A super visa is a multiple-entry visitor visa for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. It allows a longer stay per visit than a standard visitor visa, it can be valid for several years, and it is applied for from outside Canada. It is not permanent residence and it is not the same thing as sponsoring a parent. Those are different applications, and which one fits depends on what your family actually wants.
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What a super visa is
The super visa was created so that parents and grandparents could spend long periods with family in Canada without having to leave and re-apply every few months. A holder can stay for an extended period on each entry, and the visa itself can allow entries over a period of years. The current maximum stay per entry and the current validity period are set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and are published on canada.ca.
It is still a visitor document. A super visa holder is a temporary resident. They cannot work, cannot study beyond short courses, and are expected to leave at the end of the authorised stay. It does not lead to permanent residence on its own.
Super visa, visitor visa, or sponsorship
Families often arrive at a consultation asking for one of these when another fits better. The three are different tools.
Standard visitor visa
Shorter stays per entry. Open to anyone, not tied to family in Canada. No insurance or host income requirement.
Super visa
Longer stays per entry, multi-year validity. Only for parents and grandparents. Host income, insurance and a medical are required.
Parent and grandparent sponsorship
Permanent residence. Limited intake selected by IRCC, a sponsor undertaking, and a long commitment.
A super visa can be the right answer while a family waits for a sponsorship opportunity, and it can be the right answer on its own for parents who want to visit at length but keep their life at home. A consultation is where that choice gets made against your family's actual situation.
What the child or grandchild in Canada has to show
A super visa is unusual in that much of the evidence comes from the host in Canada, not the applicant. The child or grandchild has to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, has to provide a written invitation that includes a promise of financial support for the length of the visit, and has to meet a minimum income threshold for their household size.
The income threshold is set by IRCC and updated periodically. This page does not quote the figure because it changes. The current table is on canada.ca, and the host's income is assessed against it using documents such as a notice of assessment, employment letters or pay records.
The insurance requirement
The applicant must hold private medical insurance that covers them in Canada for the period of the visit. The policy has to be from a Canadian insurer or from an approved insurer, has to be valid for the duration IRCC requires from the date of entry, and has to meet a minimum coverage amount that IRCC sets.
Insurance is where super visa applications most often go wrong. A policy bought for the wrong period, from an insurer that is not accepted, or with a coverage amount below the requirement will not satisfy the condition even if it is otherwise a good policy. Confirm the current requirements on canada.ca before buying, and buy a policy that can be adjusted if the travel dates move.
The applicant's side
The parent or grandparent applies from outside Canada. They will usually need an immigration medical examination from a panel physician, and they have to be admissible to Canada, which covers criminal and security background as well as health. Their own ties to home, and the genuineness of the visit, are assessed as they would be for any visitor.
Applicants from countries whose citizens do not need a visa to visit Canada still apply for a super visa if they want the longer stay, because the extended period is granted with the super visa, not with an eTA.
Arriving and staying
The length of each stay is decided at the port of entry and recorded there. A super visa holder who wants to stay beyond the period they were given can apply to extend from inside Canada, in the same way a visitor applies for a visitor record, and the same rule applies: apply before the current period runs out.
The insurance policy has to stay valid for the whole time the person is in Canada, so an extended stay usually means extending the policy as well.
Families in Edmonton and Alberta
Imprint Immigration Services prepares super visa applications for families across Edmonton and Alberta, working with the host in Canada on the invitation and income evidence and with the applicant abroad on their side of the file. Where a family's long-term goal is permanent residence for a parent, the family sponsorship options are reviewed in the same consultation so the two are planned together rather than in conflict.
Working with an RCIC-IRB in Edmonton
Imprint Immigration Services is led by Shirani Jenita Daniel, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant authorised to represent clients before Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and before the Immigration and Refugee Board. Her CICC licence number is R705794 and it can be checked on the CICC public register.
A consultation is a paid appointment where your situation is reviewed and the options that may apply are explained to you. It is a review, not a prediction. No representative can tell you what an officer will decide.
Consultations are held in Edmonton and remotely. Call (825) 435-1101 or book a consultation.
Common questions about the super visa
- What is the difference between a super visa and a visitor visa?
- A super visa is only for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, allows a longer stay per entry, and is valid for multiple entries over several years. In return it requires a written invitation from the host, proof the host meets a minimum income, private medical insurance and usually a medical examination. A standard visitor visa has none of those requirements and allows shorter stays.
- How long can a parent stay in Canada on a super visa?
- Longer per entry than on a standard visitor visa, with the exact maximum set by IRCC and published on canada.ca. The stay granted on a particular entry is decided at the border. A holder who wants to stay beyond the period they were given can apply to extend from inside Canada before it runs out.
- Does a super visa lead to permanent residence?
- No. A super visa is a visitor document and its holder is a temporary resident. Permanent residence for a parent or grandparent is a separate application through the parent and grandparent sponsorship program, which has its own intake process and requirements.
- What income does the child in Canada need for a super visa?
- The host must meet a minimum income for their household size, set by IRCC and updated periodically. The current threshold and the documents accepted to prove it are on canada.ca. This page does not quote a figure because it changes.
- What insurance is required for a super visa?
- Private medical insurance from a Canadian insurer or an insurer approved by IRCC, valid for the required period from the date of entry, with at least the minimum coverage amount IRCC sets. Policies that do not meet all three conditions are the most common reason super visa applications fail.
- Can a parent work in Canada on a super visa?
- No. A super visa holder is a visitor. Working in Canada requires a separate work authorisation with its own application and requirements.
This article is general information and is not immigration advice. Advice about your own situation comes from a consultation with Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence R705794. Representation begins only once a retainer is signed.