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Super Visa - Stay longer with your family

Do you plan to stay more than 6 months in Canada with your child/grandchild?

For most Canadian visitors, they are allowed to only stay for a maximum of six months after their first entry into Canada. With the Super Visa, you can visit your child or grandchild in Canada for up to 7 continuous years without the need to leave and re-enter Canada every 6 months.

In June 2022, IRCC announced that effective July 4, 2022:

The length of stay for Super Visa holders will be increased to five years per entry into Canada.
People who currently have a Super Visa also have the option to request to extend their stay by up to two years while in Canada. This means current Super Visa holders will now be able to stay in Canada for up to seven consecutive years.
IRCC will have the authority to designate international medical insurance companies to provide coverage to Super Visa applicants in the future.

This article will let you know if you are eligible for the Super Visa and how to apply for it.

Eligibility Requirements

Parent and grandparent looking at the view somewhere in Canada

To be eligible for the Super Visa, you have to:

be the parent or grandparent of a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen,
prove that you are a real visitor and are planning on leaving Canada at the end of your visit,
provide proof of minimum income requirements (LICO, see below) of your child or grandchild in Canada,
receive a written statement your child or grandchild support you financially,
subscribe to a minimum of one-year medical insurance from a Canadian-based insurance company, and
go through a medical exam for immigration purposes.

How to Apply for the Super Visa

The application process is pretty similar to that of a Temporary Resident Visa for visitors. You can check the process here. However, you will need to provide additional documents:

An invitation letter from your child or grandchild, that is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. You can find here the information that needs to be included in the invitation letter.
You will need proof from your child or grandchild that he or she meets the low income cut-off (recent Notice of Assessment, T4 or T1 form, pension statement, investments, etc.).
You will need a document confirming your medical exam.
You need proof that you subscribed to a minimum one-year medical insurance coverage by a Canadian insurance company (as soon as international insurance companies will be designated by IRCC, their list will be provided here), that:
- covers health care, hospital costs and your return to your home country,
- covers you for at least $100,000,
- is valid for multiple entries into Canada, and
- that you can show an immigration officer upon entry in Canada.

Child/Grandchild's Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)

When calculating the number of depend family members, the child or grandchild in Canada needs to include you and your spouse/partner (in addition to spouse/partner/children or any previously sponsored persons).

Number of dependent family members	Minimum gross income (CAD)
1	$25,921
2	$32,270
3	$39,672
4	$48,167
5	$54,630
6	$61,613
7	$68,598
For each additional family member, add	$6,985

Medical Exam Requirements

You will need to pass a Medical Exam with an IRCC approved doctor. Find out more in our medical exams article.

Application Fees

The fees are the same as for a visitor TRV, which are a $100.

Processing Times

Processing times for a Super Visa depend on the country from when you are applying.

You can find out your country's processing times here. You need to select "Visiting, studying, working temporarily", then "Super Visa", then choose the country you are applying from.

To learn more about how to get a visitor visa, check here.

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