etcetera said:
Hello,
Does anyone here know where I can apply for Provincial Health Card in Victoria, BC ? What I found on the internet is an agency called Canada Immigration and Refugee Centre which offers service like language assessment. Wonder I need to stop by Vancouver to apply for the card? Is there such service in Victoria? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks
You don't get a health card directly. First you apply for BC's Provincial Medical Services Plan. First, you will need to fill out the form on the right side of the page http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=1A2EB01303A14DB390FF0003CB063BAF and mail it to the Health Insurance BC Address in Victoria, BC. At any point in time you can contact them through 1-800-663-7100. You can also go to your nearest Service Canada centre to print and fill these forms for free, or ask for any assistance. You can also contact the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society or visit them, and they will most certainly offer form-filling support and settlement services. There is no need to go to Vancouver, as most government and public functions in BC are actually run through the province's capital, Victoria.
Once you have been approved for the BC MSP, then you will get an invitation in mail to go to your nearest ICBC's service centre to provide your photo (they'll photograph you on their premises) and apply for a health card. The process of approval for BC MSP usually takes 3 months. And then it takes around 2-3 weeks for the BC Service Card (the provincial health card) to process.
