A Super Visa Canada may be required if you want your parents or grandparents to be able to stay with you in Canada for longer than six months at a time. The parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents are permitted to visit them and stay in Canada for up to five years at a time through this type of visa.
In this article, we will discuss what the parent and grandparent Super Visa is, the criteria you and your family must meet to be approved, and how to apply.
So let’s jump in…
What is a Super Visa?
You can spend up to five years at a time visiting your children or grandchildren with a super visa. The parent or grandparent may travel as frequently as they like within the 10 years of the Super Visa’s validity, provided that each trip lasts no longer than five years. Thus, a Super Visa qualifies as a multiple-entry visa. The length of your stay will be confirmed by a border services officer when you enter Canada.
A super visa has particular requirements, one of which is having health insurance. To qualify, you must fulfil every requirement. The visa is also referred to as a Canada parent and grandparent visa.
Apply for a standard visitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if you intend to stay for six months or less and are not from a nation that requires a visa. There is no need for a Super Visa.
Super Visa VS Visitor Visa
- The amount of time you can spend in Canada during each visit is the main distinction between a parent or grandparent Super Visa and a visitor visa.
- The longest time you can stay in Canada on a visitor visa is six months. You can stay for up to five years per trip when you have a Super Visa.
- You can only stay in Canada for a maximum of six months per trip if you are from a nation that does not require a visa to enter.
- Both the Super Visa and the Visitor Visa are 10-year multi-entry visas. Therefore, you are permitted to travel to Canada as often as you like during those ten years.
Eligibility for Super Visa Canada
To be eligible for a Super Visa Canada, you must fulfil a few basic requirements. The following are the prerequisites for parent and grandparent Super Visas:
- You must be the parent or grandparent of a citizen or lawful permanent resident of Canada.
- You are being invited to visit Canada by your child or grandchild.
- Your grandchild or child must meet the required income level. And a commitment to provide funding for the duration of your visit
- A list of the people living in this person’s home, their number, and a copy of their citizenship or permanent residency documentation
- A Canadian insurance provider or an authorized foreign provider must sell you medical insurance that is valid for at least a year.
- You must go through a medical examination for immigration. Either before or after applying, you can take care of this.
- You must be authorized to enter Canada and must apply for a Super Visa from outside of Canada.
- Print your visa outside of Canada (wait for visa office instructions)
- Dependents cannot be included in this application.
Super Visa Canada income requirements
Your child or grandchild must earn at least a certain amount for the Super Visa to be approved. The low-income cut-off (LICO) threshold is used to measure this.
- The number of people in your child’s or grandchild’s family unit affects the minimum income requirement.
- Include everyone on the following list when determining the size of the family:
- The host (i.e. the child or grandchild)
- spouse or common-law partner of the host
- Dependent children of the host
- Any individual whom the host may have previously sponsored and for whom the sponsorship agreement is still in effect.
- the grandparent or parent requesting the Super Visa
- the parent’s or grandparent’s spouse or common-law partner, if any.
Note: Not only can the income of your child or grandchild be used to satisfy the Super Visa income requirement, but also that of their spouse or common-law partner.
Medical Insurance Requirements for Canadian Super Visa
You must have at least a year’s worth of medical insurance that covers your trip to Canada. You must have purchased this BEFORE applying for it. This insurance is known as Super Visa insurance.
This health insurance must be:
- paid for in full or in instalments with a deposit (quotes are not accepted).
- be able to provide you with at least $100,000 in emergency coverage.
- be valid for at least a year from the date you plan to enter Canada and cover your medical care, hospitalization, and repatriation
Note: For each entry into Canada, private health insurance must be current. When you enter Canada, be prepared to show your proof of paid insurance to a border services officer if they request to see it.
Other Requirements for Super Visa Canada
The exact criteria that the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will use to evaluate you are not made public, but they are likely to take into account factors like:
- Your ability to depart Canada at the end of your visit. and how genuine you are.
- Your financial situation
- Ties to your native country
- The reason for your trip
- The overall political and economic stability of your nation
Supporting Documents for Super Visa Canada
You must provide some supporting documentation to prove that you meet the aforementioned Super Visa requirements.
Depending on your situation, the precise documents you’ll need will change, but in general, the list below serves as the minimum backup documentation you’ll require.
You will require the following supporting documents to apply for a parent or grandparent Super Visa:
- a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, or other document naming you as the parent or grandparent that demonstrates your relationship to the Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- a written invitation to visit Canada from your kid or grandkid.
- An invitation letter is also required from your child or grandchild’s spouse or common-law partner if their income is required to reach the low-income cut-off (LICO) threshold.
- The invitation Letter should include
- A guarantee of financial support for the entire duration of your visit.
- a list of the members of your child’s or grandchild’s family (dependents including spouse, children, or other relatives that are financially dependent)
- a copy of the permanent resident card or citizenship certificate for your child or grandchild.
- You must also include one of these documents for your child or grandchild’s spouse or common-law partner if you need to include their income to meet the minimum requirement.
- their most recent Notice of Assessment for federal income tax (NOA).
- their most recent T4 or T1 document.
- a letter from their employer outlining the job title, job responsibilities, hiring date, and compensation.
- Their pay stubs for employment insurance
- if they are self-employed, a letter from an accountant attesting to their annual income.
- Proof of additional income sources, such as a pension statement or investment records.
- If you’re not from a country that doesn’t require a visa, you might have to provide biometric information (such as your fingerprints).
The support documents should be in either English or French. If not, you must have the documents translated before submitting them.
To learn more about all the documents you might require, consult the IRCC instruction guide.
How to Apply for a Canadian Super Visa
You can submit on paper or online a parent and grandparent Super Visa application. However, the quickest and easiest way to apply is online. To convert any paper papers to electronic ones, if you’re applying online, you’ll need a scanner or camera. Application for Canadia Super Visa
- Get your documents ready
- Apply for a super visa
- Pay with a credit card
Get your documents ready
Before you apply for a super visa, you need to get your documents ready. Here is a quick Super Visa Canada checklist.
a letter of invitation from your Canadian citizen or permanent resident child or grandchild, which contains the following:
- a guarantee of financial assistance for the duration of your stay,
- the names and numbers of everyone living in this person’s home
- a copy of this person’s citizenship or permanent residency document
- evidence that your child’s or grandchild’s family earns at least the required minimum amount; examples include:
- The most recent tax year’s T4 or T1 or the Notice of Assessment (NOA)
- Benefits statements for employment insurance
- a letter of employment outlining the pay, title, responsibilities, and date of hire
- pay stubs
- bank statements
- evidence of medical insurance from a Canadian insurance provider that is
- at least $100,000 in emergency coverage
- valid for at least a year from the date of entrance.
- a certificate attesting to your immigration medical examination.
Apply for a Super Visa
Apply for a Super Visa online through the IRCC Portal while the applicant is outside of Canada.
Follow these steps to apply online.
Register for an account and log in
If you’re using the IRCC Portal for the first time, you will be asked for your email and provided a code so you can create an account.
- Fill out the form online, then submit your papers.
You’ll receive a list of the documents you need to upload after responding to all the questions. This includes the documents that support your visa application.
- Make a credit card payment.
Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, JCB®, and UnionPay® credit cards as well as prepaid cards are methods for payment.
To learn more about applying for a super visa in Canada visit the official website.
Super Visa Canada Fees
- The cost of applying for it is $100 (Canadian) per applicant.
- Also, you could be required to provide biometrics; in that instance, the fee is $85 per person and $170 for families of two or more.
- You could also be required to pay $7 per person for an electronic travel authorization (eTA).
- Super Visa medical insurance is likely the most expensive thing on this list. The price for this varies widely, but for one individual in their mid-forties, you’re looking at a minimum of $800.
- The price of your Super Visa medical insurance, however, is most likely the expense you will encounter while applying for a Super Visa. The price for this varies widely, but for one individual in their mid-forties, you’re looking at a minimum of $800.
Super Visa Processing Time
The projected processing time for super visa application status is estimated from the day the IRCC receives the applicant’s entire application until the day a decision is made based on the applicant’s Canadian super visa application status.
It can take roughly 272 days or around 9 months. Note that the visa office you use also determines how long you will wait.
After the medical, the processing period for super visas remains the same because its application is now complete.
Extending a Canadian Super Visa
You must apply for a visitor record if you wish to prolong your stay in Canada while holding a Super Visa. You will be able to stay until the expiration date of your existing status thanks to this.
- A $100 application fee per person is necessary to pay with respect to prolonging your stay.
- Ensure you apply at least 30 days before the expiration of your present status.
- Tip: Ensure that your passport will last you for the duration of your stay in Canada. If not, get a new passport before proceeding with your application.
Conclusion
Canada has made it possible for parents and grandparents to visit their children and grandchildren respectively thanks to the Super Visa. This visa ensures that parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can visit their children and stay up to 5 years per visit. It is a multi-entry visa so it lasts up to 10 years.
To help you understand it and how it works we discussed it extensively in this article. We hope you found this article on “How to Apply for a Canadian Super Visa” informative.
