Do International Students in Canada Get Free Healthcare?

Not everywhere, and rarely for free. Health care in Canada is run by each province, so whether an international student is covered depends on where they study: Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta let students with a 12-month study permit join the provincial plan, British Columbia makes them join and charges C$75 a month, while Ontario and Quebec leave Pakistani students out of the public plan, so they pay for private or university insurance instead.

We read each province's own page on 28 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so the provincial health ministry's page and your university's international office are the final word.

Province by province

Rupee figures use C$1 = Rs 198 (the Wise mid-market rate on 28 October 2026).

Ontario: OHIP doesn't cover students

Ontario's OHIP page lists the temporary residents who can get a health card, such as some full-time workers on work permits, refugees and certain permit holders. Students on study permits are not on that list. Instead, Ontario universities enrol international students in UHIP, whose rates for 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027 are C$948 for a single student starting in September, C$632 starting in January and C$316 starting in May, tax included. Ask your university how it charges the premium.

British Columbia: compulsory, with a monthly fee

The BC government's health fee page says international students pay a mandatory fee of C$75 a month for the Medical Services Plan (MSP). Its questions and answers say students with a study permit of six months or longer must apply as soon as they arrive. Coverage starts after a waiting period of the rest of the arrival month plus two months, so you need private insurance for those first weeks.

Alberta: covered with a 12-month permit

Alberta's page for students says international students can get Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan coverage if they have a 12-month study permit for an Alberta institution and will live in Alberta for 12 months or more. With a permit of more than six but less than 12 months, you also need a letter from your school confirming enrolment and your plan to stay at least 12 months. Coverage ends if you move to a school in another province.

Quebec: not for Pakistani students

Quebec's health insurance board, the RAMQ, registers foreign students only from countries that have a social security agreement with Quebec. Its list of agreements names Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Sweden. Pakistan is not on it, so a Pakistani student in Montreal needs private or university insurance.

Newfoundland and Labrador: free to register

The provincial Medical Care Plan (MCP) page says international students can register if their study permit is valid for at least 12 months for full-time study in a degree programme at Memorial University, a one-year diploma at College of the North Atlantic, or a one-year programme at a registered private training institution. It says "there are no fees or charges for registering with MCP". Coverage lasts up to a year at a time, so you renew it each year, and you must stay in the province during teaching terms.

What the public plans don't cover

Even where a student is covered, provincial plans pay for doctors and hospitals, not for everything. Memorial University's graduate cost of living page still budgets C$565 a year for health insurance and C$369 for dental insurance for a master's student (2025-26), on top of the free MCP, because those extras are separate. Ask your university's international office whether it or its students' union runs a plan for prescriptions, dental and eye care, what it costs and whether it is compulsory.

Does the study permit need health insurance?

The Government of Canada's proof of financial support page asks a single student outside Quebec to show C$23,448 a year for living costs, plus tuition and travel. Health insurance is one of the living costs that money has to cover. Our Canada cost of living guide puts it next to rent, food and transport, in rupees.

Your next step

Before you accept an offer, look up your university's "health insurance for international students" page, note whether you are in a provincial plan or a university plan, and add the cost to your budget in our cost calculator. Our Study in Canada guide and visa and pre-departure checklist cover the rest of the move. This page summarises official pages and is not medical, financial or immigration advice; confirm the rules for your own case with the province and your university.