Verified against official sources — 30 Oct 2026

Canada Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents: Longer Visits With Your Family in Canada

NEW Published 30 October 2026

Who can apply, how it differs from a regular visitor visa, the host income rule, insurance, the invitation letter, the medical exam, and the fees.

SECTION 01What is the super visa, and who is it for?

The super visa is a multiple-entry temporary resident visa for one specific relationship: parents and grandparents visiting their child or grandchild in Canada. IRCC's officer guidance describes it as “a multiple-entry temporary resident visa (TRV), issued with a validity of up to 10 years”, offering eligible parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and persons registered as an Indian under the Indian Act the possibility of visiting for 5 years on each entry.

Three points matter. It is a visitor visa — its holder is a visitor, not a permanent resident, and it does not by itself lead to permanent residence. It is only for parents and grandparents — other relatives use the regular visitor visa. And both sides must qualify: IRCC sets requirements for you and for your host (Sections 03 to 07). If you do not meet them, or want to stay for 6 months or less, IRCC notes you may be eligible for a regular visitor visa instead; and you can apply for a super visa while a sponsorship application for you is still being decided.

SECTION 02How does the super visa differ from a regular visitor visa?

The difference is mainly time, and the extra requirements a longer stay brings. IRCC's Help Centre: a super visa allows visits of 5 years at a time; a visitor visa allows up to 6 months at a time, and staying longer means an extension application and a new fee.

Keep two clocks separate. Visa validity is how long the visa can be used to travel to Canada — up to 10 years. Authorised stay is how long you may remain on one visit — 5 years for each entry. The trade-off is a stricter application: a regular visitor visa has no host income test and no mandatory insurance; the super visa has both, plus a medical exam and a signed invitation letter. Choose by the visit you genuinely plan. (Even visa-exempt travellers can get a super visa for the 5-year stay: IRCC issues a letter for the border officer on arrival; air travellers may also need an eTA.)

SECTION 03Who can be your host in Canada?

IRCC calls the child or grandchild in Canada your “host”. You must have a host who meets all of the following, in IRCC's own list:

• you can prove the host is your biological or adopted child or grandchild;
• the host is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian;
• the host is at least 18 years old and lives in Canada;
• the host meets or exceeds the minimum necessary income (Section 04); and
• the host writes and signs a letter of invitation for you (Section 06).

Relationship proof may include a copy of the child's or grandchild's birth certificate, or another official document naming you as parent or grandparent; status proof may include a citizenship certificate, a permanent residence document, or a Certificate of Indian Status. Only biological or adopted children may invite their parents or grandparents; they may also invite the parent's or grandparent's spouse or partner — a step-parent or step-grandparent — with proof of that relationship, such as a marriage certificate. A host's spouse or partner may co-sign the invitation letter so their income counts, with proof of their relationship to the host, their status, age and residence in Canada, and their income.

One consequence follows directly: a child or grandchild in Canada temporarily — on a work or study permit, for example — cannot be a super visa host. Look at the regular visitor visa instead.

SECTION 04The host income requirement: LICO, family size, and the two ways to meet it

The super visa asks something a regular visitor visa does not: proof your host can support you financially for the length of your stays. IRCC calls this the minimum necessary income, based on Statistics Canada's most recent low income cut-offs — LICO — for the applicable family size. The host must meet or exceed it.

How family size is counted

IRCC's guidance lists who must be included: the host; the host's spouse or partner (which might include a separated spouse); their dependent children, including dependent children of any dependent children — counted regardless of custody or child support arrangements; you, and any other super visa applicant applying at the same time; previously approved super visa applicants whose visas are still valid; and previously sponsored individuals whose undertaking is still in effect, including their family members. The applicant's other family members are not counted — different from the family class count.

IRCC's worked examples show how count and figures fit together. A single host inviting one parent in May 2026 has a family size of 2 — “The most recent LICO in May 2026 for 2 persons is $38,002.” A married host with two dependent children inviting two parents has a family size of 6; the most recent LICO for 6 persons is $72,560. This guide prints only those two IRCC-stated examples; your family size figure must come from IRCC's current table.

The two ways to meet the income requirement (from 31 March 2026)

IRCC changed the calculation from 31 March 2026; applications in processing, or submitted on or after that date, are assessed under the new approach.

Option 1 — the host's best income of the last two taxation years. The host (and any co-signer) shows total income in either of the two taxation years before applying that meets or exceeds the most recent LICO; previously, only the year before was assessed. Evidence is the Notice of Assessment (NOA) or an equivalent Canada Revenue Agency document; where an NOA is unavailable or incomplete, officers may also consider the T4 or T1.

Option 2 — the host reaches at least 75% of LICO, and the applicant's income covers the rest. The host (and co-signer) shows income in the most recent 12-month period or taxation year meeting at least 75% of the most recent LICO. Your own income may then supplement it, up to a maximum of 25% of LICO; if both parents or both grandparents are invited, both visitors' incomes may be considered. For the host, IRCC lists the NOA or equivalent for the most recent taxation year and, where unavailable, a T4 or T1, pay stubs, proof of other income such as pension statements, an original employer letter (job title, description, salary), and bank statements. Applicant evidence is listed by type — pension statements and bank statements showing regular deposits; an employment letter and 12 months of wage deposits for remote work; bank, investment, business or rental documents for those types. Evidence should cover 12 months; foreign income converts at the rate in effect on the submission date.

SECTION 05The medical insurance requirement: coverage, validity, and who may issue the policy

Private health insurance is not optional, and not a detail to arrange after approval. You must show proof of a policy, and have proof on each entry to Canada — if it will expire before you leave, IRCC says you should renew it. The policy should:

• be valid for a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry;
• be paid in full or in instalments with a deposit — quotes are not accepted;
• cover your health care, hospitalisation and repatriation;
• provide a minimum of $100,000 in emergency coverage, stated by IRCC's officer guidance per applicant;
• be valid for each entry to Canada; and
• be available for review by a border services officer on request, and show the issuing company's name.

Who may issue the policy is where older advice is now out of date. The insurer must be either a Canadian insurance company, or a company outside Canada authorised by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) under the Insurance Companies Act to provide accident and sickness insurance, on OSFI's public list of federally regulated financial institutions, that issued the policy while doing insurance business in Canada. IRCC's “Who can apply” page calls the second route a company outside Canada approved by the minister. Brokers and claims administrators are not insurers and will not appear on the OSFI list — the name that matters is the issuing company, sometimes called the insurer or underwriter.

SECTION 06The invitation letter: what IRCC says it must include

For the super visa, the invitation letter is a formal requirement, not a courtesy. Your host must write and sign it; a spouse or partner may co-sign so their income counts. IRCC's guidance states the letter and its accompanying documentation must include:

• a promise of financial support for you for the length of the authorised stays;
• the co-signer's name and relationship to the host, if a spouse or common-law partner is co-signing;
• a list of all individuals in the family size calculation, with full names and dates of birth;
• a list of all individuals providing proof of income, with full names and dates of birth — the host, and as applicable a co-signer and the applicants, who may combine incomes to meet the remainder of LICO; and
• a list of all documents provided as proof of income by each person whose income is relied on.

Notice what kind of letter this is: less a personal note, more a signed financial statement — who is in the count, whose income is used, which documents prove it. Keep it consistent with the attachments.

SECTION 07The medical exam, the general visitor conditions, and applying from outside Canada

You must apply from outside Canada

This rule is absolute in IRCC's wording: you must be outside Canada when you submit, and have your visa printed by a visa office outside Canada. A parent or grandparent already in Canada as a visitor cannot switch into a super visa application from inside the country.

The immigration medical exam

You must take an immigration medical exam: IRCC's guidance says proof of submitting to it is used to determine whether you may be inadmissible as likely to be a danger to public health or public safety, or as having a condition that might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services. The exam (admissibility) and the policy (coverage) are different things.

The general visitor conditions still apply

You must also meet the visitor requirements. IRCC lists what it considers: whether you are a genuine visitor who will leave by choice at the end of your visit; your ties; the purpose of your visit; and your family and finances. Its eligibility page frames the same test as basic requirements — a valid travel document; good health; no criminal or immigration-related convictions; ties, such as a job, home, financial assets or family, that will take you back home; leaving at the end of your visit; and enough money for your stay, depending on its length and where you stay. A five-year stay does not remove this test; it changes its scale.

SECTION 08What does a super visa application cost in government fees?

IRCC's fee list uses one heading covering both: “Visitor visa (including super visa)”. Under it: visitor visa — CAD $100 per person (single or multiple entry; same fee for both); CAD $500 maximum per family of 5 or more applying at the same time and place; and, where required, biometrics — CAD $85 per individual, maximum CAD $170 per eligible family. Citizens of certain countries or territories must give biometrics (fingerprints and a photograph) for a visitor visa — check IRCC's biometrics information for your situation. Insurance and medical exam charges are not government fees. Confirm current fees before paying.

SECTION 09Arriving, staying, and extending your stay

An approved visa is permission to travel and seek entry — not a guarantee of it: “A valid visa and travel document don't guarantee that you can enter Canada.” On arrival, if you pass the identity check and health assessment and meet the entry requirements, the border services officer may allow you to enter. False or incomplete information means you will not be allowed in, and the officer must be convinced you are eligible and will leave at the end of your authorised stay.

Carry your evidence: your insurance policy must be available for review by a border services officer on request, with proof on each entry, and bring the invitation letter, which an officer may ask to see. One IRCC tip: at an airport using inspection kiosks, super visa holders who need proof of their entry date may ask the officer to stamp their passport after the kiosk. Super visa visitors can apply for 2-year extensions while still in Canada — a separate application, not automatic.

FAQFrequently Asked Questions

Official references and verification status

These references were accessed and checked on 30 October 2026, and this guide's claims were verified claim-by-claim against them (see the accompanying sources file). Three limits apply. First, LICO: this guide prints only the two worked examples in IRCC's current guidance ($38,002 for 2 persons; $72,560 for 6 persons — the most recent LICO in May 2026, as IRCC describes them) and directs readers to IRCC's current table for other family sizes, rather than reproducing a full table that could not be re-verified line by line in this pass. Second, insurance currency: IRCC states the minimum as “$100,000”; this guide reproduces it in IRCC's own form. Third, no processing times are stated.

• IRCC — Temporary residents: Super visa (officer guidance)
• IRCC — Super visa income calculation changes
• IRCC — Eligibility to apply for a visitor visa
• IRCC — Visitor visa: Prepare for your arrival
• IRCC — Sponsor your parents and grandparents
• IRCC Help Centre — Super visa: Who can apply
• IRCC Help Centre — Super visa: Forms and documents
• IRCC Help Centre — Super visa vs visitor visa
• IRCC — Fee list

General educational information, not individualized legal advice. Follow IRCC's official instructions for your application, and consult a qualified Canadian immigration lawyer or licensed immigration consultant for advice about an individual case.

General information only. This guide is based on official sources publicly available and checked on the date shown on this page. Visa rules change, and consular and USCIS officers decide every case on its own facts — nothing here is a confirmation or a guarantee for your individual case, and this is not legal advice. Always confirm the current requirement on the official page linked in this guide before you act, and consider a qualified immigration attorney for your specific situation.