John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust

Supplement dated December 19, 2011

to the Prospectus dated May 2, 2011

Core Balanced Strategy Trust

Core Allocation Trust

Core Disciplined Diversification Trust

Core Balanced Trust

Balanced Trust

Large Cap Trust

   Fund Reorganizations

On December 16, 2011, the Board of Trustees of John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust (the “Trust”) approved an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization providing for the following reorganizations:

Acquired Fund	Acquiring Fund
Core Balanced Strategy Trust	Core Strategy Trust
Core Allocation Trust	Lifestyle Growth Trust
Core Disciplined Diversification Trust	Lifestyle Growth Trust
Core Balanced Trust	Lifestyle Growth Trust
Balanced Trust	Lifestyle Growth Trust
Large Cap Trust	U.S. Equity Trust

A meeting of the shareholders of each Acquired Fund has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 17, 2012 to seek approval of the respective reorganization. Subject to regulatory and shareholder approval, each reorganization is scheduled to occur immediately after the close of business on Friday, April 27, 2012.

Large Cap Trust | Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares

In addition, on January 19, 2012, Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co., LLC (“GMO”), the subadviser to the U.S. Equity Trust, will replace UBS Global Asset Management (Americas) Inc. as the subadviser to the Large Cap Trust.

In connection with this change, effective January 19, 2012, the investment policies of the Large Cap Trust are amended and restated as follows:

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of large capitalization companies tied economically to the U.S. The fund defines large capitalization companies as those with a market capitalization range, at the time of investment, equal to that of the Russell 1000 Index. As of October 31, 2011, the market capitalization range of the Russell 1000 Index was $877 million to $385 billion.

In general, the fund emphasizes large capitalization stocks, but it may also invest up to 20% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of small and medium capitalization companies and/or the securities of foreign companies in developed countries. Investments in equity securities may include dividend-paying securities, common stock and preferred stock, IPOs, ETFs, equity index futures, shares of investment companies, convertible securities, warrants and rights. For purposes of the fund, ETFs and index futures are considered securities with a market capitalization equal to the weighted average market capitalization of the basket of securities comprising the ETF or underlying index.

In managing the fund, the subadviser uses active investment management methods, which means that equities are bought and sold according to the subadviser’s evaluation of companies’ published financial information, securities’ prices, equity and bond markets, and the overall economy.

In selecting equities for the fund, the subadviser may use a combination of quantitative and qualitative investment methods to identify equities that the subadviser believes present positive return potential relative to other equities. Some of these methods evaluate individual equities or a group of equities (e.g., equities of companies in a particular industry) based on the ratio of their price to historical financial information, including book value, cash flow and earnings, and forecasted financial information provided by industry analysts. The subadviser may compare these ratios to industry or market averages in assessing the relative attractiveness of an equity or a group of equities. Other methods used by the subadviser focus on evaluating patterns of price movement or volatility of an equity or group of equities relative to the fund’s investment universe. The subadviser also may adjust the fund’s portfolio for factors such as position size, industry and sector exposure, and market capitalization.

Financial Services Trust | Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares

JOHN HANCOCK FINANCIAL SERVICES TRUST

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses Financial Services Trust Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares		Series I	Series II	Series NAV
Management Fee	[1]	0.78%	0.78%	0.78%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		0.05%	0.25%	none
Other Expenses		0.06%	0.06%	0.06%
Total Fund Operating Expenses		0.89%	1.09%	0.84%

Examples.

The examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The examples assume that $10,000 is invested in the fund for the periods indicated and then all shares are redeemed at the end of those periods. The examples also assume that the investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on the these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example Financial Services Trust Prospectus Series I, Series II and Series NAV Shares (USD $)	Year 1	Year 3	Year 5	Year 10
Series I	91	284	493	1,096
Series II	111	347	601	1,329
Series NAV	86	268	466	1,037

[1] The management fee has been restated to reflect contractual changes to the Advisory Agreement.