Insurance for Dependents

PLEASE NOTE: The international students office (ISO) does not offer health insurance for your dependents.

Children under 18 who are accompanying temporary residents are eligible for Quebec’s health insurance plan, the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), even if they were not born in Quebec. They must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Children temporarily living in Québec, for example, those of foreign workers or students.
• Children without legal status in Canada. Refugee claimants are not eligible for the Quebec health insurance; however, they may be eligible for the Federal Interim Health Insurance plan.

There is no waiting period for children to be eligible for the RAMQ in Quebec.

You may register your child for health insurance online if they were born outside Québec, provided you or the other parent are in one of these situations:

• You have established your main residence in Québec
• You are temporarily staying in Québec for more than 6 months

For RAMQ registration information, please call the RAMQ directly at 1 833 203-5524 once you and/or your children have entered Canada.

Please note: if you enroll your child/children into the RAMQ, you do not need to add them to another health insurance plan.

You will be sent a registration form by mail – make sure to have a mailing address in Québec before calling the RAMQ. You will then need to mail back your completed registration form and any requested supporting documents (for example your child/children’s birth certificate or their immigration document).

You may also choose to schedule an appointment online and a RAMQ agent will call you back. It is estimated that it may take up to 3 weeks or longer to obtain your child’s RAMQ card.

For your information, RAMQ has a process for reimbursement if expenses are incurred before receiving a RAMQ card for your child.

Health insurance coverage is highly recommended for spouses and children who are accompanying an international student to Canada. For information on insurers who provide visitor's insurance on an individual basis, see the list of websites below. You can compare their plans and choose the one that best fits your current situation. Keep in mind that not all plans are comparable and it is the responsibility of the student to check on the plan details.

• Manulife CoverMe
• Québec Blue Cross
• AIG Travel Guard (for American students only)
• Tugo
• Assurance visiteurs
• Allianz Care

Please note that international students MUST be covered by the Blue Cross Health Insurance Plan for Concordia International Students even if their dependents or spouses are covered by another insurance provider.