By Olivia Boodram
January 29th, 2014 Edition
Do you have a parent or grandparent that would like to visit you here in Canada? Perhaps you may need help with your family, or you want to spend more time with your aging parents, or you just simply miss them.
Previously, this process was arduous and time consuming – it would take up to 8 years to get a visitor’s visa. The new Super Visa can be issued in about 8 weeks with validation of Medical Insurance. As of December 1, 2011, visitors are now eligible to apply for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa and stay in Canada for up to two years without the need to renew their status every 6 months. As long as you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you can apply to have your family member join you here in Canada.
An important fact to understand with this process is that prior to obtaining a visa with immigration, applicants are now required to show that they have an insurance policy. It is therefore important to purchase a Travel Emergency plan for visitors before they even apply for a Visitor’s Visa here in Canada. In the event that they are denied their visa to Canada, the premium paid is 100% refundable.
• Coverage is valid for up to 10 years
• Applicants can stay up to 24 months at a time, without having to re-apply
• Applicants may take multiple trips back home and suspend coverage at this time.
• Insurance policy can be purchased up to 365 days prior to the visitor applying for their visa.
The Canadian Super Visa has become very popular and the demand for it has increased dramatically from since its beginning. This has made visiting with the parents and grandparents in Canada easier than ever. Immigration of Canada is also proud to say that they have an approval rating as high as 85% of all the applications they have received to date.
For more information on the Canadian Super Visa program please visit: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/supervisa.asp
Travel Insurance for Visitors to Canada
If you are expecting family or a visitor from outside of Canada to visit, you will want to make sure they have emergency medical health insurance coverage. Otherwise, those who are not covered under the provincial health plan run the risk of having to pay out-of-pocket expenses for any medical bills that may arise.
Although not as expensive as our neighbours to the south, medical bills in Ontario (and the cost will vary from province to province) average out to about $30,000 for a medical emergency such as a heart attack and upwards of $100,000 for a major surgery or accident. However, it is very difficult to estimate what the cost may be, because a medical emergency is just that – unpredictable. But what it does mean is that a visitor to Canada could end up with a significant medical expense if an illness or accident occurs while they are visiting.
Example: 50 year old male visiting for 1 month – $150,000 coverage works out to about $7/day. This works out to about the cost for a specialty coffee and muffin, not a bad deal.
Make sure your visitors have the necessary Emergency Medical Coverage, so they can enjoy their stay with complete peace of mind.
