PGWP Health Insurance
How to Stay Covered After Graduation in Canada

1Does Your Health Insurance End When You Graduate?

Yes, for most international students it ends within a few months. Three things run out on different clocks: your study permit, your school or student health plan, and any provincial coverage you had as a student. A post-graduation work permit (PGWP) lets you work in Canada after you finish an eligible program. It does not come with health insurance, and in most provinces it does not qualify you for the provincial plan on its own.

The gap is the time between the last of those dates and the day you qualify for the provincial plan as a worker. Some graduates have no gap. Many have several months.

2Your Study Permit and PGWP Timeline

IRCC sets the dates that everything else follows. Your studies count as completed on the day your school first tells you, by a completion letter, a transcript, or your degree or diploma.

• Study permit. "If you finish your studies early, your study permit will stop being valid 90 days after you complete your studies, no matter what day is printed on the study permit."
• Applying for the PGWP. You apply "within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your program of study", and "your study permit was valid at some point during the 180 days after you completed your program of study".
• Maintained status. If you apply before your permit expires, "You can stay in Canada as a temporary resident until we make a decision on your new permit application."
• Working while you wait. You can work full-time while waiting only if you "had a valid study permit at the time you submitted your application", "completed your study program" and "were eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying". Otherwise: "You can't work until your work permit has been approved."
• If the permit expires first. You can apply for a visitor record, or restore your status within 90 days and "pay the fee to restore your status as a student ($396.25)". "If you don't apply within 90 days, or if 90 days have already passed, you must leave Canada."

How long the PGWP lasts: IRCC says "We may give you a PGWP that's valid for up to the same length as your study program", and up to 3 years for programs of 2 years or more. "Your work permit will only be issued for the period your passport is valid."

One line from IRCC matters for health cover: "If you need to renew your social insurance number (SIN) or health insurance, you need a valid study permit." Do the paperwork before your permit runs out.

3What Happens to Your Student Plan After Graduation

Every student plan we read requires you to be a student enrolled in a school in Canada. None of the wordings uses the words "graduate", "post-graduation work permit" or "PGWP". What they do have is a short run-on after studies end.

UHIP at Ontario universities. UHIP can be extended for a while if you stay in Ontario: "If you are authorized to stay in Ontario, you can extend your coverage until the later of:" "The end of the term in which you graduate (maximum four months), or" "The end of the term in which you convocate at the first available convocation date (maximum six months)." You must ask and pay before it ends. After that, UHIP does not take people who are not students or university employees: it lists "Individuals, other than short-term visitors and families, who have temporary resident status" among those not permitted to join.

College students and students outside Ontario usually have a school plan or a private plan instead. Ask your school when its plan ends for graduates. Our guide to UHIP and private student insurance explains the student side.

4Can PGWP Holders Get OHIP, MSP, AHCIP or RAMQ?

Provincial health plans are run by each province, and none of the four largest names the PGWP in its general rules except Quebec, which calls it a post-diploma permit. Here is what each says about work permit holders.

Ontario is the case we see most. An open PGWP alone does not qualify you. A full-time job with an Ontario employer for at least 6 months does, and the employer's letter must say it "intends to employ the employee for a minimum of six (6) months". If your work permit has expired and you are on maintained status, Ontario says "you may be eligible (please contact ServiceOntario for further information)".

In Manitoba, a resident "in Manitoba on a valid work permit (of 12 consecutive months or more)" is eligible. Other provinces have their own rules; check your province before you count on a health card.

5The Coverage Gap: What It Costs Without Insurance

Being uninsured does not stop you getting emergency care. IRCC lists "emergency medical services, even if you don't have a health card (there may be some restrictions depending on your immigration status)". The bill is the problem. IRCC also says "The Government of Canada doesn't pay for the medical costs of foreign students." The provinces say the same about anyone without coverage:

• British Columbia: "You must pay the full cost unless you have other health insurance. These costs can be very high."
• Alberta: "While emergency services will not be refused, you may be billed for them, and are expected to pay later unless you qualify for reimbursement or financial support."
• Quebec: "A day in hospital can cost more than $3,000, in addition to doctors' fees."

IRCC's own advice to newcomers fits graduates too: "In some provinces, you may be waiting up to 3 months for your public health insurance to start. Make sure you have private health insurance to cover your health care needs during this waiting period." See what visits and hospital stays cost in our guide to hospital and ER costs without insurance.

6Which Insurance Covers New Graduates?

Once you are no longer a student, the plans that fit are visitors to Canada plans. Several wordings name workers and people waiting for provincial coverage:

• TuGo Visitors to Canada: "A foreign worker, international student studying in Canada or a visitor to Canada with valid legal status in Canada" and "An immigrant awaiting provincial or territorial government health care coverage".
• JF Royal Visitor: "a person with a Canadian work visa or super visa, an immigrant to Canada or a Canadian resident, who is not eligible for a provincial or territorial government health insurance plan in Canada".
• Destination: Canada Visitors Plan: "designed to protect visitors to Canada, Super Visa applicants, newly landed immigrants, migrant workers, and returning Canadians".
• GMS: its visitors plan page names "tourists, students, workers, or those that are permanent residents/returning Canadian citizens that are awaiting for a Canadian provincial government health plan". Its wording adds: "Foreign workers are required to provide valid proof of active work from their employer for the period of coverage."

Buy it before your student plan ends. You have been in Canada a long time, so a visitors plan bought now usually has a waiting period for sickness: 7 days at TuGo if bought "61 days or more after arrival in Canada", and 7 days at GMS and JF if bought more than 30 days after arrival. Most wordings drop or shorten that wait if there is no gap. GMS starts "with no wait period" if you "purchase to continue coverage without a gap from another policy that is providing similar coverage from a Canadian insurance company". JF lets you "request to have the waiting period waived" when "there will be no gap in your coverage". TuGo's waiting period section has no such waiver.

Stop it when the health card starts. Most visitors plans refund unused premium once you are covered by the province. GMS: "The refund will be calculated from the date your government health plan takes effect." TuGo asks for proof within "90 days after the date you became eligible". So you can buy a few months and stop when the card arrives.

If you also want life or disability cover now that you are working, see our guide to life insurance for newcomers.

7Three Common Situations

These are general patterns from the rules above, not a decision on your case. Your province decides your eligibility.

8Before You Graduate: Six Checks

• Find your end dates. Write down when your study permit, your student plan and any provincial student coverage end.
• Apply for the PGWP before your study permit expires. That keeps you on maintained status and, if you qualify, lets you keep working.
• Ask about a UHIP or school plan extension before it ends, if your school offers one.
• Check your province's rule. A job offer, a 6-month permit or a waiting period may decide when your card starts.
• Line up a visitors plan to start the day after your student cover ends, so there is no gap and no sickness waiting period.
• Keep the paperwork. You will need your permit, your employer letter and proof of your health card to get a refund on the private plan.

A licensed advisor at EGE Insurance can check the dates with you and quote plans that cover graduates.

9Where This Comes From

Every quote on this page was read at the source on November 13, 2026. Immigration rules, provincial rules and policy wordings change, so check the current version.

• IRCC: Study permit: while you study, PGWP: who can apply, PGWP: how to apply, PGWP: after you apply, About the PGWP, Prepare to study, Health care in Canada; Help Centre answers on staying after your permit expires and on extending your stay as a student.
• Ontario: Apply for OHIP and get a health card and documents needed. UHIP: coverage details and eligibility.
• British Columbia: MSP eligibility, updating your permit, maintained status holders and wait period.
• Alberta: coverage for temporary residents. Quebec: RAMQ eligibility conditions and eligible work permits. Manitoba: Manitoba Health eligibility.
• Student plan wordings: JF Elite Plus Student and JF Standard Student; TuGo Student; Destination: International Student; Travelance International Student.
• Visitors plan wordings: TuGo Visitors to Canada; GMS Immigrants & Visitors to Canada; JF Royal Visitor; Destination: Canada Visitors Plan.

10Frequently Asked Questions