Starting in May, refugees and asylum seekers in Canada will co-pay health costs

People walk past the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

The federal government is changing how the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) operates, requiring refugees and asylum seekers to co-pay for certain supplemental health benefits.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced Tuesday that, beginning May 1, beneficiaries will be required to pay $4 for each eligible prescription medication filled or refilled under the program. The change is an effort to help make the program more sustainable amid growing usage and rising costs, the federal agency says.

The changes also include refugees and asylum seekers paying 30 per cent of the cost of other eligible supplemental health products and services, such as dental care, vision care, counselling and assistive devices.

Basic health benefits - including doctor visits and hospital care - will remain fully covered with no co-payments under IFHP.

The IFHP provides temporary health coverage for refugees, asylum claimants, protected persons and other vulnerable foreign nationals who are not yet eligible for provincial or territorial health coverage, covering essential and urgent services until they transition to public plans.

Why the change now?

The introduction of co-payments was first signalled in the federal government’s budget for 2025.

According to the IRCC, small point-of-service costs help share responsibility while keeping core medical care free and accessible.

Those covered by IFHP will be asked to pay the new co-payments directly to their registered health-care providers at the time they receive supplemental services.

Beneficiaries are encouraged to check ahead with providers to confirm whether payments apply, what amounts are due and keep receipts for all payments.

For providers that offer their services under the IFHP program, beneficiaries can check with the official search tool.

Over the years, coverage parameters have evolved - including a 2016 update that restored full basic and supplemental coverage, and in most cases, eliminated expiry dates for refugee claimants.

Rapid growth in use, expenses

In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the program provided coverage to nearly 520,000 eligible beneficiaries with total expenses of more than $590 million, up sharply from previous years.

The next fiscal year saw even greater growth with of nearly 625,000 beneficiaries, including more than 440,000 asylum claimants, who received IFHP coverage with total spending reaching approximately just under $900 million.

This marked an increase of more than $300 million over the previous year, as program demand surged alongside increased asylum volumes and other pressures within Canada’s immigration and refugee system. A decade ago, the IFHP served fewer than 100,000 people nationwide.