Children of International Students in Quebec and minor students are now eligible for RAMQ coverage
Before requesting to add your children to the IHI plan, please note, as of September 22nd, 2021 all accompanying children (less than 18 years old) of international students and 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.
For RAMQ registration information, please call RAMQ directly once you and/or your children have entered Canada. During your call, you will need to confirm if your child was born in Quebec or outside of Quebec. If your child was born outside of Quebec, you will be sent a registration form by mail. Following which, you will be asked to mail back your registration form and any requested supporting documents (e.g. your child’s immigration document, their birth certificate). You may also choose to schedule an appointment online and a RAMQ agent will call you back. It is estimated that it may take up to 3 weeks or longer to obtain your child’s RAMQ card.
If your child will be born in Canada, the hospital where they are born will take care of their registration onto the RAMQ plan. If you choose to not have your child covered under the RAMQ plan, you must add your newborns to the IHI plan within 30 days of their birth. Scroll down to find out how to add your children to the IHI plan.
For your information, RAMQ has a process for reimbursement if expenses are incurred prior to receiving a RAMQ card for your child.
Please note, if you have already added your children to the IHI plan and then discover they are eligible for RAMQ coverage, the deadline to request to remove your children from the IHI plan is September 30th* for the Fall term, January 31st for the Winter term and May 31st for the Summer term. Therefore, it is important to verify if your child is eligible for RAMQ soon after you enter Canada.
Please take note, you are still eligible keep or add your children to the IHI plan as your dependents.
NOTE: Cancellation of coverage for dependents can only be done in the first 30 days of each new semester. Such request must be in writing (international.health [at] mcgill.ca) and will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
You are still eligible to add your children to the IHI plan as your dependents by term or for the whole academic year.
If you choose not to register your children to the RAMQ plan, we would then suggest that you add them to the IHI plan to ensure they are adequately covered in Canada.
To add a dependent:
Access Minerva ⇒ Student⇒ International Student Health Insurance Coverage Form and select Add Dependents from the drop-down menu.
If you have already confirmed your coverage on Minerva, you must send your request international.health [at] mcgill.ca (by email )and include the full name, date of birth, gender and citizenship of your dependent. Once your dependent has been added to your plan you will receive a confirmation email and there will be a premium adjustment to your contract.
Please note that we cannot retroactively add dependent(s) to your IHI plan for previous terms.
Rates
Visit our Rates Page to inquire about the costs of adding dependents for your coverage year.
Change in coverage following the birth of your child:
As mentioned above, if you do not register your newborn on the RAMQ plan, you have 30 days from the date of birth of your child add your child to your plan in order to change your IHI coverage according to your new situation. The hospital will bill Medavie Blue Cross insurance provider for mother and baby-related expenses within 30 days window.