Refugees using the IFHP will have to pay 30 per cent of the costs of services such as dental, optometry and physiotherapy and a $4 flat rate on each prescription. Basic health care benefits, including doctor visits and hospital care, remain fully covered.
The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) covers the cost of most medical care until refugees are eligible for provincial or territorial insurance, usually during their first year after arrival.
The change had been announced in the Budget 2025 and confirmed this week by IRCC.
Who is affected by this change:
- Refugees sponsored to Canada by the federal government and community groups in their first year in the country
- Asylum claimants who arrive at the border for protection
What is NOT changing:
- Basic health care benefits, including doctor visits and hospital care, will remain fully covered under the IFHP, with no co-payments required.
- Pre-departure medical services and immigration medical examinations are also fully covered and free-of-charge to IFHP eligible beneficiaries.
What’s changing:
- For prescription medication, beneficiaries will pay $4 per eligible prescription filled and/or refilled.
- For all other supplemental health benefits, beneficiaries will pay 30% of the cost of eligible services and products.
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Beneficiaries covered by the IFHP will be asked to pay these amounts directly to their health care providers when they receive IFHP-eligible supplemental products or services.
What are supplemental services:
Supplemental coverage covers extended health care like psychologists and counselling therapists; occupational therapists; physiotherapists and speech language therapists; assistive devices like prosthetics, mobility aids and hearing aids; home care and long-term care; urgent dental care and limited vision care; and medical supplies and equipment.
This comes into effect on May 1, 2026. Co-payments do not apply to benefits received before that date and time.
Advocates and service providers criticize this measure and emphasize the critical role of health care for vulnerable populations.
“No one can predict the future, but the interim federal health costs are going to go down even if you do nothing,” he said. “There won’t be cost savings from denying people health care.”
