Health Insurance FAQ

You will receive an international medical plan for "primary care" (doctor/clinic visits, hospital care, emergency treatment) and an “extended” health and dental plan (dental, vision, prescription drugs and other services). For coverage and claims information, go to Student VIP website.

The college will add the fees to your account: $690 for the international medical plan and $248 for the extended health and dental plan. The college collects these fees and sends the money to the insurance company on students' behalf. These fees are for 12 months, and will be valid even if you stop being a student during this time. View payment methods.

EXCEPTION: English for Academic Purposes students pay $230, for “primary care” only, for 4 months only. Some cohort programs will require 13 or 14 months of insurance, at an additional cost of $57.50 for each month.

Yes. ALL international students must purchase health insurance. If you are hurt or become ill, healthcare in Canada is very, very expensive, so you must have insurance.

Generally, no.

The ONLY exception is if you can prove you have equivalent coverage within the "opt-out" period. Contact the Assiniboine Community College Students' Association for more information.

Note: If your spouse is in Manitoba with a work permit valid for at least 12 months after arrival in Manitoba, your spouse should apply for Manitoba Health (MHSC) coverage and add your name to that application.

Please contact the Assiniboine Community College Students' Association for more information.

This will vary by program start date, but generally will start on the first of the month of your program start date.

The International Medical Plan policy number is 09401A and the Extended Health and Dental Plan policy number is 0091932000.

Yes! You will receive a digital health card in your Welcome E-mail after you begin your studies. You can also download your health card.

If you need to seek medical care, please go to the doctor. It is possible some doctors/clinics will not send the bill directly to Student VIP, and therefore will require you to pay them directly. You would then submit a claim with your receipt to be reviewed for reimbursement. Most hospitals will provide medical care for an emergency situation; if you are having a medical emergency, don’t wait!

You have free virtual health care appointments with a medical doctor through the Virtual Reality Health Clinic. You can use the video platform on your phone, laptop or tablet on every campus / anywhere in Canada or the handheld machine located in the Virtual Reality Health Clinic on the Brandon Campus. For more information or to find a medical clinic that will send the bill directly to Student VIP, go to Student VIP website.

You will still have the health coverage. However, the college will need to use your tuition payments to pay the insurance companies, so you will then owe the unpaid amount to the college as tuition.

If you have any unpaid tuition as a result, you cannot register for new courses, apply to a new program, receive a letter of enrollment or completion, receive a transcript, or graduate from your program.

Yes, you can add your partner or spouse or dependent children to the plan during the term that you begin your studies. All family applications must be completed online during the opt-in period and an additional fee must be paid. Family applications must be completed each year you wish to have coverage.

Yes! You can purchase early arrival coverage online on the Student VIP website. Coverage can begin as early as the 1st date of the month prior to your studies starting. For example, if your studies start in September, you can purchase early arrival coverage beginning August 1.

Yes. There is no cost to be vaccinated. Appointment booking staff may ask for “your Manitoba health card”, but don’t worry about this. Explain that you are an international student, and take some form of government-issued photo ID, such as your passport, to your vaccine appointment. To book, use Manitoba’s interactive vaccine finder here: https://manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/finder.html

Be prepared to give information about the date(s) and vaccine name for any doses you have already received. Do not attend a vaccine appointment if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or are testing positive.