1What Super Visa Insurance Is, and What It Is For
Super Visa insurance is emergency medical insurance for a parent or grandparent visiting Canada. To support a Super Visa application it must meet IRCC’s conditions: at least $100,000 of coverage, valid for at least one year, from a Canadian or OSFI-authorized insurer, covering health care, hospitalization and repatriation. Our IRCC Super Visa requirements guide covers those rules in full.
The key word is emergency. The policy pays when a sudden illness or injury needs treatment during the stay. It is not a replacement for a provincial health card: routine care, check-ups and planned treatment are outside what any of these plans pay for.
Every figure on this page is taken from the policy wordings of four plans we sell for Super Visa: GMS Visitors to Canada, JF Visitors to Canada, and Secure Travel Visitors to Canada Standard and Enhanced. Other insurers’ limits differ, so read the wording of the plan you buy or ask us to read it with you.
2Covered and Not Covered at a Glance
| Care | Usually covered? | What the four wordings say |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency room, hospital stay, doctor or surgeon | Yes | Up to the coverage amount you choose, less any deductible |
| Ambulance to the hospital | Yes | A licensed ambulance; GMS covers air ambulance only with approval |
| X-rays and lab tests | Yes | Covered; MRI, CT and ultrasound need the insurer’s pre-approval |
| Follow-up doctor visits | Limited | GMS: within 14 days, until the emergency ends. Secure Travel: up to 3 visits, pre-approved. JF: covered |
| Prescription drugs | Limited | A 30-day supply per prescription, for the emergency only |
| Emergency dental | Limited | Pain relief $300 to $500; repair after a blow to the mouth or face $1,000 to $3,000 |
| Physiotherapy, chiropractor | Limited | $300 to $500, usually with pre-approval |
| Routine check-up, eye exam, vaccines | No | Excluded by all four plans |
| Pregnancy and childbirth | No | Excluded (Secure Travel: excluded within 9 weeks of the due date) |
| Unstable pre-existing condition | No | Only a condition that meets the plan’s stability rule can be covered |
Emergency means sudden and unexpected. The same visit to a doctor can be covered or not depending on why it happens: a chest infection that starts during the stay is an emergency; a yearly check-up or a prescription refill is not.
3Doctor Visits and Follow-Up Care
A doctor’s emergency treatment is covered on all four plans, in the emergency room or as an outpatient. What differs is how many follow-up visits the plan pays for after the first one:
| Plan | Follow-up visits |
|---|---|
| GMS Visitors to Canada | Covered until GMS considers the emergency over; each visit within 14 days |
| JF Visitors to Canada | Covered |
| Secure Travel Standard and Enhanced | Up to 3 visits, with pre-approval |
Routine physical exams and check-ups are excluded by every plan here. A visit to keep an existing condition under control, such as a blood-pressure review, is routine care, not an emergency.
4Emergency Dental
Dental is one of the most searched questions, and the answer has two parts: pain relief for a sudden dental problem, and repair of natural teeth damaged by an accidental blow to the mouth or face. Neither pays for cleanings, fillings that are not urgent, or planned dental work.
| Plan | Emergency pain relief | Repair after an accidental blow |
|---|---|---|
| GMS Visitors to Canada | $300 | $2,000 (implants excluded) |
| JF Visitors to Canada | $500 | $3,000 |
| Secure Travel Standard | $300 | $1,000 |
| Secure Travel Enhanced | $500 | $3,000 |
5Prescription Drugs
All four plans pay for drugs prescribed for the emergency, up to a 30-day supply per prescription. Two plans add limits: GMS excludes refills, and Secure Travel caps each prescription at $500 on the Standard plan and $1,000 on Enhanced.
Medication a parent already takes at home is not an emergency. Bring enough regular medication for the whole stay, with the prescriptions, before travelling.
6Physiotherapy, Chiropractic and Other Practitioners
These plans pay a fixed amount for licensed practitioners such as physiotherapists and chiropractors when the treatment is part of an emergency, not for ongoing therapy.
| Plan | Limit | Practitioners named |
|---|---|---|
| GMS Visitors to Canada | $500 per person in total | Osteopath, optometrist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, chiropodist, podiatrist |
| JF Visitors to Canada | $500 per practitioner, with pre-approval | Listed practitioners; acupuncture $500 on a 365-day policy only |
| Secure Travel Standard | $300 per profession, with pre-approval | Listed practitioners; acupuncture not covered |
| Secure Travel Enhanced | $500 per profession, with pre-approval | Listed practitioners; acupuncture not covered |
A Super Visa policy runs for a full year, so the JF acupuncture benefit, which applies only to a 365-day policy, is available to Super Visa buyers on that plan.
7Tests, Scans and Specialist Imaging
X-rays and laboratory tests are covered on all four plans. MRI, CT and ultrasound are also covered, but only when the insurer approves them in advance; GMS and Secure Travel name biopsies in the same rule. Calling the insurer’s assistance line before a scan avoids a refused claim.
8What Super Visa Insurance Does Not Cover
- Routine care: check-ups, physical exams, eye exams and vaccines are excluded by all four plans.
- Pregnancy: GMS and JF exclude pregnancy and childbirth; Secure Travel excludes it within 9 weeks of the due date and never pays for routine pre-natal care. Our pregnancy and visitors insurance guide explains the options.
- Mental health: JF and Secure Travel pay for psychiatric care only during a hospital stay (JF up to $100,000 or the coverage amount if lower).
- Hazardous activities and professional sport: excluded by all four plans; the wordings name examples such as skydiving, mountaineering and motor racing.
- Pre-existing conditions that are not stable: see the next section.
9Pre-Existing Conditions and the Waiting Period
A condition the parent already has is only covered on a plan that includes stable pre-existing conditions, and only if it meets that plan’s stability rule. Our Super Visa pre-existing conditions guide compares those rules.
If the policy is bought after the parent arrives in Canada, a waiting period applies to illness (not to injury on GMS):
| Plan | Bought within 30 days of arrival | Bought later |
|---|---|---|
| GMS Visitors to Canada | 2 days (none if bought before arrival) | 7 days |
| JF Visitors to Canada | 48 hours (age 86 or over: 15 days) | 7 days (age 86 or over: 15 days) |
| Secure Travel Standard and Enhanced | 48 hours | 8 days |
Buying before the trip starts, as a Super Visa application requires anyway, avoids the waiting period on GMS.
10Trips Outside Canada During the Stay
A short trip abroad, for example to the United States, can stay covered. GMS covers side trips of up to 30 days that start and end in Canada and are no more than half of the coverage period. JF and Secure Travel require at least 51% of the coverage period in Canada; Secure Travel also limits each side trip to 30 days.
11Frequently Asked Questions
Does Super Visa insurance cover doctor visits?
Yes, when the visit is for a sudden illness or injury during the stay. Follow-up visits are limited: GMS covers them within 14 days until the emergency ends, Secure Travel covers up to 3 with pre-approval, and JF covers them. Routine check-ups are not covered.
Does Super Visa insurance cover dental?
Only emergency dental. The four plans we compared cover emergency pain relief up to $300 to $500, and repair of natural teeth up to $1,000 to $3,000 after an accidental blow to the mouth or face. Cleanings and planned dental work are not covered.
Does Super Visa insurance cover eye exams?
No. Routine eye exams are excluded by GMS, JF and Secure Travel. Only emergency treatment is covered.
Does Super Visa insurance cover physiotherapy?
Yes, as part of an emergency and within a fixed limit: $500 in total on GMS, $500 per practitioner on JF, and $300 (Standard) or $500 (Enhanced) per profession on Secure Travel, usually with pre-approval.
Does Super Visa insurance cover prescriptions?
Drugs prescribed for the emergency are covered, up to a 30-day supply per prescription. GMS excludes refills and Secure Travel caps each prescription at $500 (Standard) or $1,000 (Enhanced). Regular medication from home is not covered.
Does Super Visa insurance cover pregnancy?
No. GMS and JF exclude pregnancy and childbirth, and Secure Travel excludes it within 9 weeks of the due date. Routine pre-natal care is never covered.
Key Takeaways
Summary: What Super Visa Insurance Covers
- Super Visa insurance is emergency medical insurance: sudden illness or injury during the stay.
- Emergency dental, prescriptions and physiotherapy are covered only up to fixed limits that differ by plan.
- Check-ups, eye exams, vaccines and pregnancy are not covered by any of the four plans compared.
- Buy before the trip: a policy bought after arrival has a waiting period for illness, from 48 hours to 8 days (15 days on JF from age 86).
Sources: GMS Immigrants & Visitors to Canada policy wording (effective October 25, 2024); JF Visitor to Canada Insurance policy (dated July 27, 2026); Secure Travel RIMI Visitors to Canada policy (edition 2024-02, Standard and Enhanced), underwritten by certain Lloyd’s Underwriters. Figures checked against each wording on October 11, 2026. The policy wording decides every claim.
Not Sure What Your Parents’ Plan Pays For?
Send us the plan or ask for a quote, and an advisor will show you each plan’s limits before you buy. Call (416) 477-1516 or email cs@egeinsure.ca. Advisors available in 8 languages.