Canada’s Super Visa is a multiple-entry visitor visa built specifically for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. It’s the reason many families avoid the hassle of renewing a standard visitor visa every few years: a single approval gives up to 10 years of validity, with each visit allowed to run for up to 5 years at a time. Here’s what qualifies you in 2026 and what’s changed.
Who can apply
You must be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (step-parents and step-grandparents can qualify too). The Canada-based child or grandchild is your host, and their financial situation is central to the application — this is the biggest difference from a standard visitor visa, which looks mainly at the applicant’s own ties and finances.
The host income requirement (LICO)
Your Canadian host must meet Canada’s Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) threshold for their household size, which scales up with the number of people the household supports (including the visiting parent/grandparent). As of 31 March 2026, IRCC made this test more flexible: hosts can now use either of the two most recent tax years to demonstrate income, and can supplement their own income with the visiting parent or grandparent’s own income — pensions, investments, or savings — provided the host still meets a minimum independent threshold on their own. This helps families where the sponsoring child’s income alone falls just short.
Medical insurance — the non-negotiable requirement
Every Super Visa applicant must hold private medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company, providing:
- At least $100,000 CAD in coverage
- Valid for a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry
- Covering healthcare, hospitalization, and repatriation
You must be able to prove payment (not just a quote) at the time of application, and border officers can ask to see proof of valid coverage on arrival. Because policies must come from a Canadian insurer, applicants typically buy this online from a Canada-licensed provider before applying — shop early, since coverage needs to align with your planned travel date.
Other requirements
- A signed letter of invitation from your host in Canada, including their income details, household size, and a commitment to provide financial support during your stay.
- A clean medical exam through an approved panel physician — standard admissibility rules on health and criminality apply.
- Standard travel document requirements (valid passport, etc.) and, depending on your country of citizenship, biometrics.
Fees and processing time
- Processing (application) fee: CAD $100
- Biometrics fee: CAD $85 (if required for your nationality)
- Typical processing time: around 132 days as a general benchmark in 2026, though this varies significantly by visa office and applicant country.
- Notable exception: as of 3 July 2026, IRCC cut processing times for applicants from India to roughly 50 days, well below the standard range — a meaningful change if you’re applying from India and had budgeted for the longer wait.
Because processing benchmarks shift and vary by country office, check IRCC’s current processing times tool for your specific country before planning travel dates around an assumed timeline.
Super Visa vs. a regular visitor visa
| Super Visa | Regular visitor visa (TRV) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Only parents/grandparents of citizens/PRs | Anyone meeting general visitor criteria |
| Validity | Up to 10 years | Usually up to 10 years, but each stay is capped shorter |
| Length of each stay | Up to 5 years per entry | Typically 6 months per entry |
| Insurance required | Yes — $100,000 CAD, Canadian insurer | Not required |
| Host income test | Yes (LICO) | No |
The trade-off is clear: the Super Visa’s insurance requirement and host income test are more demanding to arrange, but the payoff — years-long stays without repeated renewals — is exactly what most visiting parents and grandparents actually want.
Frequently asked questions
Can Super Visa holders extend a stay beyond 5 years in one visit? Extensions can be requested from within Canada in limited circumstances, but you should plan around the standard 5-year limit rather than assume an extension will be approved.
Does the Super Visa lead to permanent residence? No — it’s a temporary visitor status. Permanent sponsorship of parents and grandparents runs through the separate Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), which operates on annual, capped intake rounds and is a different process entirely.
What if my host’s income doesn’t meet LICO on their own? Since March 2026, hosts can combine their income with the applicant’s own independent income (pension, savings, investments) — gather documentation for both before applying rather than assuming the host must qualify unaided.
This is preparation guidance, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm current LICO thresholds, fees, and processing times on Canada.ca’s Super Visa page before applying. If you’re helping a parent or grandparent prepare a Super Visa application, join the VisaMet waitlist — our AI assistant can help you check the income test and assemble the invitation letter and insurance documents.
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