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Super visa grants the right to parents and grandparents to visit their children or grandchildren for 5 years at a time with a super visa; it provides multiple entries for a period of up to 10 years (as opposed to a visitor visa, which may have a shorter validity period, be single-entry, and always allow a maximum stay in Canada of 6 months at a time).
To be eligible for a super visa, you must have a host who
is your child or grandchild, is at least 18 years old and lives in Canada, is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or registered Indian,
meets or exceeds the minimum necessary income,
signs a letter inviting you to Canada that includes a promise of financial support for the duration of your visit (your child or grandchild’s spouse or common-law partner can co-sign the letter if they are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada), the list (including name and date of birth) and number of people included when you calculate your family size to determine the minimum necessary income.
You must also:
be outside Canada when you submit your application for a super visa,
have your visa printed by a visa office outside Canada (wait for visa office instructions),
be allowed to enter Canada,
take an immigration medical exam,
meet certain other conditions,
You can’t include dependants in this application.
Alongside with regular documents needed for a visa application, a super visa application requires to provide the following specific documents together with regular documents:
Letter of invitation from your child or grandchild (it must include a promise of financial support for the duration of your visit, the list (including name and date of birth) and number of people included in the family size calculation),
Proof that your host child or grandchild meets the minimum necessary income requirements,
Health insurance,
Proof of completing a medical exam with an approved panel physician,
Proof that your host is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a registered Indian,
Proof of your relationship to your host (host’s birth certificate or baptismal certificate, another official document naming you as the parent or grandparent of your host).
Minimum necessary income requirements
Your host child’s or grandchild’s spouse or common-law partner may co-sign the letter of invitation and provide proof of income to meet the minimum necessary income.
IRCC accepts: the last notice of assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency, T4 or T1 for the last tax year, pay stubs for the most recent 12-month period available, employment insurance benefit statements, a letter from an accountant confirming the annual income if self‑employed, proof of other sources of income (for example, pension statements), a letter from the employer stating the job title, job description and salary, bank statements.
IRCC website contains the information on how much money the host should show for you in order to be eligible for a super visa from financial perspective.
For the purpose of calculating MNI, the number of family members includes the host, their family members (a spouse/common-law partner, dependent children) + the number of invitees.
Health insurance
You must have proof of a health insurance policy from either
– a Canadian insurance company, or
– an insurance company outside Canada that
is authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) under the Insurance Companies Act to provide accident and sickness insurance, and
appears on OSFI’s publicly available list of federally regulated financial institutions, and
has issued or made the policy during the course of its insurance business in Canada.
Insurance brokers and insurance claims administrators are not insurance companies and will not appear on the OSFI list.
The company that issues the policy, sometimes known as “the insurer” or “the underwriter”, must be identified on the proof of insurance.
All policies that are issued by a foreign insurance company must include a statement that the document was issued or made in the course of its insurance business in Canada.
The health insurance 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 aren’t accepted),
cover health care, hospitalization and repatriation,
provide a minimum coverage of $100,000.
A super visa holder should have a valid health insurance policy while in Canada. If the health insurance will expire before one leaves Canada, they may need to renew or maintain their health insurance during your stay. Private health insurance must be valid for each entry to Canada.
Be prepared to show your proof of paid insurance to a border services officer when you enter Canada.
Other conditions to consider
One must be a genuine visitor to Canada who will leave by choice at the end of their visit.
IRCC will consider:
applicant’s ties to their home country,
the purpose of visit,
family and finances,
the overall economic and political stability of a home country.
Super visa can be stamped only outside Canada.
If an applicant is visa-exempt, then:
An applicant can still get a super visa to stay in Canada for 5 years. If IRCC approves an application, it will issue a letter to give to a border services officer when an applicant arrives in Canada.
If an applicant travels by air, they may also need to apply for an electronic travel authorization (eTA) separately to allow to travel to and enter Canada. The eTA will be electronically linked to the passport, so an applicant needs to travel with the passport they used to apply for eTA and any supporting documents for the super visa application.
A super visa doesn’t authorize you to work or study in Canada.
Disclaimer: Provided information is not a legal advice. Every case is unique. We recommend you to discuss your case with a specialist first.
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Last updated October 23, 2025
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