US EditionStarting in May, refugees and asylum seekers in Canada will co-pay health costs
Refugees under Canada’s Interim Federal Health Program will pay $4 per prescription and 30% for other supplemental services to improve program sustainability, officials say.
- Beginning May 1, 2026, the IFHP will require beneficiaries to co-pay $4 per prescription and 30 per cent for other eligible supplemental services, while basic health benefits remain fully covered.
- The change was signalled in the 2025 federal budget, with the federal government saying small point-of-service costs support IFHP sustainability amid rising usage and costs.
- Registered IFHP providers will collect co-payments for services including psychologists and counselling therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech-language therapists, assistive devices, urgent dental and vision care, and medical supplies, with beneficiaries advised to confirm amounts and keep receipts.
- Nearly 625,000 beneficiaries used the IFHP last year, including more than 440,000 asylum claimants, with costs nearing $900,000,000; IRCC says the change supports long-term sustainability.
- A decade ago the program served fewer than 100,000 people, and rapid growth to nearly 625,000 beneficiaries contributed to reintroducing point-of-service co-payments.
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Refugees to Pay 30 Percent of Some Health-Care Costs Beginning May 1
Ottawa will soon require sponsored refugees and asylum seekers to pay for 30 percent of health-care costs not covered by provinces and territories. The co-payment plan announced this week by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will see refugees and asylum seekers pay 30 percent of costs for dental visits, optometry, and physiotherapy, as well as a $4 flat rate on prescriptions, as of May 1 under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP)…
Everywhere in Canada, as of May 1, they will have to pay for some of their medications.
On January 27, the Canadian federal government officially announced major changes to the Federal Refugee Health Transition Program (IFHP). Starting May 1, 2026, the government will introduce a co-payment system for supplemental medical services, requiring some refugees and asylum seekers to share medical costs.
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