI-approved foreign provider

Covers healthcare costs, hospitalization, and repatriation home

Must accompany the Super Visa application as formal proof

Policy effective date must align with the actual entry date, not purchase date

That last point catches families off guard regularly. IRCC requires the policy to be valid for 365 days from the date of entry, not from purchase. If the policy starts in March and the visitor arrives in April, IRCC may reject the application. Always align the start date to the planned arrival date.

GMS issues IRCC-compliant Super Visa Insurance with documentation formatted specifically for what immigration officers expect. You receive the policy documents by email within minutes of purchase.

How Much Does Super Visa Insurance Cost?

Every family asks this first. The honest answer: it depends on several factors that interact with each other.

• Age of the visitor — the single biggest cost driver
• Coverage amount chosen — $100,000, $150,000, or $300,000
• Deductible selected — $0 to $1,000 or more
• Pre-existing conditions — whether they are included in coverage
• Province or territory of the visitor’s stay
• Total length of the planned visit

These are starting-point estimates based on a $100,000 policy with a $0 deductible. Your actual GMS quote will vary based on the factors above.

Visitor Age	Estimated Annual Premium (Starting From)
Under 55	$800 to $1,200 CAD
55 to 64	$1,400 to $2,200 CAD
65 to 74	$2,500 to $4,500 CAD
75 to 84	$4,800 to $8,000+ CAD
85 and older	Contact GMS directly for an accurate quote

Choosing a $500 deductible instead of $0 reduces the annual premium by 15 to 25 percent. A $1,000 deductible cuts it by 30 percent or more. The right deductible depends on your family’s financial comfort during a medical crisis. If a $1,000 out-of-pocket expense would not create hardship, the higher deductible is a smart move.

A $500 deductible instead of $0 can reduce your Super Visa Insurance premium by up to 25%. Over a two-year stay, that savings is real money.

Monthly Payment Plans: Yes, That Is an Option

A lump-sum annual premium of $6,000 to $8,000 for an older visitor is a significant outlay. Monthly payment plans make the same coverage accessible without the upfront strain.

GMS and several other Canadian insurers offer monthly payment structures for Super Visa coverage. The total annual cost stays the same. The cash-flow impact is much easier to manage.

One important clarification: IRCC requires the application to show proof of a full year’s coverage. If you use a monthly plan, confirm that your policy document explicitly states 365 days of coverage from the entry date. Some monthly-billing plans issue month-by-month documents rather than a single annual policy, which can create problems at the immigration office. GMS documentation avoids this entirely.

Pre-Existing Conditions: The Conversation Every Family Avoids

Now here is the part most families would rather skip. But this is exactly the part you cannot afford to get wrong.

Most parents and grandparents visiting Canada have some medical history. High blood pressure. Type 2 diabetes. Arthritis. A heart event ten years ago. Canadian visitor and Super Visa insurance does not automatically exclude people with pre-existing conditions. But the rules require careful attention.

The 180-Day No-Change Rule

Canadian visitor insurance policies apply what the industry calls a stability clause. IRCC and insurers define a pre-existing condition as stable when, in the 180 days before the policy takes effect, the person experienced no new symptoms, no new diagnosis, no changes to medication or dosage, and no referrals to a specialist for that condition.

If the condition meets that test, GMS covers it. If it does not, coverage for complications from that specific condition is excluded. Everything else remains covered.

Here is how this looks in practice. A visitor who has taken the same blood pressure medication at the same dose for two years, with no emergency visits, no dosage changes, and no specialist referrals, almost certainly qualifies as stable. A visitor whose doctor adjusted that same medication three months before the policy start date falls outside the 180-day window. The condition itself is not disqualifying. The timing of the change is.

Buy coverage as early as possible before the visit. The earlier you buy, the more time you have to assess stability accurately.

What Happens If You Do Not Disclose

This is not ambiguous. Misrepresentation on a medical questionnaire voids the entire policy, not just the claim tied to the hidden condition.

Consider the scenario. Your parent files a claim for a cardiac event during their visit. The insurer reviews the questionnaire and finds an undisclosed irregular heartbeat. They cancel the policy entirely. The $60,000 hospital bill falls back on your family without any coverage.

If you are unsure what to disclose, call GMS before you buy. The customer care team has worked through thousands of these questionnaires. They answer questions clearly and help you understand what the form actually asks. That conversation before purchase is infinitely better than a claim dispute after.

Visitor to Canada Insurance: Beyond the Super Visa

The Super Visa draws the most attention. But Visitor to Canada Insurance serves a much broader group of people. If you or someone you sponsor falls into any of the following categories, this coverage applies directly.

Who Needs Visitor to Canada Insurance

• International tourists visiting Canada from any country for any length of time
• Extended family members who do not qualify for the Super Visa program
• New immigrants who have arrived in Canada but have not yet completed the 90-day waiting period before provincial health coverage begins
• Returning Canadians who have lived abroad long enough to lose their provincial health coverage eligibility
• International students whose educational institution does not provide adequate health coverage
• Temporary foreign workers with a gap between employer-provided benefit periods

What GMS Visitor to Canada Insurance Covers

Full Coverage at a Glance

Emergency medical care: physician fees, specialist consultations, urgent care visits

Hospitalization: semi-private room, nursing care, intensive care unit stays

Diagnostic services: blood work, X-rays, MRI scans, CT imaging

Ambulance: ground and air emergency transport

Emergency dental treatment resulting from an accident

Prescription medications required for emergency treatment

Repatriation: transport back to the home country when medically necessary

Accidental death and dismemberment benefits included in selected plans

Automatic 48-hour extension when travel is delayed by a medical emergency

What It Does Not Cover

Trustworthy insurers tell you what they do not cover, clearly and upfront. These exclusions apply to standard Visitor to Canada Insurance:

• Routine or preventive care, including checkups, vaccinations, and physical exams
• Dental work that is not the result of an accident
• Vision care and prescription eyewear
• Elective or cosmetic procedures
• Pre-existing conditions that do not meet the 180-day stability requirement
• Treatment for conditions that were known and active before coverage began

These plans protect you when something goes wrong unexpectedly. They are not a substitute for the comprehensive provincial coverage that Canadian residents use for day-to-day care.

Travel Insurance for Canadians: What Your Province Actually Covers

Most Canadians believe their provincial health card protects them when they travel. It does not. Not fully.

Provincial plans provide limited out-of-province coverage within Canada. They pay at home-province rates, not at the rates the treating province bills. That gap is the patient’s responsibility. For international travel, the coverage gap is far worse. Most provinces pay a flat daily amount for international hospitalization. American hospitals charge $3,000 to $15,000 per day. Provincial coverage reimburses $100 to $200. The difference comes out of pocket.

GMS TravelStar: Two Plans, Two Types of Travellers

GMS Travel Insurance comes in two TravelStar formats. The right plan depends on how you travel and what you want protected.

TravelStar Emergency Medical	TravelStar Trip Protection
Covers emergency medical care abroad	Covers emergency medical care abroad
Hospitalization, ambulance, diagnostics	Hospitalization, ambulance, diagnostics
Repatriation when medically necessary	Repatriation when medically necessary
No trip cancellation or interruption	Trip cancellation and interruption included
No baggage or delay coverage	Baggage loss and flight delay coverage included
Lower premium	Higher premium with broader protection
Best for: healthy travellers, short trips	Best for: families, non-refundable bookings, longer trips

When to Buy

Buy Travel Insurance the day you book your trip, not the day before you leave. Trip cancellation coverage only applies to events that happen after the policy is in place. If you wait and then get sick before your flight, that cancellation is not covered.

Pre-existing condition stability is also assessed from the purchase date in many policies. Earlier purchase gives you a longer stable period on record.

You buy GMS Travel Insurance online in five minutes, any time of day. Policy documents arrive by email immediately.

How to Choose the Right Coverage

Before you read the steps below, answer one question: Is this coverage for a Canadian leaving the country, or for someone arriving here? That single answer points you to the right product immediately.

Step 1: Identify Who Needs Coverage

1. Canadian resident travelling outside Canada: Travel Insurance.
2. Someone visiting Canada from abroad for a short stay: Visitor to Canada Insurance.
3. Parents or grandparents applying for the Super Visa: Super Visa Insurance. No exceptions.
4. New arrival to Canada waiting for provincial health coverage: Visitor to Canada Insurance for the gap period.

Step 2: Confirm the IRCC Requirements

For Super Visa applications, pull the IRCC checklist directly from the Government of Canada website and verify every requirement against your chosen policy. The $100,000 minimum, the 365-day minimum duration, and the approved-provider requirement are all non-negotiable.

GMS Super Visa Insurance documentation includes all IRCC-required language in a format immigration officers accept without question.

Step 3: Address Pre-Existing Conditions Honestly

Sit down with the visitor and go through their medical history before you buy anything. List all current medications, all recent doctor visits, all diagnosed conditions. Check each one against the 180-day stability rule.

If anything on the list feels unclear, call GMS first. That conversation prevents claim disputes later.

Step 4: Choose Your Coverage Amount and Deductible

The IRCC minimum for Super Visa Insurance is $100,000. For any visitor over 65 with a cardiac, diabetic, or respiratory history, $150,000 or $300,000 is a safer choice. Major cardiac surgery in a Canadian hospital, including ICU and recovery, routinely exceeds $100,000. The incremental cost of a higher coverage limit is far smaller than the gap it closes.

Step 5: Buy Before the Visitor Arrives

Buy before arrival and the waiting period disappears entirely. Coverage is active from day one. Buy after arrival and most policies apply a 48 to 72-hour waiting period before any claims are eligible.

That window is small. But it is exactly the window that tends to matter most, particularly after a long international flight and the physical stress of major time zone changes.

Red Flags When Comparing Policies

Any policy shorter than 365 days fails the IRCC Super Visa requirement

Policies from non-OSFI-approved foreign providers can result in visa rejection

Undisclosed pre-existing conditions void the entire policy

The cheapest policy is not always the adequate one — compare exclusions, not just premiums

Check waiting period clauses carefully before any post-arrival purchase

Confirm refund policies in case the visa is denied or the visitor returns home early

What the Numbers Say

Numbers tell you something feelings cannot. Here is what the data shows about why this coverage matters so much right now.

• Canada welcomed 483,591 new permanent residents in 2024, according to Statistics Canada. Tens of thousands brought family members wanting to visit.
• The Super Visa program has sustained strong demand since 2011, with South Asian, East Asian, and Middle Eastern communities among the highest applicants.
• A single day in a Canadian ICU costs between $3,000 and $6,000 for an uninsured visitor, based on provincial hospital billing data.
• Healthcare costs for non-residents in Canada rose approximately 12 percent between 2022 and 2024, driven by post-pandemic demand and inflationary pressure.
• As of January 2025, IRCC updated Super Visa rules to allow insurance from OSFI-authorized foreign providers, expanding the range of acceptable options.
• More than 90 percent of travel insurance claims in Canada involve emergency medical situations, according to the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada.

The risk is real. The costs are significant. The protection available is accessible and affordable relative to the exposure it closes.

Why GMS. And Why That Answer Has Mattered for 75 Years.

Dozens of insurers sell Super Visa and Visitor to Canada Insurance. Most of them look similar on the surface. Here is what actually sets GMS apart, stated plainly.

No Medical Questions for Visitors Under 55

If the visitor is under 55 and does not have an active terminal illness or a current medical crisis, they receive a GMS Visitor to Canada plan with no medical questionnaire. The buying process takes five minutes and requires no medical forms.

Automatic Coverage Extension for Delays

Your parent’s flight home gets cancelled because of a winter storm. They stay two extra days. GMS coverage automatically extends for up to 48 hours in that situation. No paperwork. No phone calls in a panic. The policy handles it.

24/7 Multilingual Emergency Assistance

Medical emergencies rarely happen during business hours on weekdays. GMS policyholders reach emergency assistance 24 hours a day in multiple languages. For older visitors who are not fluent in English or French, multilingual support is not a nice-to-have. It is essential.

Not-for-Profit Since 1949

GMS was founded in Regina in 1949 as a not-for-profit health services organization. That model has never changed. There are no shareholders expecting quarterly returns. Every dollar stays in the business to serve policyholders, pay claims, and build better products.

In practical terms: premiums reflect actual costs, not profit extraction. And when you call our customer care line, you speak to someone whose job is to help you, not to hit a sales number.

GMS Advantages at a Glance

Canadian not-for-profit insurer since 1949

IRCC-compliant Super Visa Insurance documentation included

No medical questions for visitors under 55

Coverage from $100,000 to $150,000 with flexible deductibles from $0 to $1,000

Automatic 48-hour extension for flight delays or travel disruptions

24/7 multilingual emergency travel assistance

No waiting period when purchased before the visitor arrives

Buy online in under 5 minutes — policy documents by email immediately

180-day pre-existing condition stability coverage included

Frequently Asked Questions

Families who read this far tend to have specific questions. These are the ones we hear most often.

Q1: What is the difference between Super Visa Insurance and Visitor to Canada Insurance?

Visitor to Canada Insurance covers anyone visiting Canada from abroad. It is not legally mandatory, but leaving a visitor unprotected creates serious financial exposure. Super Visa Insurance is a mandatory, specialized form of that same coverage, required by IRCC as part of the Super Visa application. It must provide at least $100,000 in coverage, remain valid for 365 days from the date of entry, and come from an approved provider. A standard visitor policy does not automatically qualify for Super Visa purposes unless it meets every IRCC requirement.

Q2: Can I buy Super Visa Insurance from outside Canada?

Yes, since January 2025. IRCC updated its rules to permit insurance from foreign providers authorized by OSFI. However, purchasing from an established Canadian provider like GMS ensures the documentation format is one immigration officers recognize immediately, and the claims process is far simpler if something goes wrong.

Q3: What happens to the premium if the Super Visa application is denied?

GMS provides a full premium refund when an IRCC denial letter is submitted and the policy effective date has not yet started. This removes the financial risk of buying coverage before knowing the visa outcome. Confirm refund terms with your provider before purchase, regardless of which company you choose.

Q4: Does Visitor to Canada Insurance cover side trips outside Canada?

GMS Visitor to Canada plans include coverage for side trips of up to 30 days outside Canada, provided the majority of the insured period is spent in Canada. If your parent wants to visit the United States during their Canadian stay, check the side-trip clause in your specific policy. Coverage limits and conditions vary for the period spent outside Canada.

Q5: How do I choose the right coverage amount for Super Visa Insurance?

Start at the IRCC minimum of $100,000 CAD. Then factor in age and health history. For any visitor over 65 with cardiac, diabetic, or respiratory conditions in their background, $150,000 or $300,000 provides meaningfully better protection. Major cardiac surgery in Canada routinely exceeds $100,000 on its own. The difference in premium between coverage levels is usually far smaller than the financial gap you are closing by choosing higher limits.

Q6: Can Super Visa Insurance be renewed if the visitor stays longer?

Yes. GMS Visitor to Canada and Super Visa plans can be renewed before the original policy expires. Contact GMS before the coverage end date. Even a one-day lapse in coverage creates a gap that affects both the visitor’s insurance status and potentially their immigration standing. Do not leave renewal to the last week.

Have a question we did not cover? Our team answers calls Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm Central at 1-800-667-3699.

The Decision Is Simpler Than It Looks

Travel Insurance protects Canadians when they travel away from home. Visitor to Canada Insurance protects anyone arriving in Canada from abroad. Super Visa Insurance is the mandatory, government-specified coverage that makes the Super Visa program work for Canadian families bringing parents and grandparents home.

The financial risk of going without coverage is measurable and significant. A single hospital visit costs thousands. A major medical event costs tens of thousands. None of it falls on the provincial health plan when the patient is a visitor.

GMS has supported Canadian families since 1949. We are not-for-profit, IRCC-compliant, and committed to insurance that is honest, accessible, and built around real families making real decisions.

Get a free quote online. It takes under five minutes. The peace of mind it buys lasts the entire visit.

Your parent travelled thousands of kilometres to be with you. Make sure they are protected when they get here.

Get your free GMS quote at https://gms.ca/

Or call toll-free: 1-800-667-3699

Explore More on GMS.ca

Super Visa Insurance: https://gms.ca/visitors-to-canada/super-visa-insurance

Visitors to Canada Insurance: https://gms.ca/visitors-to-canada

Travel Insurance: https://gms.ca/travel-insurance

Emergency Medical Travel Insurance: https://gms.ca/travel-insurance/emergency-medical-insurance

Insurance FAQs and Resource Hub: https://gms.ca/insurance-resource-hub

About GMS

Group Medical Services (GMS) is a Canadian not-for-profit health and travel insurance organization headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1949, GMS has provided Canadians with clear, comprehensive, and accessible health and travel coverage for more than 75 years. Products not offered in Quebec, New Brunswick, or Nunavut.