Destination: Canada Visitors Plan and Super Visa Insurance

1What the Destination Visitors Plan Is

The Destination: Canada Visitors Plan is emergency medical insurance for people who come to Canada. Destination Travel says the plan is designed for visitors to Canada, Super Visa applicants, newly landed immigrants, migrant workers and returning Canadians. It covers costs that come from a sudden and unforeseen accident, injury or sickness.

Three companies are involved. The policy is underwritten by National Liability & Fire Insurance Company, Canada Branch, which trades as Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI). Global Excel Management Inc. provides emergency assistance and handles claims. The Destination: Travel Group Inc. in Toronto manages and distributes the plan.

It is not for Canadian residents who travel outside Canada. When you apply, each person states that they are not a Canadian resident. If you live in Canada and are the one travelling, see our travel insurance for Canadians page instead.

2Who Can Buy It

A person must be at least 15 days old on the effective date. The policy wording has no upper age in its eligibility list. Destination’s own quote page shows a $500 deductible for people aged 86 and over.

A person cannot be covered if, on the effective date, any of these is true:

• They are travelling against a physician’s advice
• They have been diagnosed with a terminal illness
• They have been diagnosed with or treated for pancreatic cancer, liver cancer or any cancer that has spread to another organ
• They were prescribed or used home oxygen in the last 12 months
• They have been diagnosed with heart failure
• They have had a heart, kidney, liver or lung transplant, or a bone marrow or stem cell transplant
• They had kidney dialysis in the last 12 months
• They have an aneurysm of 4 cm or more in length or diameter that has not been repaired by surgery

The policy also says you must know of no reason to seek medical attention when you apply and on the effective date. If your health changes between buying and the effective date, call your broker or Destination Travel before coverage starts.

Family coverage

A family policy can include the applicant and spouse, both 59 or under, and their dependent children. All family members must have the same coverage dates.

3Sum Insured and Main Benefits

You choose one sum insured when you buy: $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, $150,000, $200,000, $250,000 or $300,000. Emergency medical and hospital costs are covered up to that amount. Some benefits have their own lower limit.

From Destination’s Summary of Travel Benefit Limits and Section 12 of the policy wording. All amounts are in Canadian dollars.

Benefits are paid on reasonable and customary costs, after any deductible. This plan pays after any other insurance that also covers the same costs.

4Pre-Existing Conditions: Option 1 and Option 2

You pick one of two options when you buy.

Option 1: stable pre-existing conditions covered

A pre-existing condition is covered only if it was stable for a set number of days right before the effective date. The number depends on age at the time of application:

From Section 13 of the policy wording. The documents list Option 1 for ages up to 79 only.

Option 2: no pre-existing coverage

Option 2 is open to all ages. It does not cover any pre-existing medical condition.

What stable means on this plan

Destination’s policy calls a condition stable only when all seven of these are true during the stability period:

• No new treatment was prescribed or recommended, and existing treatment was not changed or stopped
• No change in medication, and no new prescription was recommended or started
• The condition did not get worse
• There were no new, more frequent or more severe signs or symptoms
• There was no hospital stay and no referral to a specialist
• No tests, investigation or treatment were recommended and still not done, and no test results are outstanding
• No treatment is planned or pending

Routine blood tests that adjust Coumadin, warfarin or insulin do not count as a change in medication, as long as the drug is not new or stopped. Switching from a brand name drug to the same dose of a generic does not count either. For other plans, see our guide to Super Visa insurance with pre-existing conditions.

5Waiting Period for Sickness

A waiting period applies to sickness. A sickness that shows signs or symptoms during the waiting period is not covered, even if the costs come later.

To have the waiting period waived for a claim, you must show proof of your earlier insurance.

For a parent or grandparent coming on a Super Visa, buy before the flight. Then no waiting period applies.

6Deductibles, Dates and Automatic Extensions

Destination’s quote page shows a $0 deductible and other deductible options for ages 0 to 85, and a $500 deductible for ages 86 and over. The deductible you choose is shown on your coverage confirmation and applies to each claim.

• Coverage starts at 12:00 a.m. on the effective date. It can start no earlier than the date you leave your home country.
• Coverage ends at 11:59 p.m. on the expiry date.
• One coverage period can be at most 1 year.
• All changes to the policy must be made before the effective date.

Automatic extensions at no extra cost

• Up to 72 hours if your plane, train, bus, car or ferry is delayed by something outside your control
• Up to 5 days if you are medically unfit to travel because of a covered sickness or injury
• While you are in hospital at the end of the policy for a covered reason, plus 72 hours after release

7Using It for a Super Visa and Paying Monthly

Destination Travel super visa insurance is the same Destination: Canada Visitors Plan. Destination lists Super Visa applicants among the people the plan is for. Choose a sum insured and a coverage period that meet IRCC’s current rules. Our page on IRCC Super Visa requirements explains them.

The DTGI Monthly Payment Plan

Destination’s October 30, 2026 notice says the DTGI Monthly Payment Plan is available to Canada Visitors Plan customers. The same notice lists changes on December 1, 2026 for two other Destination plans and no changes for the Visitors plan. The policy sets these terms for monthly payments:

• The coverage period must be at least 180 days, and the sum insured at least $50,000
• Payments are by credit card. Two installments are paid when you apply, and a third on the effective date.
• After that, a payment is taken each month on the same day as the effective date. If that day is the 29th, 30th or 31st, it is taken on the 28th.
• Each installment includes an added fee, set out in the policy
• You can pay off the rest of the premium at any time
• If a payment fails, Destination emails you and your broker. You have 30 days to pay. If it is not paid, the policy ends on the paid-to date and cannot be reinstated.

If the Government of Canada issues a different entry permit than the one you applied for, you can ask for a refund or switch from monthly payments to paying in full. The request must reach Destination before the effective date, with proof of the change. For other insurers’ payment options, see Super Visa insurance with monthly payments.

8Trips Outside Canada

Emergency medical costs on a side trip outside Canada are covered up to the sum insured when both of these are true:

• At least 51% of the coverage period is spent in Canada
• The side trip is not to your home country

You may make a temporary visit to your home country, but there is no coverage there. If you get treatment during that visit, that condition is also not covered for the rest of the policy.

There is one exception to the 51% rule. If you extend to travel back to your home country, transit of up to 3 days is covered, as long as the new policy was bought by the expiry date of your existing Destination: Canada Visitors Plan policy.

Losses are not covered at a destination where the Government of Canada had an advisory to avoid all travel or all non-essential travel before your effective date, or before your side trip. This does not apply to an emergency unrelated to the advisory.

9Refunds, Cancellations and Extensions

You can return the policy within 10 days of buying for a full refund, as long as coverage has not started. After that, Destination only considers a refund when:

• The whole trip is cancelled before the effective date
• You return to your home country before the expiry date
• You become covered by a Canadian provincial or territorial health plan, and you do not need to keep this policy for a work permit or other immigration reason

Ask for a refund in writing, through the broker where you bought, before the coverage period ends. Include your coverage confirmation and proof, such as a boarding pass. Refunds are considered up to 90 days after the expiry date and are subject to an administration fee. There is no refund if a claim has been incurred, paid or is pending.

Visa policies

If the policy was bought for a visa and is cancelled before the effective date without proof that the visa was refused, Destination applies a cancellation fee to a 1-year policy. Destination and the insurer may also report the cancellation to IRCC. If your arrival is delayed, contact your broker before the effective date to move the date or ask for a refund. Read more in our Super Visa insurance refund guide.

Extending your stay

To stay longer, you apply for a new coverage period and must meet the eligibility rules again. Each new period is a separate contract. If you have had a claim, Destination reviews your file before it agrees to an extension. Call your broker or Destination Travel at 1-855-337-3532.

10Emergencies and Claims with Global Excel

In an emergency, call the assistance team before you get treatment. They work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you do not call before treatment, without a reasonable cause, you pay 20% of the eligible costs the insurer would normally pay. If you go to hospital, you or someone for you should call within 24 hours of admission and before any surgery. Have the insured person’s name, the policy number, a phone number, your address and the nature of the emergency ready.

Paid out of pocket?

• Submit original itemized receipts through Global Excel’s secure claims portal at globalexcel.com/bhspecialty, or ask Global Excel for paper forms
• Report the claim within 30 days, and send proof of loss within 90 days. Neither can be later than 1 year after it happened.
• Include the claim form, itemized bills, proof of payment, medical records and proof of travel dates
• The insurer pays within 60 days after it receives proof of claim

Paper claims go to Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, c/o Global Excel Management Inc., 73 Queen Street, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1M 0C9. See also our guide to making a Super Visa insurance claim.

11What Is Not Covered

The main exclusions to know before you buy:

• Pre-existing conditions that were not stable for the required period under Option 1, or any pre-existing condition under Option 2
• Sickness that shows signs or symptoms during the waiting period
• Pregnancy, delivery, abortion, miscarriage and their complications, and a child born during the trip
• Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and minor mental or emotional disorders such as anxiety or panic attacks treated only with minor medication or none
• Costs linked to alcohol abuse, drug use, misuse of medication, or not following prescribed treatment
• Check-ups, ongoing or regular care of a chronic condition, rehabilitation, and treatment that can wait until you return home
• Any cost in your home country
• A trip made to get medical advice or treatment
• Injury from listed high-risk activities, such as motor sports, skydiving, heliskiing and mountaineering
• Injury from a car accident when car insurance or a government auto plan pays benefits

Unsure how Destination compares on these points? Compare Super Visa quotes or compare visitors insurance quotes from several insurers on one page.

12Frequently Asked Questions