ISS will be closed Friday, March 29th and Monday, April 1st for the holiday weekend.

ISS is available virtually and in-person Mondays-Fridays during business hours.

Activate your International Health Insurance Plan (IHI) on Minerva as of:

From August 1 for returning and newly-admitted students in the Fall semester
From December 1 for newly-admitted students in the Winter semester
From April 1 for newly-admitted students in the Summer semester

Important contract disclaimers - see below

​To activate your International Health Insurance Plan:

  1. The student must be registered for classes for at least 24 hours.
  2. Access Minerva ⇒ Student⇒ International Student Health Insurance Coverage Form and select Confirm coverage from the drop-down menu.

Activation enables the student to make claims and get access to the McGill's Wellness Hub. There is a delay of 7 business days following activation to register for Medavie Blue Cross and Maple apps. 

    The print button will appear immediately upon activation. You can save and show the electronic version of the McGill's IHI card on your mobile device when accessing the Student Wellness Hub and Hospitals in Montreal. 

    Exchange students who require a reassessment of the international health insurance fee must activate their coverage.

    Students who meet certain criteria may be eligible for an exemption.

    GOOD TO KNOW! Default IHI coverage is for 12 months a time, from September 1 to August 31 the following year. New students get 2 complimentary weeks of coverage prior to the start date of the IHI contract, in case they need to seek urgent medical care before the start of the academic term. For example, a new student  starting  their  program  in the Fall will begin their two complimentary  weeks of coverage on August 15th.

    Note: If you do not have an existing travel plan in Canada and you have arrived in Canada earlier than 2 weeks before the start of your IHI contract, we strongly recommend having private medical health insurance coverage. You may choose to buy a visitor’s health insurance plan from Québec Blue Cross (partner organization with Medavie Blue Cross). Their hours of operation are from 8h to 18h, Monday to Friday. You may obtain a quote online or by calling 1-888-822-5383.

    You can add your dependent(s) at the same time when you are activating your IHI contract. There are more details on our website Before requesting to add your child(ren) to the IHI plan, please note, all accompanying children (less than 18 years old) of international students, including minor students are eligible for Quebec’s Health Insurance Plan - Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec(RAMQ)If your child is covered under the RAMQ plan, you do not need to add them to IHI coverage. You are still eligible keep or add your children to the IHI plan as your dependents.

     

    ***IMPORTANT***Please review the following IHI contract disclaimers:

    End of Coverage as a result of student's registration changes

    • In order to be eligible to use the International Health Insurance contract and make claims, you must be a student registered (an actively/currently enrolled student) at McGill University and you must pay* for the coverage.
    • Any changes that affect your registration status at McGill University, such as Admission Deferral, University Withdrawal, Registration Gap or Leave of Absence in any given term or any other kind of absence of registration, may result in the automatic cancellation of your McGill’s International Health Insurance plan.
    • It is your responsibility to notify ISS immediately of any changes in your registration status, in order to comprehend the impact this change might have on your eligibility to use the McGill’s International Health Insurance contract.
    • It is your responsibility to reimburse Medavie Blue Cross any refund for claims made after the change to your registration status.

    Maternity benefits disclaimer:

    Maternity benefits extend to you and your spouse if you re-register and were already covered under the Insurance Plan for McGill University International Students or if you or your spouse were previously insured by a benefit from a group insurance plan offered by a recognized Canadian education during the previous academic year.

    If you or your spouse were not insured during the previous academic year, maternity benefits are insured if normal delivery takes place during the first 30 weeks following initial registration in the plan up to a maximum of $20,000. The 30-week limitation does not apply in case of a miscarriage or early delivery, as long as conception occurred during the first 6 weeks immediately prior to or subsequent to registration.

    Dependent disclaimer:

    Please note that:

    • If you are a returning student, it is your responsibility to add your dependents to your IHI plan every year when activating your coverage. If you do not activate your coverage on Minerva at the beginning of each academic year, your coverage will automatically be activated to SINGLE, therefore leaving your dependents without coverage. 
    • It is your responsibility to make necessary changes to your health coverage as dependents join you in Canada.
    • Your dependent children (under 18 years old) are eligible to be covered under the RAMQ plan, whether they were born inside or outside of Canada.

    For any questions about the above disclaimers, please do not hesitate to international.health [at] mcgill.ca (contact us)

    In addition to the information above, please also review ISS' FAQs page.

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