Personal question re: expat temp health insurance.

[carpetbagger]

I will be applying for permanent residency as a spouse of a returning Canadian, and will move from Texas to Alberta (Hot Alberta to Cold Texas) in May. I'm on continuation of coverage from my American job, and the coverage is pretty good in Canada. That might expire before I get permanent residency + 90 days. Since I'll be cashing in assets before moving them to Canada, my income will be far above US ACA limits.

If is possible for someone to have good-enough and legal insurance solely on a visitor's insurance program in Canada while awaiting provincial insurance, including when I'm living there on a tourist visa? I'm lucky, I can cover non-catastrophic bills and I'm healthy.

Feel free to PM me if you know something specific.

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. We bought coverage through Canadian Blue Cross

It covers more than travel insurance, and is probably more “legal” since you technically aren’t a visitor (if you have your PR visa by then. If you don’t, you won’t be eligible until you do)

Don’t know about Alberta, but in BC you are eligible for MSP at the end of the third calendar month residing in the province, not 90 days.

We moved to BC at the very end of August, and were eligible by November 1.

I wouldn’t move until your PR status is approved or you have a work visa- if you arrive on a tourist visa with the intention of remaining in Canada permanently, and are assuming you will be granted PR status, that could cause you a ton of trouble, as you will technically be entering Canada on fraudulent terms, and it could result in your PR status being denied.

IIRC, Current wait times for PR visa approval are about two years from time of application, assuming there are no errors or problems with your paperwork. Even a small error can cause significant delay in processing your application. If your scheduled May 2026 arrival is less than two years from your initial application, you might want to rethink your plans, and speak to a good immigration lawyer, if you haven’t already.

[carpetbagger]

5. My plan is to cover the gap with Alberta BCBS.

I'm trying to figure out the gap, if there is one, between expiration of my COBRA insurance and PR status. My wife is a Canadian citizen, so technically she will be moving back to Canada and buying a home, and I will be entering on a six-month tourist status. The spousal applying-from-out-of-Canada wait time is 11 months to PR, I have a missing document that will take a few months to get, so I'm planning on a longer period.

Your point of terms of entry are very well-taken, especially when I speak with Canadian officials about what I'm doing up there (I'm visiting my wife and in-laws).

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. You should talk to a lawyer

My cousin’s daughter married a Canadian, and they planned to relocate to Toronto, however when they arrived at the border she told the truth, that we’re moving to Canada permanently, she was denied entry. They had to return to the US and wait until her spousal PR visa had been approved.

If she had lied (as you seem to be planning to do) and just said she was visiting her husband’s family, she could have been declared inadmissible to Canada, and ineligible for a PR visa.

If you won’t even be applying for PR status until after you arrive in Canada, then you are showing intention to violate Canadian immigration law.

Be careful.

[pnwmom]

2. I think you might be wrong about the ACA.

There is a limit for income, IF you're trying to get a plan with a subsidy.

But, at least when my relative temporarily got a plan several years ago, anyone could get a plan, even if they had substantial assets. You just wouldn't qualify for a subsidy.

[carpetbagger]

3. You're right, but the premiums are rough.

Add to that I'll have virtually no effective coverage (my American address will be in Central Texas) and a high deductible, I'm thinking a catastrophic Canadian policy would be a better fit .

[pnwmom]

4. Good luck on the move! nt