International students in New Brunswick to receive Medicare coverage

The New Brunswick government is making Medicare available to international students studying at the province’s post-secondary institutions.

Students with valid study permits who are registered full-time for the entire school year, as well as their spouses and dependents, will be eligible for coverage.

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The province’s post-secondary education minister, Roger Melanson, says the move will help New Brunswick recruit more international students.

“This will help address additional out-of-pocket expenses international students face when studying in New Brunswick,” Melanson said in a news statement.

Robert Burroughs, the executive director of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, told reporters on Friday that students are happy to have the changes finalized.

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“Over the past eight months, it’s been that limbo of the government had announced its intent but they were working through regulatory changes. And then we got those changes that have been approved by cabinet and now we can go ahead full steam,” he said.

Burroughs says the change also sends a “powerful message” to international students, who up until this point, spent an average of $1,000 on insurance costs.

“International students have been looking at what is their role here in New Brunswick, what is their place in New Brunswick when they come study here,” he said.

“That sense of belonging, that sense of community, that sense of ‘I do belong here and I’m a functioning member of New Brunswick’ and I’m treated as such. That’s really been addressed by this.”

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In order to receive Medicare coverage, students must submit proof of full-time enrolment in a post-secondary institution, a valid permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and documentation showing their date of arrival in the province.

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