Coverage under the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP)

Enrolment in the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) for international students is mandatory for you and any dependants who arrive with you. UHIP provides basic medical insurance coverage for hospitals, doctors and some diagnostic fees. You and your dependents must enrol within 30 days of your arrival in Canada or you will pay a penalty of $500 plus retroactive premiums.

You must visit the Queen's University International Centre (QUIC) upon your arrival to Canada to apply for UHIP. All international students attempting to pre-register or register must complete a UHIP application to enrol/waive themselves and their family members who reside in Ontario in UHIP, or to be granted a waiver of this requirement, before pre-registration can be completed. Please note that the payment deadline is mid-August, the same deadline as the student's fee payment arrangement.

Questions about the UHIP application process should be sent by emailing QUIC, calling them at extension 613-533-2604 (internal extension 32604) or visiting them in the John Deutsch University Centre.

• UHIP
• Payment for Insurance
• Insurance for your dependents
• When do you enroll?
• Other insurance

UHIP rates

The rate for a twelve-month period from September 1 to August 31 is:

• $684 for a single student
• $1,368 for a student with one dependant
• $2,052 for a student with two or more dependants in the same family

There are a few graduate students whose personal medical heath coverage may be covered by scholarships, but those scholarships may not provide health coverage for their dependants.

Students will be required to participate in this plan in order to register. Students beginning a program in September  must enroll for the entire 12-month period.

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Payment for insurance

Once you enroll in the UHIP plan at the appropriate rate, depending on whether you come by yourself or with your partner or with your partner and children, this amount will be added to your fees account. You will pay your health insurance in the same way that you pay your tuition fees.

Insurance for your dependants

Your dependants also need to be covered by health insurance and must obtain UHIP coverage within 30 days of their arrival in Canada. Health care is very expensive in Ontario for non-Ontario residents without insurance. The Queen's plan offers competitive rates; there is no disqualification due to any pre-existing condition.

If your dependants arrive after you, you can change your status from "single coverage" to the two or three person plus rate provided that you do so within 30 days of their arrival in Canada. The new charges would be added to your fees account and paid in the same way that you pay your fees. All dependants who are enrolled after the initial 30-day enrolment period will be assessed a $500 late application fee, plus all retroactive premiums calculated from the student's effective date of coverage or the applicant's arrival date in Canada, whichever can be proved. You must also extend your dependants' UHIP coverage within 30 days of its expiry date.

When do you enroll?

You should go contact Queen's University International Centre (QUIC). You will be able to enroll yourself and your dependants immediately and the premium charges will be added to your fees account. Your UHIP will begin upon your arrival in Canada, and if you are arriving in a province other than Ontario, you must enroll before you arrive. Coverage can begin up to 20 days before your term of study starts. Please note the coverage benefit outside Canada is minimal.

Other insurance

Your UHIP coverage will begin from your arrival date in Canada. If you are to be in Canada for some time prior to arriving at Queen's (i.e. more than two or three days), you must contact the QUIC to begin your UHIP coverage from that date, and to allow the insurance company to be informed about your arrival. Please ensure that you have some form of medical insurance to cover you while in transit to Canada.

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