A super visa is a multiple-entry visa specifically for the parents and grandparents of PR holders and Canadian citizens. Super visa holders can visit and stay in Canada for up to five years without needing to renew their status.
A super visa allows you to visit your children and grandchildren for five years at a time. It is a type of multiple-entry, temporary residence visa that comes with a validity of ten years. The visa can be extended for 2-years from within Canada. The legal immigration status of parents and grandparents visiting their family in Canada will be that of a visitor. The application intake for the super visa will be held throughout the year, similar to that of the Parents and Grandparents program (PGP). With a Canada Super visa, parents and grandparents can freely travel from Canada to their country of nationality without re-applying for the Temporary resident visa. IRCC will issue an official letter to super visa holders, which will authorize their visit to Canada for up to two years at the initial entry.
Canada super visa is a visitor visa exclusively for parents and grandparents. The table given below has the list of differences between a Canada Super Visa vs. Visit Visa:
Factor | Canada Super Visa | Canada Visit Visa |
Duration of Stay | For up to 5 years | For up to 6 months |
Validity of Visa | Valid for up to 10 years | Up to 6 months |
Eligibility | Parents and grandparents | Anyone can apply |
Type of Entry | Multiple-entry visa | Can be single-entry or multiple-entry |
Processing Time | 4-6 months | 8-40 days |
Some of the benefits of choosing a Super visa over other visas:
To qualify for a Canada super visa, your sponsor must be:
A child or grandchild
Income thresholds and proof of funds
As proof of sufficient funds, one must submit the following documents:
The minimum amount of funds required to immigrate to Canada depends on the number of family members. The sponsor must fulfill the following income requirements mentioned in the table below:
Number of family members | Funds you need (in Canadian dollars) |
1 | $29,380 |
2 | $36,576 |
3 | $44,966 |
4 | $54,594 |
5 | $61,920 |
6 | $69,834 |
7 | $77,750 |
If more than 7 people, for each additional family member, add | $7,916 |
Medical and police clearance requirements
The complete lists of medical requirements that are to be submitted by the sponsor are as follows:
Must have a valid medical insurance policy from:
The medical insurance policy must:
Note: The border services officer may request proof of paid insurance at entry.
You can sponsor the parents and grandparents to apply for a Canada super visa if:
You can prove the above factor with copies of any of the below documents:
As proof of your relationship with the sponsor, you must submit:
Note: Dependents cannot be included in the application.
Documentation is needed from the applicant and sponsor. The checklists of documents that are to be fulfilled by the applicant are:
A Super visa application is incomplete without a letter of Invitation from the Canadian sponsor. The letter of Invitation from a child grandchild must include the following details:
The checklists of documents that are to be fulfilled by the sponsor are:
Proof of relationship and financial support
Your relationship with the sponsor (parents or grandchildren) can be proven by submitting the following:
The sponsor (child or grandchild) must fulfill the minimum income requirement threshold known as the low-income cut-off (LICO). Statistics Canada annually updates the LICO. You can submit the following checklist documents as proof of income requirements.
Medical insurance requirements (minimum coverage, duration, recognized providers)
The medical insurance policy that you possess must meet the criteria below:
Super visa applicants can apply for the visa online and offline, but they must be outside the country when applying.
Submit your Canada Super Visa through online process
Step 1: Receive an invite code
You must receive an invite code to create your IRCC account for the first time.
Step 2: Create an online account
The next step would be to create an account online and sign into it.
Step 3: Complete the form and submit the documents
Fill in the online application form and upload the required documents for a Canada super visa
Step 4: Pay the required fee
Pay the required application fee for the Super visa. The visa fees can be paid via prepaid cards and credit cards.
Step 5: Await the visa status
Once the fee payment is completed, you can wait for the status of your Super visa.
Submit your Canada Super Visa through offline process
The Super visa applications are usually applied online, with only online applications being accepted and processed. However, one can apply via paper if they fall under any of the two criteria given below:
You can apply offline or via paper by following the steps given below:
Step 1: Check if you are eligible to apply online
Step 2: Arrange the required documents for the Super visa
Step 3: Pay the application fees
Step 4: Submit the application form
Step 5: Wait for the status of your visa
Detailed guide to filling out the application forms
The Canada super visa application can be completed via two different application modes. You can apply online for the super visa by following the above directions, while offline applications can be submitted via paper for candidates with certain exemptions.
Super Visa Letter of Invitation from your Child or Grandchild
Super visa applicants are required to submit a letter of invitation. The sponsor (child or grandchild) in Canada must sign and write an invitation letter. The letter can be co-signed by a qualifying spouse or common-law partner of the sponsor to meet the minimum income requirements.
The letter of invitation, along with supporting documents, must include the following:
What should be included in a Letter of Invitation?
The checklist of documents that are to be included while writing a Letter of Invitation is as follows:
Details of the Super visa applicant:
Details of the sponsor:
The application process for a Canada super visa is similar to that of a Temporary Graduate visa (TGV). Once submitted, the application is examined by the officials to check if it includes all the required documents. An incomplete application will most likely be rejected or refused. You may also be asked to:
Most super visa applications are processed within a few months or even before that, depending on the visa office and the submission of requirements, along with other factors.
Approved applicants receive a letter with instructions for submitting their passports to receive a visa. If you belong to a visa-exempt country, you will be issued a letter to hand to the border services officer when you enter the country.
The average processing time for a Canada super visa can take around 4-6 months.
Depending on how you apply for the visa, you can check the status of your super visa application using any of the three methods given below.
If you have applied through the IRCC secure account:
Step 1: Sign in to your IRCC account
Step 2: Click on “Check status and messages” under the “View my submitted applications or profiles.” section.
*Note: For a detailed breakdown of the events in your application, you may be required to open a different account with a unique client identifier (UCI) and application number via the Application Status Tracker.
If you have applied through the IRCC portal:
Step 1: Sign in to your IRCC account
Step 2: Check the status of your visa
*Note: For a detailed breakdown of the events in your application, you may be required to open a different account with a unique client identifier (UCI) and application number via the Application Status Tracker.
If you applied offline via paper:
If you have applied offline, the first step is to link your paper application to the IRCC account so you can check your status.
Step 1: Link your paper application to the IRCC secure account
(Sort out all the emails received related to your application along with the identification numbers)
Step 2: Check the updated status of your application
You can find the following list in your account:
The application cost for a Canada super visa is $100, with a biometric fee of $85. The table below has a complete breakdown of all the costs for a Super visa:
Fees | $CAN |
Visitor Visa - Per Person Single or multiple entry temporary resident visa |
100 |
Visitor Visa – Per Family Single or multiple entry temporary resident visa; maximum fee for a family of 5 or more people applying at the same time and place |
500 |
Extend Your Stay as a Visitor – Per Person | 100 |
Restore Your Status as a Visitor (Visa fee not needed) | 229 |
Individuals from certain countries that do not require a visitor visa to travel to Canada are also known as visa-exempt visitors. Visa-exempt visitors can stay in Canada for six months without renewing their status. However, parents and grandparents from visa-exempt countries can still apply for a Super visa to be eligible to stay in the country for up to 5 years at a time. The application process for visa-exempt parents and grandparents will be the same as the regular Super visa application process. Visitors from visa-exempt countries who travel to Canada by air must apply for an electronic travel authorization (eTA).
List of visa-exempt countries | |
Andorra | Italy |
Australia | Japan |
Austria | Republic of Korea |
Bahamas | Latvia |
Barbados | Liechtenstein |
Belgium | Lithuania |
British citizen | Luxembourg |
British National (Overseas) | Malta |
British overseas citizen (re-admissible to the United Kingdom) | Monaco |
British Subject with a right of abode in the United Kingdom | Netherlands |
Brunei Darussalam | New Zealand |
Bulgaria | Norway |
Chile | Papua New Guinea |
Croatia | Poland |
Cyprus | Portugal |
Czech Republic | Romania (electronic passport holders only) |
Denmark | Samoa |
Estonia | San Marino |
Finland | Singapore |
France | Slovakia |
Germany | Slovenia |
Greece | Solomon Islands |
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR. | Spain |
Hungary | Sweden |
Iceland | Switzerland |
Ireland | Taiwan, must have an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number |
Israel, must have a national Israeli passport | United Arab Emirates |
Vatican City State, must have a passport or travel document issued by the Vatican. |
Yes, you can extend your stay with Canada Super Visa. The application for extending your application can be submitted no more than 30 days before the expiry of the current visa status. Suppose the current visa expires while your extension application is being processed. In that case, you can stay in Canada until a decision is made, which can be known as implied status.
Documentation needed for extensions
The checklist of documents required to extend your Canada super visa:
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