IEC Canada Insurance
IEC Canada Insurance Requirement for 2 years
You bought for a 2-year insurance for the Working Holiday in Canada but only got a 1-year iec visa?
Recently, many working holiday visa holder in Canada are purchasing for 2-year working holiday insurance canada in hopes of receiving a 2-year working holiday visa. However, there are important considerations to be aware of before purchasing IEC insurance, and I would like to share these. There have been many cases where people only received a 1-year visa instead of a 2-year visa due to incorrect insurance enrollment, so caution is needed.
If you are considering signing up for working holiday insurance, this article will be of great help in obtaining a 2-year visa.
Precaution 1. The insurance must provide sufficient coverage benefits.
As stated on the Canadian government website:
The part you should look at again here is..
If you don’t have sufficient coverage, you may be denied entry into Canada.
2 year travel insurance canada iec
The part about “Sufficient Coverage” is a bit ambiguous. Based on our recent client cases, we’ve noticed that individuals who try to get insurance at the lowest cost for visa purposes, opting for a coverage of $10,000 with a $10,000 deductible, end up facing issues. Out of 10 people, all 10 received only a 1-year visa and have been requesting refunds for the one-year term.
The visa officer reviewing your insurance certificate might determine that a coverage of $10,000 with a $10,000 deductible is not sufficient protection.
It is essential to opt for at least $50,000 in coverage with a $0 deductible. In fact, depending on the officer, even $50,000 may not be considered adequate coverage. In Canada, it’s common to require a minimum of $100,000 in coverage for certain visa applications, so it’s important to select your insurance with this in mind.
Precaution 2: Coverage must include repatriation for various situations.
This means transportation back to your home country in the event of serious illness, injury, or death. Not only should it cover major accidents, but it should also provide repatriation coverage for common illnesses and injuries.
✅Below is the content from the government website:
● repatriation (returning you to your country in the event of severe illness, injury or death)
Precaution 3: The insurance you’ve signed up for must remain in effect even if you become eligible for provincial insurance in Canada.
Even if you become eligible for provincial insurance in Canada (like MSP in British Columbia, MSI in Nova Scotia, OHIP in Ontario, RAMQ in Quebec, etc.) during your working holiday, the insurance you’ve signed up for must continue throughout your stay.
Provincial insurance does not include repatriation coverage, as the Canadian government website also states.
✅ Below is the content from the government website:
Health insurance
The border services officer may ask you for proof of health insurance.
You may be refused entry if you do not have insurance.
Your insurance must cover:
● medical care
● hospitalization and
● repatriation (returning you to your country in the event of severe illness, injury or death)
When you arrive at the port of entry, you must have health insurance valid for your entire stay in Canada. Having a valid provincial health card is not enough.
Provincial health insurance does not cover repatriation.
If your insurance policy covers a period shorter than your expected stay, the duration of your work permit will match the expiration of your insurance.
If this happens, you will not be able to apply to change the conditions of your work permit at a later date.
Conclusion
Refunding your insurance after receiving provincial coverage might not pose an immediate issue. Similarly, those who seek a refund right after obtaining their visa are not facing immediate problems.
However, a potential issue might surface when renewing a visa or during the evaluation for permanent residency, with random audits being a possibility.
A few years ago, an individual who had signed up for working holiday insurance and immediately asked for a refund was contacted last year. Their insurance certificate was marked as Document Fraud during their permanent residency evaluation. Facing accusations of Document Fraud can lead to serious repercussions, endangering not only the approval of permanent residency but also the risk of its potential revocation.
. The client was honest about their situation and sought our help, but unfortunately, there was little we could do, which was regrettable. They mentioned consulting a lawyer, but we haven’t heard any updates since.
While this is speculative on our part, it seems that insurance companies may become suspicious and file a suspicious transaction report if someone cancels their policy immediately without a valid reason (like visa denial or entry refusal).
With Canada’s resources being limited, it’s likely that such cases emerge because records are maintained, allowing the Canadian government to conduct investigations based on these records.
We strongly advise against taking such a significant risk with your future in Canada just to save a few hundred dollars now.
How to Enroll in Insurance for a 2-Year Working Holiday Visa in Canada
Insurance policies from Canadian and American insurance companies typically include all the coverage benefits required by the Canadian government. Just make sure to select a policy with a minimum coverage of $50,000 and a $0 deductible.
✅ For the first year, enroll in an insurance policy through a Canadian insurance company using the link below:
✅ For the following year, sign up for an insurance policy from an American insurance company using the link below:
