How long can I be away and not lose my Provincial health coverage? (2024)

FAQs

How long can you be out of Canada without losing health care in Ontario? ›

You can be outside of Canada for 212 days in a 12-month period and still be covered by your OHIP. If you will be away for more than 212 days, you can apply for continuous OHIP eligibility. This means that you want to keep your OHIP benefits, even though you will be out of the country for more than 212 days.

Provincial Rules

Ontario allows you to be out of the country for 212 days (seven months) and Newfoundland for eight months without risking loss of your medical care benefits. If you stay out of your province longer than that, you risk losing your residency and health care benefits.

For absence of less than 6 months:

You can maintain BC MSP coverage for up to 6 months of absence from BC. If your absence is less than 6 months, you have the option to keep BC MSP.

If you are planning to temporarily reside outside of Manitoba for 90 days or more in a 12-month period, please report your departure to Manitoba Health to ensure that you continue to have uninterrupted coverage. Requests should be made 6 to 8 weeks in advance of your departure date from Manitoba.

In actual fact, you can be absent from Canada as long as you want. The Canadian government recognizes that citizens may travel extensively, work or study abroad. You will always maintain your Canadian citizenship. What absentia may affect is your Canadian health care coverage and income tax.

How long are you welcome to visit another country? A Canadian can stay for up to 182 days per calendar year (without paying U.S. income tax). Visitors can stay for maximum of six months in each 12 months (not a calendar year, but counting backwards 12 months from your date of entry).

To remain eligible for your Canadian provincial/territorial government health insurance, you cannot travel outside your province/territory of residence for a total of more than 7 months (212 days) within a year, or 6 months (183 days) if you live in Quebec, PEI or Nunavut. This includes travel within Canada.

Canada collects basic biographic information on travellers who enter and leave the country by land and air to ensure complete travel history information is available. Collecting this data strengthens border management.

Canadian visitors can generally stay in the United States for a maximum of six months (or the equivalent of 182 days) during a single 12-month period. This period of time spent there could be a single trip or a combination of multiple trips.

Provincial coverage for physician and hospital services will continue for the balance of the month you leave the province, plus two months. Upon arrival, you should immediately apply to the health plan of your new home province or territory.

How long must you reside in BC to qualify for BC health Insurance? ›

The British Columbia (BC) government Medical Services Plan (BC MSP) is a mandatory public health insurance plan for everyone who lives in BC for six months or longer. The BC MSP is an important part of benefitting from the health care available to all BC residents.

Usually a maximum of 182 days, or about six months during a 12-month period. Those days can be amassed during one trip or they could be the sum of several trips.

Coverage outside of the province

If you are admitted to an approved hospital anywhere in Canada, Manitoba Health will pay the standard rate. Because some services are excluded, you are encouraged to obtain additional health insurance before travelling.

Health insurance, on the other hand, doesn't generally include a specific expiration date, and instead, policies can expire according to the events listed above. Likewise, government-subsidized healthcare coverage like Medicare and Medicaid policies also do not expire unless a life event triggers an expiration.

How Long Must You Live in Canada to Get Free Healthcare? You must have lived in Canada and had a permanent resident status for at least three months to become eligible for Canada's universal healthcare.

Key takeaways. If you leave your job and had coverage through your workplace, this normally ends when you leave your employer. This means you could lose health and dental benefits as well as insurance that could help protect you and your family.

To meet the minimum qualifications you must: be physically in Ontario for 153 days in any 12‑month period. be physically in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately after you began living in the province.

How Long Must You Live in Canada to Get Free Healthcare? You must have lived in Canada and had a permanent resident status for at least three months to become eligible for Canada's universal healthcare.