Compulsory health insurance for tourists?

[LauraLynnR]

Hi everyone!
Today I bought a round trip ticket to go to Canada (Richmond, Quebec and I land in Montreal) from September 4th 2013 until 26 February 2014.
I'm visiting my boyfriend cause one day we want to apply for my permanent residence after an entire year of cohabitation.
Now I'm worried about something: I read somewhere that after I landed, customs will check my documents and stuff but I'm insecure about 2 things:
1. Is an health insurance obligatory for tourists to enter the country? Or can I choose not to take it out and (eventually) pay if I get ill?
2. Do I have to show I'm able to support myself during the journey or is it something it doesn't concern them particularly?
My boyfriend works and is able to support both of us but I need to clear it up cause I don't want to reach Canada and be forced to come back
As about for money... I'm taking my Visa with me and my parents will provide to charge it with money periodically from Italy so I won't ever run out of money.
Please help me and thank you in advance

 

[Leon]

1. You can choose not to be insured. However, it is a very good idea to have insurance. Even if you are healthy now, you never know what kind of emergency could crop up. You might need surgery or you might be in an accident and having to pay yourself for something like that is a lot more than insurance would cost. After 6 months when you apply to extend your visit visa which you will have to do if you plan to stay a year, one of the things you would be asked to show is that you can support yourself without working or that your boyfriend will support you. I would advise that you show that you have insurance at the same time so that you will not end up being a burden on the Canadian tax payer if something happens which will inevitably happen if you end up having such a big bill that you don't have the funds to pay it yourself.

2. It depends on how you enter. If you say you are coming to visit for a couple of weeks and you have your visa card, they will not worry about it. If you say right away that you are planning on staying a year, they may turn you away.

 

[LauraLynnR]

1. You can choose not to be insured. However, it is a very good idea to have insurance. Even if you are healthy now, you never know what kind of emergency could crop up. You might need surgery or you might be in an accident and having to pay yourself for something like that is a lot more than insurance would cost. After 6 months when you apply to extend your visit visa which you will have to do if you plan to stay a year, one of the things you would be asked to show is that you can support yourself without working or that your boyfriend will support you. I would advise that you show that you have insurance at the same time so that you will not end up being a burden on the Canadian tax payer if something happens which will inevitably happen if you end up having such a big bill that you don't have the funds to pay it yourself.

2. It depends on how you enter. If you say you are coming to visit for a couple of weeks and you have your visa card, they will not worry about it. If you say right away that you are planning on staying a year, they may turn you away.

Thanks so much!
Health Insurance costs more than a ticket would cost me to come back here in Italy and get free cures.
Anyways I guess it would be better to get it cause I might not be able to come back to my own country to get all the cures I need (if I go through a car accident I couldn't)... but since a lot of people asked me the same question I wanted to clear it up, especially for some of them (like my parents) who are planning to visit me and my boyfriend just for about a week so I don't think they'd need insurance just for a few days after all.
Mine is a round trip ticket so I'm SUPPOSED to come back on February 26th but since we are planning to get my PR one day, I won't come back cause we need to live together for an year (hoping they'll renew my visitor status!!).
So basically when September 4th I'm landing and I meet people at customs, I'm gonna tell them i'm just visiting my boyfriend to meet his family and spend time together for less than 6 months, as it's said in the ticket, so I don't think is gonna be a problem if I just inform them about my Visa and the fact that my parents are gonna charge it when needed... using money I saved so not even their money.