Canada government projects $140 M savings from new refugee health‑care co‑pay

The Government of Canada says a co‑pay introduced on May 1 for asylum seekers and refugee claimants will save about $140 million in the 2026‑27 fiscal year. Claimants will pay a $4 fee for prescriptions and 30 % of the cost for services not covered by the public system, such as dental work, vision care, counselling, home care and medical devices, while routine doctor visits, emergency care, vaccines, hospital stays and lab work remain fully covered. The savings breakdown includes roughly $92.9 million from dental care, $10.6 million from prescriptions, $6.2 million from vision care and $16.7 million from counselling.

Separately, the federal hotel accommodation program for asylum claimants, which cost about $1.2 billion for 61,000 claimants between 2020 and September 2025, was fully closed on Oct. 1 2025. The program, once operating 46 locations, provided temporary housing but was not intended as a permanent benefit. Claims that refugees continue to receive free hotels and monthly payments in 2026 are therefore outdated.