Super Visa Insurance: When You Can Get A Refund

There are several reasons in which insurance policyholders may need to seek a full or partial refund of the premium paid for their Super Visa insurance. However, a refund will only be granted if the reason for seeking the refund meets the policy refund conditions. 

It is therefore important to consider the refund policy of each insurance company before purchasing Super Visa insurance. Let’s look into the main reasons you might want a Super Visa insurance refund and whether a refund is likely. 

Normally, people only purchase Visitor to Canada insurance after receiving their visa. However, super visa applicants are required to submit proof of insurance with their visa application. Some Super Visa applications are rejected, meaning the applicant will need to seek an insurance refund. 

Fortunately, in most cases, full refunds are available if the Super Visa is denied and the refund request is submitted prior to the policy start date.  Most insurance companies will request a copy of the letter of denial from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), so be sure to keep this letter. 

Note: if the Super Visa insurance policy comes into effect before the refund request is submitted, some insurance companies will only provide a partial refund. Make sure to delay the effective date of your policy if there are delays with your Super Visa application. 

The application process for super visas can take several months.  During this time, plans can change, and some visa applicants may decide not to visit Canada.  

In this case, most insurance companies will still provide a full refund. For the insurance companies that accept a change of plans, most will charge a policy cancellation fee ranging from $150 to $250 if the visa holder withdraws their application before receiving a decision from CIC, or decides not to visit Canada after receiving a visa. 

Note:  Though most will provide a full refund if you decide not to come to Canada, a few will only provide a refund due to a Super Visa rejection or withdrawal. 

Even though some super visa applicants only plan on visiting Canada for a short period of time, they are still required to purchase a one-year insurance policy.  As a result, many super visa holders apply for a partial policy refund when they leave Canada.  

Most policies allow for partial refunds, though some policies will state in the summary that they are non-refundable after they come into effect. Partial refunds are normally calculated on a pro-rata basis, meaning that the policyholder will receive a premium refund equivalent to the number of unused days left on a policy. 

Several companies charge a processing fee for partial refunds, typically between $25 and $50.   

Note: Refunds are never available if a claim has been processed on a policy. Be careful, as some companies consider any “use of the insurance”, including calls to their medical help line, to be a claim, even if no reimbursement is made. 

In addition, each policy has a minimum dollar amount or number of unused days that is eligible for a partial refund. Policyholders should note that if they do not meet the minimum, they will not receive a refund.