FEATURED HEADLINE
The Interim Federal Health Program, administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, provides temporary health coverage to eligible groups, including refugee claimants. Official eligibility rules confirm that coverage extends to individuals whose claim for refugee protection has been rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board, as well as those whose claim is ineligible for referral but who qualify for a pre-removal risk assessment. This coverage continues until the person becomes eligible for provincial or territorial health insurance or departs Canada, meaning it often persists through appeals, judicial reviews, and other processes after a rejection has been issued.
The program includes basic benefits comparable to provincial plans, such as hospital services, physician services, ambulance transport, laboratory and diagnostic tests. It also covers supplemental benefits that go beyond standard provincial coverage for many Canadians, including physiotherapy, psychological counseling, limited vision care, urgent dental services, home care, long-term care, occupational therapy, speech therapy, assistive devices like prosthetics and mobility aids, and prescription medications. Starting May 1, 2026, changes introduce co-payments for certain supplemental services and prescriptions, but basic care remains free for eligible beneficiaries.
According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer report released February 12, 2026, total IFHP costs rose dramatically from $211 million in 2020-2021 to $896 million in 2024-2025. Projections indicate costs approaching $1 billion in 2025-2026 and exceeding $1.5 billion annually by 2029-2030, driven by increases in the number of beneficiaries, which reached 624,000 in 2024-2025 and is expected to surpass 680,000 by 2029-2030, as well as higher average costs per person, partly from extended durations due to backlogs of around 300,000 pending claims. Asylum claimants incur an average annual cost of $1,645 per beneficiary for these combined basic and supplemental services throughout their eligibility period, including post-rejection phases.
In stark contrast, the OurCare national survey released December 2025 found that 5.9 million Canadian adults lack regular access to a family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team, representing nearly one in five adults nationwide. This shortfall persists despite slight improvements from prior years, with access varying significantly by province, where some regions report only 63% to 73% of residents with reliable primary care, leading many to rely on emergency departments or forgo routine and preventive services entirely.
Compounding this disparity, SecondStreet.org compiled freedom of information data showing that at least 23,746 Canadian patients died while on waiting lists for surgeries or diagnostic scans during the fiscal year April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. These deaths involved waits for critical procedures, including cancer diagnostics, heart surgeries, joint replacements, and imaging, with some cases stretching years, and incomplete provincial data suggesting the actual total is higher. Cumulative figures since 2018 exceed 100,000, highlighting the lethal impact of delays in the public system for citizens and permanent residents.
On February 24, 2026, Conservative members of parliament tabled a motion in the House of Commons calling for restrictions on IFHP benefits for rejected asylum claimants to emergency and life-saving care only, annual parliamentary reporting on program spending and usage to ensure transparency, and accelerated removal policies for foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes. The motion references committee testimony indicating some providers bill IFHP at rates up to five times provincial schedules with limited oversight and underscores the need to review the program for taxpayer savings amid its rapid expansion.
These verified facts from government sources, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, independent surveys, and freedom of information compilations reveal a system where rejected claimants receive federally funded supplemental health supports many Canadians cannot access without private payment or face deadly waits for basic care. The numbers speak plainly to an imbalance that prioritizes extended coverage for those deemed ineligible to stay over the urgent needs of taxpaying residents who have contributed to the system for decades.
LIKE OUR WORK?