Super Visa for Parents & Grandparents

A Super Visa is a multiple-entry visitor visa that allows stays of up to five years at a time, and the visa itself can remain valid for up to ten years.

That is the feature that separates it from an ordinary visitor visa, where the standard authorized stay is six months. The visa cannot be valid longer than the passport it is issued in, so a passport close to expiry will shorten it. An extension from inside Canada is possible in some circumstances.

Applicants must show private medical insurance covering healthcare, hospitalization and repatriation, valid for at least one year from the date of entry.

Since 2022 the policy may come from a Canadian insurer or from an IRCC-approved insurer outside Canada, which often lowers the cost significantly. IRCC sets a minimum coverage amount and updates it, so confirm the current figure on canada.ca before buying a policy. Proof of payment matters: a quote is not evidence of coverage.

The child or grandchild in Canada is the one who must meet the minimum income requirement, which is based on the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for their family size.

Two changes have made this easier for many families. You may use income from either of the two preceding tax years rather than only the most recent, and the visiting parent or grandparent’s own independent income, such as a pension, can now count toward the threshold. LICO figures are updated annually, so check the current table for your family size.

No. A Super Visa grants visitor status, which does not authorize work or study.

A separate work or study permit would be required, and applying for one does not follow automatically from holding a Super Visa. Short courses that are exempt from the study permit requirement are the narrow exception. Working without authorization puts future applications at risk, so check before starting anything.

They solve different problems. The Super Visa is faster and far more accessible; the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) leads to permanent residence but is limited by a lottery-style intake that many families never get an invitation from.

PGP also carries a higher income requirement, LICO plus 30 percent for three consecutive tax years, and a 20-year financial undertaking. Many families pursue both: a Super Visa for the near term while waiting for a PGP invitation.

Refusals usually come down to three things: insurance that does not meet the requirement, income evidence that does not clearly establish the threshold, or an officer not being satisfied the visit is genuinely temporary.

The last one is the hardest to fix after the fact. Officers weigh ties to the home country, the stated purpose of the visit and the family’s overall circumstances. A refusal is not permanent, but reapplying without addressing the actual reason tends to produce the same result, so start by reading the refusal letter and, where useful, the officer’s notes.