Cannot buy travel insurance for > 1 year??

[SharonMcC]

I'm in same situation. Aussie coming to Canada for 2 years and according to the info I have:


Q: What type of insurance must I buy before leaving for Canada?
A: IEC requires you to buy and maintain health-care insurance (covering medical care, hospitalization and repatriation) for the entire duration of your stay in Canada. You may be refused entry if you do not have insurance. If your insurance policy is valid for less than 24 months, you may be issued a work permit that expires at the same time as your insurance.
The work permit cannot be extended even if you obtain an insurance coverage extension later on.

I have looked for months and there is no policy that covers these things and that I can buy for 2 years.

I can buy 2 policies: 1 covering 28 Jan 2014 for 1 year and a second policy covering 28 Jan 2015 for 1 year > Do you think this satisfies the conditions?

Am I missing something, it seems pretty dificult to comply?

 

[dj1985]

How did you go Sharon?

The only one that's the full 2 years I know of is duinsure.com.au/Policies_Canada

Im probably going to use it myself as I also leave in a few days. World nomads is over $4000 for 2 years and the above policy is 2700 for 2 years including snow cover.

Good luck!

 

[goldenbrown]

Travelance offers insurance policies of up to 18 months.

For more details visit:
http://arbetovinsurance.com/travelance-visitors-insurance/

 

[goldenbrown]

An update.

You can now buy coverage for up to 2 years with a Canadian company. It is quite affordable as well, for someone who is 25 years old it will cost from $1,500 to $1,000 depending on the deductible. It satisfies all the requirements for IEC/ Visitors to Canada visa holders such as medical care, hospitalization, repatriation and so on. You can apply directly online at

https://www.srmrm.com/cgi-bin/gen_index.pl?xxx:BrokerWebname=arbetov

Here is where you can get more information about IEC program and IEC Travel Insurance:

http://arbetovinsurance.com/iec-travel-insurance/

 

[Vancouverite89]

Is there a difference between Travelance policies and SRMRM or it's the same 2 year coverage for both? Which company is better in terms of reimbursements? And in case you have to go back home- will those be cancelled or suspended?

 

[goldenbrown]

Travelance would be a better option- good customer service and claims procedure, plus easy extensions.

They have a step by step guide for IEC/ Working holiday people.

<a href=http://arbetovinsurance.com/travelance-visitors-insurance>Travelance 2 year plans</a>

 

[Haitokin]

The big issue with buying two one year plans is that most Canadian companies won't let you buy a policy more than one year in advance either. So while you could conceivably buy a policy from Manulife, GMS, BlueCross, etc. and then a second one year policy from TIC, 21st Century or Travelance (the only companies that will issue a policy more than one year in advance).
There are some possibilities for two year insurance: get a quote from Best Quote Travel Insurance Agency

BestQuote lists all the options available, including some American plans (cheaper than the Canadian plans but pre-existing conditions are limited and winter sports cover is an extra 20%) not commonly found online for visitor to Canada plans.

You'll see that the Special Risks AIG visitor to Canada insurance plan (no coverage for pre-existing medical conditions) is issued for up to two years. However, that plan has a 12% plus $25 refund fee. The other plans have lower cancellation fees.

Also note that Irish and UK residents now also can be issued two year IEC visa if they can find insurance for two years. At the bottom of that BestQuote IEC page (link above), you'll find a banner ad to a company in Europe that can issue up to two years of insurance and is quite price competitive - especially if you buy the 'no pre-existing conditions' policy with no winter sports cover'.