How do I bill when my patient is a refugee or a new immigrant to Canada?

- New immigrants to BC have a waiting period of three months from when they take up residence in BC until they are eligible for coverage – to read more, please click here.
- Refugees may be covered for some medical services under the Interim Federal Health Program, you can find out more about that here.
- Displaced Ukrainians arriving in B.C. with visas issued under the federal Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) will now have access to date-of-arrival Medical Services Plan (MSP) coverage. You can read more here.
- In general, a child born in Canada is entitled to Canadian citizenship under the Citizenship Act. This applies even when the parent(s) are not Canadian citizens or residents. In circumstances where parents of a newborn are non residents (as defined by the Medicare Protection Act), including visitors and refugee claimants, the newborn is normally entitled to MSP enrolment after serving the mandatory wait period consisting of the balance of the month of birth plus two months, provided that they meet residency requirements as outlined under the Medicare Protection Act. Parents who are not eligible for enrolment in MSP need to apply for MSP coverage for their eligible baby using a paper BC Application for Health and Drug Coverage Form using only the baby’s personal information as the applicant. The baby will be enrolled on their own MSP account. The application must include:
  - Signature of the parent(s);
  - A copy of the child’s birth certificate; and
  - Parent or Guardian contact information on a separate piece of paper (this authorizes Health Insurance BC (HIBC) to discuss the baby’s MSP account with the parents.
  - Should parents have questions regarding enrolling their baby in MSP, they can contact HIBC at 1 800-663-7100.