IHI Updates

It depends.

As of July 5, 2021, at 12:01am. EDT, fully vaccinated* travellers authorized to enter Canada by land or by air, will be exempt from the federal requirement to undergo a 14-day quarantine and take a COVID-19 test on day-8 of their arrival to Canada. In addition, fully vaccinated* travellers authorized to enter Canada by air will no longer be required to arrange for a 3-day stay at a government-approved hotel. Fully vaccinated travellers will still be required to follow all other public health measures in place such as the wearing of a mask in public, where applicable.

*NOTE: To be considered fully vaccinated, travellers must have received the required dosage of a vaccine or combination of vaccines approved by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada. At this time, the list of vaccines accepted by the Government of Canada includes those made by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). Travellers can receive their vaccines in any country.

In order to be exempt from the federal quarantine requirement, fully vaccinated travellers must meet the following Public Health Agency of Canada requirements:

• meet all other mandatory requirements, including pre- and on-arrival testing;
• be asymptomatic when entering Canada;
• have a paper or digital copy of their proof of vaccination documentation in English or French (or accompanied by a certified translation);
• continue to submit their COVID-19-related information electronically through ArriveCAN prior to arrival in Canada; AND
• present a suitable quarantine plan, and be prepared to quarantine, should a border officer determine that they do not meet the conditions to be exempt from quarantine.

Travellers who are not fully vaccinated or do not meet the requirements above must continue to adhere to all quarantine requirements applicable to their mode of travel.

For full details, please see the Public Health Agency of Canada's announcement and the COVID-19 vaccinated travellers entering Canada page.

No. The current travel measures do not require a person to be vaccinated or to show proof of vaccination in order to travel to Canada. For the latest information on travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, a list of documents you should have with you when travelling and when entering Canada, please carefully review our Entering Canada page.

If your first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was administered outside Canada or Quebec, you can sign up at the Québec Vaccination Registry to receive the next dose in Québec if necessary. For more information, see the Vaccinated for COVID-19 outside Québec: using the Vaccination Registry page.

If the vaccine that was used for the first dose is not available at the vaccination centre at the time of the appointment, a different product may be used (ideally a vaccine based on the same technology. For example, if your first dose was with a Messenger RNA vaccine such as Moderna or Pfizer, the second dose should be with a Messenger RNA vaccine to the extent possible, and within the timeframe recommended by the Québec Immunization Protocol. The recommended timeframe window is available at COVID-19 vaccination.

Please note, Canada does not currently have data on the effects of mixing vaccines approved in countries outside of Canada with the vaccines available in Canada (Pfizer and Moderna).

This webinar recording provided by the Medical Director of the Student Wellness Hub, gives information on the COVID-19 Vaccines, specifically on the vaccines available in Canada and the rollout plan in Quebec.

Please visit the Quebec Government COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign website to find out more about how and when to make an appointment to get vaccinated.

The Quebec Government COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign website has announced that all residents 12 years old and over are able to get vaccinated in Quebec.

Yes. When you sign up for a vaccine appointment on clicsante, the form will ask you for a RAMQ number. Instead, please click the box below that confirms that you do not have a RAMQ number.

Please note that in order to schedule a second dose through the Clicsante website without a RAMQ number, you will need to choose the "COVID-19 Troubleshooting" service instead of the "COVID-19 Second Dose" service. You can also find out more information about second doses from the McGill Vaccination page.

If you are an international student and/or your dependents who is/are arriving in Canada prior to August 1st and require health insurance coverage, you may purchase a plan for visitors. This plan can be purchased from Quebec Blue Cross. For more information and to purchase this plan, please review this page . Please be reminded that if you are a newly admitted student or a returning student who cancelled their IHI plan during 2020-2021, your McGill’s IHI plan begins August 1st . More information here.

Yes, students who can confirm that they will be outside of Canada from September 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, may request a cancellation of the International Health Insurance plan now for the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 terms. These students will be charged a one-term premium of $376 for summer 2021.

Please email international.health [at] mcgill.ca to request this type of IHI contract adjustment.

The International Health Insurance (IHI) plan covers hospitalization and treatment for COVID-19 in Canada. Please refer to the Basic Health Benefits on pages 7-9 in the Medavie Blue Cross handbook for details on this coverage.

Please note, COVID-19 testing is offered free of charge in Montreal at public testing sites. COVID-19 tests at private clinics are not covered under the IHI plan. COVID-19 tests for travel purposes are not covered under the IHI plan.

Exceptionally until July 15, 2021, all international students who are currently residing in Canada have access to full travel benefits. This date may change upon further instruction from our insurance broker and government officials. Please review your Medavie Blue Cross handbook for details on your travel insurance. Please note that to qualify for travel coverage, before departure you must:

• Not have COVID-19 symptoms
• Have not tested positive (or be awaiting a test result), and
• Have not been in contact with anyone who tested positive in the last 14 days.

Any claim for medical expenses that occur outside of Canada will not be reimbursed by Medavie Blue Cross as of the Fall 2020 semester until further notice, even if the claimant chose not to request a refund of premium for the period spent outside Canada. This new condition applies to both new and returning students.

You may add your dependents upon arrival in Canada by contacting international.health [at] mcgill.ca (ISS).

Yes, you will need to have“expected graduation” indicated on your transcripts. Once your transcript has been updated, please email international.health [at] mcgill.ca your request. Please indicate which term you will be graduating in the subject line along with your McGill ID number.

Non-resident Canadian students or new Permanent Residents who are not eligible for the Québec Health Insurance Plan and have no insurance coverage or whose private insurance is not adequate, have the option of enrolling in McGill's International Student Health Insurance (IHI) Plan. If you choose to opt-in, you will be billed the IHI premium starting the month you arrive in Canada for the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 term(s). Please note that if a Non-resident Canadian student or new Permanent Resident will arrive in the Summer 2021 term, they will be billed for the full Summer 2021 term.

Example: If you arrive in Canada on February 28, 2021, and request to opt into the IHI plan, we will charge you for the month of February until the end of the Winter 2021 term or the Summer 2021 term (depending on the amount of coverage you request).

Please contact us within 10 business days of your arrival to Canada to opt-in to the IHI plan.

If you are a citizen and a resident of Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Romania, or Greece, you may qualify for the Quebec Health Insurance Plan Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). Registration for the RAMQ plan must be done by mail once you have entered Canada, using the following registration form (en francais) and providing copies of the required supporting documents, to the following address:

Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec
C.P. 6600, succ. Terminus
Quebec (Quebec)
G1K 7T3

If you meet the criteria to obtain RAMQ, please submit an exemption request. Please follow these instructions on how to apply for an exemption from the International Health Insurance plan.

If you do not plan to enter Canada for the 2020-2021 academic year, please visit the “Students who will remain outside of Canada until September 1st, 2021” tab here.

As part of the COVID-19 adapted measures, our office will be accepting supporting documents past our regular exemption deadlines. Please submit a copy of your exemption documents to international.health [at] mcgill.ca for review. It is important to note that we may require additional documents on a case-by-case basis.