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Life Insurance for Newcomers to Canada
By Parvesh Benning, Licensed Life Insurance Broker
Permanent residents face no status-based restrictions at any Canadian insurer, and most work and study permit holders can apply the day they land.
This guide covers every status: permanent residents, open and employer-specific work permits, post-graduation work permits, study permits, protected persons and refugees, caregivers, and spouses, plus the five carriers we most often place newcomer cases with and sample monthly rates for each.
Updated: July 15, 2026
Life Insurance for Newcomers to Canada
By Parvesh Benning, Licensed Life Insurance Broker, Updated: July 15, 2026
Permanent residents face no status-based restrictions at any Canadian insurer, and most work and study permit holders can apply the day they land.
This guide covers every status: permanent residents, open and employer-specific work permits, post-graduation work permits, study permits, protected persons and refugees, caregivers, and spouses, plus the five carriers we most often place newcomer cases with and sample monthly rates for each.
There is no status-based limitation at any Canadian insurance company for someone with a PR card in hand. Same products, same maximums, same rates as someone born here, subject to the same underwriting anyone else goes through.
Permits are where it gets more selective. Some carriers will not take a work or study permit at all, others cap the amount, and a handful treat you exactly like a citizen. Which group your carrier falls into is the difference between full coverage at standard rates and a decline letter. That routing is the entire job on a newcomer file, and it is what this guide lays out status by status.
Can Newcomers Get Life Insurance in Canada?
Yes. Permanent residents qualify with no restrictions from their first day in Canada, and every major permit type has at least one carrier that accepts applications on arrival. You must be physically in Canada to apply, but there is no minimum time in the country before you can start.
Day 1
Most statuses can apply as soon as they arrive in Canada
Up to $10M
Available to professionals on a work permit at select carriers
From $17/month
$250,000 of 20-year term for a 35-and-under non-smoker
Rate shown: male, age 30, non-smoker, $250,000, 20-year level term, based on current carrier rates. Illustrative only, subject to underwriting and change.
In this guide:
- Can Newcomers Get Life Insurance in Canada?
- Eligibility by Immigration Status
- Statuses Most Insurers Will Not Cover, and the Exceptions That Will
- The 5 Companies We Most Often Place Newcomer Cases With
- How Much Life Insurance Costs for Newcomers
- How Insurers Assess Your First Year in Canada
- Documents You Need, by Permit Type
- Frequently Asked Questions
Life Insurance Eligibility by Immigration Status
Your immigration status decides which carriers will accept your application and how much coverage they will offer. It does not change the price at the carriers that accept you. Here is every status we place, what it unlocks, and what to watch for.
Permanent Residents
DAY ONE · NO STATUS RESTRICTIONS
MAX COVERAGE
No status-based maximum
WHEN TO APPLY
The day you land
WATCH FOR
Blood work incl. hepatitis B/C if under 12 months here
Permanent residency has zero impact on cost. It is the exact same price as someone with Canadian citizenship, there is no discrimination there. Every product and every carrier is open; the amount comes down to the same medical and financial underwriting anyone else goes through.
Open Work Permits
DAY ONE · LIMITS VARY
MAX COVERAGE
$250K to $5M+ by occupation
WHEN TO APPLY
On arrival, several carriers
WATCH FOR
One carrier needs the permit to read “any, open or unknown”
Several carriers give open permit holders the same rates and products a citizen gets. The spread between companies is enormous though, and it turns on your occupation, not your permit. Full carrier-by-carrier detail lives in our work permit holders guide.
Employer-Specific (Closed) Work Permits
DAY ONE · LIMITS VARY
MAX COVERAGE
$500K to $5M by occupation tier
WHEN TO APPLY
On arrival, several carriers
WATCH FOR
Permit validity: 3+ months left, or proof of extension filed
Skilled occupations are treated the same as on an open permit. Two things matter more here: how much time your permit has left, and whether you have filed for permanent residence, which unlocks higher amounts at several carriers.
Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP)
DAY ONE · LIMITS VARY
MAX COVERAGE
$1,000,000 common ceiling
WHEN TO APPLY
As soon as the permit is approved
WATCH FOR
One large carrier can rate PGWP approvals up to 250%
PGWP holders are accepted broadly, usually with at least a year of permit validity required. The 250 percent rating trap at one major carrier is exactly the kind of thing that never shows up in an online quote until the offer arrives.
Study Permits
SELECT CARRIERS ONLY
MAX COVERAGE
$250K standard, $500K university/post-grad
WHEN TO APPLY
On arrival at accepting carriers
WATCH FOR
Full-time enrollment proof; some carriers refuse students outright
I had a client apply on a student permit at RBC. Not eligible, full stop, that carrier does not take study permits. We moved them to another company for a $250,000 policy and had multiple carriers to choose from, so process and cost made the decision. More in our post-secondary students guide.
Convention Refugees and Protected Persons
SELECT CARRIERS ONLY
MAX COVERAGE
~$250K at most carriers, more on income at a few
WHEN TO APPLY
Day one at a couple, 3-12 month waits elsewhere
WATCH FOR
Picking a carrier by brand name can cost 4x the coverage
When we recently shopped a protected person file across more than a dozen carriers, the majority capped at $250,000 while a small group could consider substantially more based on income. The carrier a client asks for by name is rarely the one that fits this status.
Caregivers and Nannies
DAY ONE · LIMITS VARY
MAX COVERAGE
$250K to $500K
WHEN TO APPLY
On arrival, several carriers
WATCH FOR
Some carriers require the caregiver to personally own the policy
Caregivers under the live-in caregiver stream qualify at several companies with a copy of the work permit. The ownership quirk matters: the policy cannot sit with an employer or a family member abroad at those carriers.
Provincial Nominees (PNP) and Quebec Selection (CSQ)
DAY ONE · STRONG DOCUMENT
MAX COVERAGE
$1M to $10M by occupation; no restriction at some
WHEN TO APPLY
On arrival
WATCH FOR
Pair the nominee letter or CSQ with your permit copy
A nominee letter or Certificat de selection du Quebec is one of the strongest documents a newcomer can hold. It moves a file from capped to nearly unrestricted at several carriers.
Foreign-Trained Physicians
DAY ONE · GENEROUS LIMITS
MAX COVERAGE
$1M to $2M+; no maximum at one carrier
WHEN TO APPLY
The day you land
WATCH FOR
Employment contract or proof of right to practise required
Doctors recruited under provincial programs get some of the most generous treatment in the market, including no minimum residency period at one carrier. These files move fast when the contract is in hand.
Spouses and Dependent Children
TIED TO PRIMARY APPLICANT
MAX COVERAGE
50% of spouse standard; 100% to $1M at one carrier
WHEN TO APPLY
With or after the primary applicant
WATCH FOR
Children living in Canada typically insurable to $250K
A spouse with no Canadian income can still be covered, the amount just keys off the working spouse’s policy. It is one more reason the primary placement has to be right, because it sets the ceiling for the whole family. If the primary only qualifies for a smaller policy, simplified and guaranteed issue coverage can fill the gap.
Published maximums and status rules vary by carrier and change without notice. Confirm current guidelines with the insurer or a licensed broker before applying; matching your status to the right carrier the first time is most of the value a broker adds on these files.
Statuses Most Insurers Will Not Cover, and the Exceptions That Will
Visitors including super visa holders, asylum claimants waiting on an IRB decision, seasonal workers, and diplomats are excluded by name at almost every Canadian carrier. Almost is the key word. Certain simplified products do not ask for the same immigration documentation as fully underwritten coverage, so if you live in Canada with a permanent address and Canadian banking, there may still be a route to real coverage while your status catches up. Eligibility always comes down to the product’s current residence, age and application requirements, which we confirm before recommending anything.
That last point matters for everyone on this list. A formal decline or postponement must generally be disclosed on future applications, and it shapes how the next insurer reads your file. The worst move is firing off online applications to see what sticks. Find out where you stand first, then apply once, at the right company.
The 5 Companies We Most Often Place Newcomer Cases With
These are the five carriers where our newcomer files most often end up, ranked on breadth of statuses accepted, published maximums, how soon you can apply after landing, and price in our latest rate survey. This is not a claim that any company is best for everyone. Depending on your status, the right order for you can flip completely, which is the point of the whole exercise.
1
iA (Industrial Alliance)
When the status is unusual, this is where we check first. Work permits and accepted Convention refugees are assessed under iA’s normal financial rules with no rigid published cap, international students can qualify for up to $500,000, and PGWP holders with a job offer can be considered for up to $1 million. iA also states that immigration documents are generally not required, and its guideline for the Access Life simplified product says legal status is not taken into account, which makes it the bridge policy for nearly everyone else on this page (confirm the current application’s residence requirements before relying on it). Full breakdown in our iA life insurance review.
MIND THE: under 1 year in Canada, fully underwritten amounts above $100,000 add a phone interview, blood work and vitals.
2
Beneva
The only guideline we hold with day-one eligibility for every single status, including refugees, where most competitors impose waiting periods. Work permits are tiered by occupation code: up to $5 million for managerial and professional roles, $2 million for trades-level occupations, $1 million for everyone else. Caregivers get the highest published cap in the market at $500,000, and a non-working spouse can match up to 100 percent of the working spouse’s coverage to $1 million. More in our Beneva life insurance review.
MIND THE: Beneva wants the physical permit in your hand. On one of our files, an IRCC Letter of Introduction was not enough; the permit issued at the port of entry was.
3
Sun Life
The highest ceiling anywhere for working newcomers: up to $10 million of life coverage and $2 million of critical illness for skilled workers in TEER categories 0 through 3 on a work permit, including provincial nominees and Quebec selection certificate holders, with preferred rates available to temporary residents, which almost no one else offers. TEER 4 and 5 workers who have filed for PR qualify for $1 million in their first two years and $2 million after. Students with study permits can be considered for up to $250,000 of life coverage, and refugees for $250,000 plus $100,000 of critical illness after three months in Canada. We placed a seven-figure professional file here on work permits alone. Details in our Sun Life insurance review.
MIND THE: students, PGWP holders and refugees get no preferred rates or extra benefits, and refugee approvals carry a maximum 200 percent rating plus an exclusion that applies while residence stays temporary. Strongest for workers, more conditional for everyone else.
4
Desjardins
No published maximum at all for skilled workers in TEER categories 1 through 3, which is unmatched breadth at the top end, plus $1 million for PGWP holders and a no-maximum route for spouses of citizens and permanent residents. They are also the only carrier with a dedicated category for arrivals from Ukraine on any status. Consistently near the lowest price in our rate survey. See our Desjardins life insurance review.
MIND THE: refugees face a 1-year residency wait, and work permits outside the skilled categories are capped at $250,000, or $500,000 once a PR application is filed.
5
Assumption Life
The accessibility pick. Their simplified issue products are available at full product maximums with no medical underwriting and no residency evidence for work permits, study permits, PGWP holders, CSQ holders and Convention refugees alike. Fully underwritten, they publish $1 million for CSQ holders, foreign-trained physicians and start-up visa entrepreneurs. When the other four say no or attach a rating, this is often where the file lands anyway. Our Assumption Life review covers the product tiers.
MIND THE: the fully underwritten cap is $500,000 for most permits, and simplified premiums run meaningfully above fully underwritten pricing for the same coverage.
Just as telling is who is not on this list. RBC does not accept work permits or study permits at all and caps the temporary statuses it does take near $200,000; permanent residents are unaffected (RBC insurance review). And one of Canada’s biggest brands approves several newcomer statuses only with ratings of up to 250 percent of standard pricing (Manulife review). Neither fact appears in an online quote until the offer shows up. Carrier guidelines change without notice; we verify against current documents before every placement.
How Much Life Insurance Costs for Newcomers
For a healthy newcomer in his early thirties, $250,000 of 20-year term life insurance starts around $17 per month, and $500,000 starts around $29. Women typically pay less at the same age. Immigration status does not change these numbers at the carriers that accept your status, which is the part most newcomers do not expect.
What newcomers pay per month: fully underwritten vs simplified
$500,000 coverage, 20-year level term, male, age 30, non-smoker
Fully underwritten (medical questions, possible tests) Simplified issue (no medical exam)
Sample premiums are for illustration only and assume a 30-year-old male non-smoker, standard underwriting with no additional health concerns, $500,000 of 20-year term coverage, monthly payment, and current carrier rates at the time of the survey. Final premiums depend on age, sex, province, coverage amount, term length, health history and insurer approval.
Read the chart from the top down. The five blue bars sit within about five dollars of each other, so on a clean fully underwritten file, price barely separates these carriers. The two amber bars are what no-medical convenience costs: roughly $8 to $24 more per month at this profile for the same coverage, in exchange for skipping the exam and, on some products, a lighter documentation requirement.
What actually sets your price: your age when you apply, your health on the day you apply, smoking status, the amount, and the term length. Notice what is not on that list. Waiting for your PR card buys you nothing here. If it takes two more years, you apply two years older, and if your health changes in the meantime, that follows you into every future application. Try to find the best coverage today if there is a real risk to cover, and reevaluate later when the situation changes.
One more thing the comparison sites will not tell you: some of the lowest advertised term rates in Canada come from products that are not available to newcomers in their first years on a permit. A newcomer chasing those quotes spends a week on an application that was dead on arrival.
Want your real number, for your status?
Tell us your permit type, age, and coverage target. We check it against current carrier guidelines and come back with the companies that will actually take your file, at what price, before anything gets submitted.
How Insurers Assess Your First Year in Canada
Your first 12 months in Canada change what evidence insurers ask for, not whether you qualify. For most newcomers the only real difference is that fully underwritten carriers add medical evidence when you have been in the country less than a year. Rates and limits are otherwise untouched. Here is how the first year actually runs on a real file.
1
BEFORE YOU LAND
You cannot apply yet, but you can do everything except apply
Every carrier requires you to be physically in Canada. What we do with pre-arrival clients instead: needs analysis, a carrier shortlist matched to the exact permit you will hold, the document checklist, and quotes. Done right, the application goes in days after you arrive, not months.
2
THE DAY YOU ARRIVE
Eligible immediately; how much paperwork depends on the carrier
The documentation bar is not the same everywhere. Some carriers will work from a letter of acceptance for permanent residence, a provincial nominee letter, or an acknowledgement that your PR application is filed, before any card or permit is in your hands. Others read documents literally: on one of our files, IRCC approval plus a Letter of Introduction was not enough, and the carrier held the offer until the client had the actual permit issued at the border. Neither approach is wrong, but sending your paperwork to the carrier whose bar it already clears is the difference between an approval this week and a stalled file. Keep every original from the port of entry either way.
3
MONTHS 0 TO 12
The medical evidence window
Several fully underwritten insurers add medical evidence for applicants who have been in Canada less than a year, and the exact requirement depends on the insurer, your age, the amount, and your disclosed history. At one major carrier the minimum under 12 months is a tele-interview, blood profile with hepatitis B and C markers, and vitals for everyone 16 and older. At another, amounts up to $100,000 need only a signed health declaration, and the nurse visit starts above that. None of it raises your price. You arrived without a Canadian medical file, and the evidence stands in for the records you do not have yet.
Two things help here. If you have any condition that needs follow-up, register with a doctor in Canada early, because carriers can postpone a file until a pattern of care exists. And if the tests are a dealbreaker, no-medical coverage skips them entirely in exchange for a higher premium.
4
MONTH 12 AND BEYOND
You are underwritten like anyone else
The extra requirements fall away and normal age-and-amount rules take over. If you took a rated or simplified policy earlier because of your status, this is also when we start checking whether a fully underwritten replacement beats it: same or more coverage, longer term, lower cost. That swap is the whole point of a bridge policy.
One process note worth more than everything above: before any application is submitted, we can describe your file to underwriters anonymously, no name, just status, age, health, amount, and get their read first. A formal decline or postponement must generally be disclosed on future applications and can affect how the next insurer reads the file. An anonymous inquiry creates no formal application or decline record. On newcomer files with any wrinkle, that is always the first move.
Documents You Need, by Permit Type
Every newcomer application needs the same four things, plus one or two documents specific to your status. Have them ready before you apply and the file moves in days instead of weeks.
✓
Passport or government photo ID
✓
Proof of Canadian address
Lease, utility bill, or bank statement
✓
Canadian bank account
For premium payments; no credit history needed
✓
Your immigration document
Some carriers accept PR or nominee letters; others want the permit itself
Then add the documents for your status:
Work permit (open or closed)
Permit copy with 3+ months validity, or proof an extension is filed. A PR application acknowledgement unlocks higher amounts at several carriers.
PGWP
Permit copy with a year or more of validity, plus your program details: school, year, diploma or degree.
Study permit
Permit copy plus a letter from the school confirming full-time enrollment. Some carriers also want a written statement of intent to stay in Canada.
Protected person / refugee
The IRB Notice of Decision confirming Convention refugee or protected person status, plus a copy of your PR application.
PNP / CSQ
The nominee acceptance letter or Certificat de selection du Quebec, paired with your work permit copy.
Foreign-trained physician
Employment contract or certificate confirming the right to practise medicine in Canada under a provincial program.
Caregiver / nanny
Work permit confirming the caregiver program, plus employer details. Expect to personally own the policy.
Spouse / dependent
The primary applicant’s status documents, plus the PR application acknowledgement where one exists.
A note on language: several carriers accept applications translated by the broker or an independent third party, and the nurse visit can often be completed in your own language. Do not put off applying because your English or French feels like a barrier; the industry handles this every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1Can I get life insurance in Canada without permanent residency?
Yes. Work permit holders, study permit holders, PGWP holders and protected persons can all qualify at multiple Canadian carriers, several from the day they arrive. Coverage maximums vary by status, from around $250,000 for students and protected persons to $5 million or more for working professionals, and the carriers that accept your status charge the same rates they charge citizens.
Q2Do I need to wait 6 or 12 months in Canada before applying?
No. Most statuses can apply immediately at insurers that accept them. Applicants who have been in Canada less than a year may face additional medical or documentary requirements, such as a nurse visit with blood work including hepatitis B and C screening, depending on the insurer, your age, the amount and your health history. Waiting does not improve your price. It just means applying older, and uninsured in the meantime.
Q3Is this the same as health insurance for new immigrants?
No. Life insurance pays your family a tax-free lump sum if you die; it does not cover medical bills. Health coverage for newcomers is a separate topic: provincial health cards can carry a waiting period after arrival, and private visitor or student medical plans exist to fill that gap. We are licensed for life insurance, so for the health portion we point clients to specialists in that market.
Q4Will my medical history from my home country affect my application?
It can, but usually less than people fear. Having no Canadian medical file is normal and the first-year blood work exists to cover exactly that. What matters is ongoing conditions: if something needs treatment or follow-up, carriers want to see a doctor in Canada managing it, and can postpone a decision until that pattern of care exists. Records in other languages can be translated, so do not withhold anything; an undisclosed condition risks the whole policy later.
Q5What happens to my policy if my permit expires or I leave Canada?
An individually owned life insurance policy does not cancel because your immigration status changes. Once issued, it generally stays in force as long as premiums are paid, wherever you live. A permanent move abroad can have practical implications worth reviewing with your broker, but the policy itself was priced on your age and health when you applied, and that deal is locked in. This is a major advantage of individual coverage over anything tied to an employer.
Q6Can my spouse and children get coverage if they do not work?
Yes. A non-working spouse is typically insurable for up to 50 percent of the working spouse’s coverage, and one carrier matches up to 100 percent to a $1 million maximum. Dependent children living in Canada can usually be insured to $250,000. The family’s coverage keys off the primary applicant’s policy, which is one more reason to place that first policy at the right carrier.
Q7Do newcomers pay higher premiums for life insurance?
Not at the right carrier. Permanent residents pay exactly what citizens pay, everywhere. Permit holders pay standard rates at the carriers that accept their status, though a small number of companies approve certain statuses only with ratings of up to 250 percent of standard pricing. The premium difference between two approvals for the same person can be enormous, which is why the carrier choice, not the coverage itself, is where newcomers win or lose.
INDEPENDENT BROKERAGE · SINCE 2007
New to Canada. Not new to us.
Your status decides which carriers will say yes, and we hold the current underwriting guidelines for all of them. One conversation about your permit, your health, and your family, and you get the short list of companies that will actually take your file, with real numbers, before anything is submitted. No cost for the advice, and an anonymous inquiry creates no formal application or decline record
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