Okanagan College requires that all international and exchange students have valid medical coverage for the duration of their studies.
All OC international students must have valid medical insurance before traveling to Canada. Students are automatically enrolled with Guard.me insurance each semester until or unless confirmed they have BC Medical (MSP).
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Dependents: If you have dependents, add them to your policy after purchase, by visiting the Guard.me dependents page.
BC MSP (Medical Services Plan) is mandatory for all eligible residents and their dependents, it is a administrated by the Government of BC under the government's Medicare Protection Act.
If you don't have MSP coverage, OCIE will enroll you in Guard.me for the semester until MSP coverage is confirmed.
Submit your claims online at Guard.me:
Need help? Contact Guard.me Customer Care at 1-877-873-8447 (24/7, toll-free). They offer real-time support and screen sharing assistance.
All international students are automatically enrolled to Guard.me each semester unless they provide proof of MSP coverage.
To opt out, you must submit:
For questions, contact intedmed@okanagan.bc.ca.
Okanagan College Student Unions (OCSU or VSAOC) provide extended health and dental coverage for full-time academic students.
Visit a doctor at a walk-in clinic for minor illnesses or injuries. No appointment needed. Check Medimap.ca for wait times, operation hours, and nearby clinic locations.
For students with guard.me insurance, walk-in clinics or doctor’s offices may ask you to pay for the office visit. Make sure to ask for a detailed receipt and make a claim online.
Guard.me insurance also allows you to connect with a Canadian doctor on your mobile device. The service is available 24/7. For more information, visit guard.me's website.
For non-life-threatening conditions needing care within 12-24 hours. Find urgent and primary care locations on the Interior Health website.
Go to the hospital if it is an emergency or when other medical care options are not available.
Hospitals have an emergency section and you could also be sent there by your doctor for some tests or follow up procedures, such as x-rays.
Coverage:
Hospitals in our region:
No, all individuals must complete an application. The easiest way is to apply for MSP coverage online immediately after arriving in B.C., rather than at the end of the wait period because processing takes about 21 business days. See our guide: How to Apply for MSP.
New residents (international students) are required to complete a wait period consisting of the balance of the month in which residence in British Columbia is established, plus two months before benefits can begin.
An example of the wait period is, if you arrived in BC on Aug 28, your wait period would be August, September, October. Your MSP coverage will start as of November 1st.
Okanagan College will auto-enroll you with Guard.me medical insurance each semester. MSP is mandatory for all B.C. residents who are eligible. You must apply to MSP soon after you arrive in the province
Contact Health Insurance BC (MSP) at 1-800-663-7100 and check if they have your correct mailing address.
As of January 2020, MSP premiums have been eliminated. But international students on a study permit will now pay $75 per month for the International Student Health Fee. Service BC will send the bill to your residential address. If you change your address, please update your new address with MSP at https://my.gov.bc.ca/msp.
The Guard.me medical insurance is designed to cover you while you are on the MSP 3 month wait period and not yet covered by MSP.
Yes, you will need to send us proof of MSP coverage to IntedMed@okanagan.bc.ca. Your MSP coverage must be effective before the start of the semester. The deadline to submit is the last day of the 1st month in the semester. Once your submission is approved, the Guard.me insurance fee will be reversed on your student account 6 weeks after start of semester.
No. The policy is considered used because you had the benefit of the coverage even though no claims were made.
If you are planning to leave B.C. for more than 6 months, you should contact MSP to confirm continued eligibility. Please note that you must reactivate your MSP account after returning to B.C. from the extended leave. For more details, visit MSP website.
You will need to upload your new study permit to https://my.gov.bc.ca/msp/. It will take about 21 business days for MSP to process this information. Please renew your MSP card before the expiry date to avoid a gap between coverages.
Eligible individuals residing in BC with maintained status while waiting for a subsequent study permit may be eligible for an initial six months of temporary MSP coverage. You can apply for temporary MSP coverage while waiting for your extended study permit. To request temporary coverage, please visit the Updating or Confirming Status in Canada section.
The Extended Health and Dental Plan (Green Shield/ Great-West Life) is additional coverage administered by your Student Union office (OCSU or VSAOC in Vernon). Enrollment and fees are mandatory for all full time academic students. However, if you are covered by an equivalent plan (such as by your employer), you can opt-out by going online. Note that Guard.me or MSP do not replace the Extended Health & Dental Plan.