Health Insurance
International students at KPU have access to coverage for emergency medical care, routine check-ups, and more through a combination of three health insurance plans:
- KPU Temporary Medical Insurance Plan
- British Columbia Medical Services Plan (BC MSP) BC MSP coverage expires the same day your study permit expires
- Kwantlen Student Association's Extended Health and Dental Coverage
Learn more about each health insurance plan below.
KPU Temporary Medical Insurance Plan Provided through guard.me International Insurance
All new international students coming to KPU are automatically enrolled in KPU's Temporary Medical Insurance Plan upon registration in classes. The fees are charged directly through your OSS account. Coverage begins on the first day of the first month of the semester (e.g. you are covered starting on January 1st for the Spring semester). The information on your coverage will be sent over to your KPU student email during the first week or two of the classes start date. If you're arriving in Canada before the first day of the first month of the semester (e.g. you are arriving before January 1st for the Spring semester), you should purchase a seperate travel insurance OR Guard.me Early Arrival Insurance, which costs less than $2/day. Note! Your semester-based coverage and early arrival plan have different policy number. You will automatically be enrolled in the plan during every semester that you are registered in classes.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (“KPU”) collects, uses, discloses, and retains your Personal Information through Guard.me, our provider of international student health insurance, in accordance with section 26 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”), R.S.B.C. 1996, c.165 for the purposes of registering you with insurance coverage, processing insurance claims, assessing your insurance claims against the insurance policy applying to your coverage, arranging payout for your claims if applicable, or explaining why your insurance claim is not successful. If you have any questions about the processing of your Personal Information, please contact Guard.me using the customer support contact information found at https://www.guard.me/#contact-us.
How Do I Sign Up?
All new international students coming to KPU are automatically enrolled in KPU's Temporary Medical Insurance Plan upon registration in classes, so you don't have to do anything to sign up.
Why Do I Need This Plan?
This plan protects your finances and your health when you first come to Canada, when you're not yet covered in the provincial health plan BC MSP.
What's Covered?
Most basic and emergency medical services are covered, including: doctor's visits, emergency room care, diagnostic tests, hospital stays, and more. Please see this sample benefits summary to learn more. Additionally, learn more about COVID-19 coverage here.
Coverage Period?
Spring term: January 1 - April 30
Summer term: May 1 - August 31
Fall term: September 1 - December 31
Please be advised that students are not enrolled in or covered by temporary health insurance during their term break (e.g., summer break). By that time, they should have established MSP coverage or reached out to a private insurance provider for coverage.
How Much Does It Cost?
You will be automatically enrolled and charged with temporary insurance fee $201.30 every term, unless you received MSP and submitted an opt-out request (conditions apply).Students, who starts during the second session at KPU are automatically charged with a $100 non-refundable fee until the end of remaining of the term with no option to opt-out.
*NEW 2024 UPDATE: Guard.me and Rexall Partnership
Guard.me is partnering with Rexall for an exclusive benefits program for all inbound students in Canada covered by Guard.me insurance. Rexall is now a part of their preferred pharmacy partners network.
More details are coming...
Adding a Dependent?
If you are an international student and have been enrolled in the guard.me plan, you can apply for coverage for your dependents.
Note: You can only apply for your dependents once you have received your policy number. Students must add their dependents within the first 10 days after they receive Guard.me policy number, to make sure dependents' coverage effective start date mathces to student's.
*Update 07.19.2023 Adding a dependent feature also applies to Guard.me Early Arrival Insurance
Already have MSP? You can OPT-OUT HERE
International students, who have obtained their BC MSP are eligible for permanent opt out from temporary insurance plan. The deadline to opt out is the last day of the first month in the semester (e.g. Spring - January 31st). Please be advised, the opt-out procedure is only available during the first month of each term and only after you received an email from Guard.me with information on your account activation and policy wording. After your opt-out request is submitted, please anticipate 1-2 business days (excluding weekends) for confirmation email from Guard.me. If your request was approved, a full refund of current semester fee will be reversed back to your KPU student account (not your banking account) within next 10 business day. There are no partial refunds. If you don't submit an opt-out request, you will be automatically charged and enrolled with Guard.me plan every term, regardless of your MSP status.
OPT-OUT Additional Information:
- Fall Deadline - September 30th
- Spring Deadline - January 31st
- Summer Deadiline - May 31st
Note! If your MSP starts after first day of the first month (Spring - January 1st) or ends prior the end of your coverage (Spring April 30th), OR if you submitted a claim for the current coverage period - your opt-out will be declined.
British Columbia Medical Services Plan (BC MSP)
The BC Medical Services Plan (BC MSP) is the provincial health insurance program that covers health care benefits for BC residents.
Your BC MSP coverage expires the same day your study permit expires. So, it is extremely important that you update your status in Canada with Health Insurance BC whenever you renew your study permit. If there is a gap between the renewal of your study permit and your BC MSP coverage, you will need to find temporary private insurance to cover you for that period of time. It may also be possible to reach out to Healthlink BC to request for an extension of your BC MSP coverage while you wait for your study permit to be renewed.
How Do I Sign Up?
Apply for MSP online within the first 10 days of your arrival in BC. The waiting period to receive coverage through BC MSP can be up to three months.
Why Do I Need This Plan?
It's mandatory—all BC residents are required to sign up for BC MSP. Plus, public health care in BC is very good, and having BC MSP coverage means that you have access to it at no cost beyond the monthly health-care coverage fee for international students.
What's Covered?
You'll be covered for all medically necessary services provided by physicians, diagnostic services including x-rays, dental and oral surgery, and more. Learn more about what's covered and what's not covered.
How Much Does It Cost?
$75 per month
Kwantlen Student Association Health & Dental Plan Provided through mystudentplan
All international students at KPU are automatically enrolled in the Kwantlen Student Association's (KSA) Benefits Plan. This is a mandatory extended health and dental plan that supplements one of the two basic medical insurance plans above. It provides 12 months of coverage starting on the first day of the month the program of study begins.
How Do I Sign Up?
All new international students coming to KPU are automatically enrolled in the Kwantlen Student Association Health & Dental Plan upon registration in classes, so you don't have to do anything to sign up.
Why Do I Need This Plan?
BC MSP and Guard.me don't cover everything—for example, BC MSP doesn't cover most prescription drugs, vision care, and dental work, all of which can be costly. The KSA Health & Dental Plan provides additional extended coverage for these treatments.
What's Covered?
A portion of the costs for some prescription drugs, vision, paramedical treatments, mental health treatment, dental care, travel insurance, and more. Learn more about what's covered.
How Much Does It Cost?
See our current extended health and dental costs here kpu.ca/international/future-students/cost
Learn More
Still got questions? Check out our Health Insurance Booklet or contact your International Student Life Coordinators by email us at intlstudentlife@kpu.ca