Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) Information Page

IFHP is a very difficult and confusing insurance to use. It involves a lot of steps, and most often the information you need is not readily and easily available.

On this page, we have tried to make relevant information as accessible as possible. Although this guide can be used by any refugee anywhere in Canada, we gathered most of the information by speaking with and supporting queer and trans refugees in BC. So, if you are outside of BC, the information might be slightly different.

IFHP is designed so that it lets refugees get medical care while:

1. waiting for their refugee claim to be processed,

2. waiting to apply for and get provincial insurance like MSP or OHIP. It is supposed to both match and exceed the coverage of provincial insurance.

What this means: you should be able to do anything with IFHP that you can with provincial insurance AND you can get coverage for dental care, counselling, physiotherapy, etc. However, there are a few issues with this, specially when it comes to gender affirming care for trans and nonbinary people, as well as adults and children with complex medical needs.

There are sections of this guide for refugees, sections for providers, and sections for general knowledge including barriers, challenges, and shortcomings.

Interim Federal Health Program, or most commonly known as IFHP is a temporary coverage for resettled refugees and refugee claimants in Canada. Resettled refugees are refugees who come to Canada from a country that is not their birth place/where they hold citizenship and have applied for protection before coming to Canada. Some resettled refugees are sponsored by the government of Canada (these refugees are referred to as GAR- Government Assisted Refugees), or privately sponsored refugees. This category of refugees becomes a permanent resident upon arrival in Canada.

Refugee claimants are those who apply for protection either at the border when they enter Canada, or after they arrive here. When a claimant’s case is successful, they become a protected person. They can choose to apply for permanent residency, but becoming a permanent resident is NOT automatic for a protected person.

On this page, we refer to anyone who has coverage by IFHP as refugees, regardless of their immigration status.

We have developed this guide over the years, as using IFHP has proven to be nearly impossible. We hope you find this helpful.

IFHP is an insurance that refugees are automatically enrolled in by IRCC.

For Refugees:

For Providers

  • If you are a registered professional, you can register with Medavie Blue Cross here. The process might take weeks/months. The number to call for registered providers is: 1-888.614-1880

    You can find the information grids here. Counselling coverage is listed under “supplemental coverage”.

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  • This is where the confusions starts. IFHP is an insurance policy that is managed by IRCC, but is administered by Medavie Blue Cross. This means that IRCC sets the rules and policies of IFHP and Medavie Blue Cross is the company that processes the claims.

    This is why some of the information is on the IRCC website and some are on Medavie website.

  • Becoming part of IFHP is automatic. For resettled refugees, IFHP starts before coming to Canada. For refugee claimants, it starts when you get your Acknowledgement of Claim.
    If you are a refugee, it is better if you sign up here right away.
    Unfortunately, in May 2026, the government put a new rule in place: refugees have to pay $4 on each prescription and 30% on “supplemental” services.

  • Supplement means “in addition to”. So: not hospital or doctor visits, or necessary surgeries, but:

    • prescription medications

    • urgent dental care

    • vision care

    • mental health counselling

    • occupational therapy

    • physiotherapy

    • speech language therapy

    • assistive devices like prosthetics, mobility aids and hearing aids

    • home care and long-term care

    • medical supplies and equipment

    If you have IFHP, it is better to use these services, because most are not covered with MSP. Some of them you can get coverage if you have a job that offers extended benefits or if you get Income Assistance or Disability or when you apply for Fair Pharma Care in BC.

  • Medical doctors, are also referred to as General Practitioners (GP), family practitioners or primary care providers. You can see a medical doctor under IFHP both in a private setting, or public setting.
    - Public settings: hospitals and urgent and primary care centers (or UPCC) are generally enrolled in IFHP. This means that the staff who work there understand how IFHP is used and should not ask you to pay for your visit.

    - Private settings: walk-in clinics and private clinics are a it different than the public settings. For seeing a doctor in a clinic, you have to make sure they are registered with IFHP and confirming that they will not ask you to pay. You can find a doctor in private setting here.

    In BC, you can also see a Nurse Practitioner (NP), they have similar skills to a doctor, but have nursing backgrounds. They can diagnose, prescribe or treat you the same way a doctor can.