General information, not legal or immigration advice. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer.
What the Super Visa is
The Super Visa is a multi-entry visa for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Two things make it different from an ordinary visitor visa:
- It allows much longer stays per visit — the per-entry period was raised to up to 5 years in 2022 (from 2 years), so stays are measured in years, not months.
- The visa itself can be valid for up to 10 years (or until the passport expires, whichever comes first).
It is worth being blunt about what it is not: the Super Visa is visitor status, not a path to permanent residence. Your parents can live alongside you for long stretches, but they do not become permanent residents, they cannot work, and they are not covered by provincial health care.
For most families right now it is nonetheless the realistic option, because the Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP) is closed to new applications.
Eligibility
To be eligible, the visitor must:
- Be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (grandchildren and children do not qualify — nor do siblings, in-laws, or dependants)
- Be admissible to Canada
- Apply from outside Canada
- Meet the insurance, medical exam, and host income requirements below
Dependants generally cannot be included on a Super Visa application — each eligible parent or grandparent applies in their own right. A spouse who is also a parent/grandparent of the host applies separately.
The host's minimum income (LICO)
The child or grandchild in Canada — the host — must show they can support the visitor. That threshold is based on the LICOLICO: Low-Income Cut-Off — Statistics Canada's low-income threshold, updated annually. IRCC uses it to set the minimum income for hosting a Super Visa applicant. It varies by family size. for the household size, counting the visiting parent(s) or grandparent(s).
We deliberately do not print a dollar figure here. The LICO table is updated annually, and a stale number on a website is worse than no number.
→ canada.ca — Super Visa income requirement and current LICO table
Income rules were eased effective March 31, 2026. IRCC broadened how a host can demonstrate the required income compared with the older, stricter single-year calculation. Because this change is recent, confirm exactly which income sources and which tax years count for your application before you gather documents.
Medical insurance
This is the requirement that most often sinks an application, and the one to get right first.
The visitor must have medical insurance that:
- Provides at least CAD $100,000 in emergency medical coverage
- Is valid for at least one year from the date of entry
- Covers health care, hospitalisation and repatriation
- Is paid in full (not merely quoted), and available for inspection by an officer at the port of entry on each entry
On who may issue the policy: historically the policy had to come from a Canadian insurance company. Since January 28, 2025, IRCC also accepts a policy from a foreign insurer authorized by OSFI — the insurer must appear on OSFI's list of federally regulated companies authorized to provide accident and sickness insurance. Either way the coverage must still meet the $100,000 / one-year minimums above. Confirm your insurer is on the OSFI list before buying — an ineligible policy is a refusal, and the premium is not cheap.
Immigration medical exam and letter of invitation
Two more required pieces:
- Immigration medical exam — the applicant must complete one with an IRCC-approved panel physician. This is not optional for the Super Visa.
- Letter of invitation from the child or grandchild in Canada, committing to financially support the visitor for the duration of the stay, and setting out the household size and the host's status in Canada.
How long you can stay, and extending
The Super Visa's whole point is the long per-entry stay. Since the 2022 enhancement, holders can stay up to 5 years per entry (up from 2 years), far longer than the six months a standard visitor typically receives, and can apply from inside Canada to extend by up to another 2 years.
If your parents want to stay beyond the period they were granted at entry, they apply from inside Canada for a Visitor Record — and the same rule applies as for any visitor: apply before their current status expires, or they lose the protection of maintained status.
Super Visa vs a regular visitor visa
| Super Visa | Regular visitor visa (TRV) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | Parents & grandparents of citizens/PRs | Any visitor |
| Stay per entry | Up to 5 years | Typically up to 6 months |
| Visa validity | Up to 10 years | Varies |
| Medical insurance | Required | Not required |
| Medical exam | Required | Usually not |
| Host income test | Yes (LICO) | No |
| Leads to PR? | No | No |
How to apply
At a high level:
- The host gathers proof of income and writes the letter of invitation.
- The applicant buys a qualifying medical insurance policy and completes the immigration medical exam.
- The applicant applies online from outside Canada, with biometrics as required.
- On each entry, the visitor carries proof of valid insurance — officers can ask for it at the border.
→ canada.ca — apply for a Super Visa
Related tools & guides
- Family Sponsorship — the PR routes for close family, and the current PGP status
- Visitor Record — extending a stay once your parents are already here
- Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) — the standard visitor visa, for comparison
- Eligibility Wizard — find which programs fit your own situation
- Talk to a verified RCIC — for advice on a specific application
FAQ
How long can parents stay on a Super Visa?
Up to 5 years per entry since the 2022 enhancement (up from 2 years), with the visa itself valid for up to 10 years, and you can apply from inside Canada to extend by up to another 2 years. Staying beyond the period granted at entry requires a Visitor Record.
What income do I need to host a Super Visa applicant?
You must meet the minimum necessary income for your household size, based on the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO), counting the visiting parents or grandparents in that household size. The figure changes annually, so use the current table on canada.ca. IRCC eased how hosts can demonstrate this income effective March 31, 2026.
Is medical insurance required for a Super Visa?
Yes, and it is mandatory rather than advisory. The policy must provide at least CAD $100,000 in emergency medical coverage, be valid for at least one year from entry, cover health care, hospitalisation and repatriation, and be paid in full. Since January 28, 2025 it can come from a Canadian insurer or a foreign insurer authorized by OSFI.
Super Visa or sponsoring my parents — which is better?
They answer different questions. Sponsorship through the PGP leads to permanent residence, provincial health coverage and the right to work — but the PGP is closed to new applications, so it is not currently available. The Super Visa is available now and allows long visits, but it remains visitor status: no PR, no work, and private insurance instead of provincial health care.