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Private Medical Insurance

Full-time Programs

Please note that the information on this page does not apply to students starting the ISEP program, part-time programs and exchange and study abroad students staying at BCIT for a single term.

On this page:

  1. Medical insurance self-assessment
  2. Opting out
  3. Guard.me coverage period
  4. Request to change coverage months
  5. Adding dependents

Medical insurance self-assessment

Visit Medical Insurance Self-Assessment and to select your unique scenario for detailed information to help you understand your medical insurance situation.

If you do not already have adequate medical insurance, you will be charged by BCIT a non-refundable $180 International Health Insurance fee and enrolled in three months of private basic medical insurance with Guard.me International Insurance. You should pay for this along with your tuition fees. Please see Payment Options at BCIT and scroll down to “International Students” for additional information.

Opting out

If you are admitted into a full-time program and already have BC Medical Services Plan (MSP), you should submit your proof of MSP enrolment as soon as you receive your acceptance letter. You may opt out and therefore avoid being charged by BCIT for private medical insurance.

If you have another kind of long-term basic medical insurance to cover you in Canada, you may submit a copy by email to international.medical@bcit.ca for approval.

Be aware that some private medical insurance policies limit benefit payouts or exclude certain medical services altogether. Students who purchase their own private medical insurance should check that their policy coverage is sufficient.

Guard.me coverage period

For new students who are charged by BCIT for Guard.me temporary private medical insurance, the coverage period for new students is 3 entire calendar months according to your program start date and the formula below. This is meant to align with your MSP coverage wait period so that you will become eligible for MSP health care benefits by the time your Guard.me coverage expires.

Your Guard.me coverage will start the first day of the month that your program at BCIT starts, except if your program starts during the first 10 days of the month, in which case your Guard.me coverage will start the first day of the previous month.

Guard.me coverage period for common program start dates

Program start date Guard.me coverage period
January 4 December 1 – February 28
April 3 March 1 – May 31
September 5 August 1 – October 31
September 9 August 1 – October 31

If your arrival in BC does not align with the coverage period described here, you may request to change your months of Guard.me coverage.

Click below to expand the table with the formula that we use to determine Guard.me coverage period based on program start dates throughout the year.

Request to change coverage months

If you plan to arrive in BC in a different month than when your Guard.me coverage would normally begin based on your program start date, you should request to change your months of Guard.me coverage by sending an email to international.medical@bcit.ca with your:

  1. name,
  2. BCIT student number, and
  3. your planned date of arrival in BC.

Please send your request as early as possible. We try to accommodate all requests but it may not be possible for requests received less than 45 days before the program start date.

Click to view the examples below for reference.

Adding dependents

If you will be traveling with dependents such as your spouse or children it is possible to add them to your Guard.me private medical insurance policy. Dependents of current BCIT students are eligible for the discounted rate of $2 per day.

Option A: Do-it-yourself on Guard.me’s website

This option allows you to quickly add your dependents online 24/7 for your convenience, and to choose exact dates of coverage within your own coverage period. Note that you can only add dependents via this option AFTER your Guard.me medical insurance has been activated and and you have received your Policy #, which would typically happen at least one week before your planned arrival in Canada.

Follow the steps below:

  1. Check your myBCIT email inbox for your confirmation email from Guard.me, and make note of your Policy #.
  2. Visit the Guard.me portal for BCIT students and click the Dependents button, then enter your Policy # and date of birth.
  3. Enter the information required for each of your dependents and pay the fee online (by credit card) directly to Guard.me.

Option B: Request and pay to BCIT

If you have not yet traveled to Canada and your Guard.me policy has not been issued yet, then you may request for BCIT to charge you an additional fee for your dependents and to enrol your entire family in Guard.me at the same time. The fee and coverage dates are the same for each of your dependents as for yourself (normally $180 per person for 3 calendar months of coverage).

To request this option, email us at international.medical@bcit.ca with:

  • your name & student number
  • the full name, gender, date of birth, and relationship to you (spouse, child, or parent) for each family member that you wish to cover
  • your planned date to arrive in BC

We will reply with further details and instruction about how to pay.