How To Sponsor Your Parents & Grandparents For A Super Visa?
If you are living in Canada as a citizen/ permanent resident, then you can sponsor your parents & grandparents for a Super Visa.
Canada has only one family reunification program for sponsoring these relatives for permanent residency – the Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP) – and this has been closed to intake since 2020.
While not a pathway towards permanent residency in Canada, the Super Visa allows the host’s relatives to visit them in Canada for years at a time.
If your relatives only want to stay for six months or less, a regular visitor visa is the way to go if they are from a visa-required country. If not, an Electronic Authorization (eTA) will suffice.
About Super Visa
The Super Visa allows eligible hosts to sponsor their parents and grandparents to become temporary residents in Canada for up to five years while they visit their child or grandchild.
Super Visa holders also have the option to request a two-year extension once the five years are up. However, it is important to note that the visa will only be valid for a ten-year period.
These visas are available year-round, unlike the PGP, which sends out invitations to apply once per year and operates on a lottery system.
The Super Visa doesn’t grant permanent residency status and does not authorize holders to work or study in Canada.
While both the PGP and Super Visa facilitate family reunification, there are certain significant differences:
| Factors | Super Visa | PGP |
| Availability | Can apply at any time | Once-a-year lottery system |
| Processing Time | 6 months or less | Intent to live in Quebec: 48 months Intent to live outside Quebec: 33 months |
| Maximum Length Of Stay | 5 years, with the possibility of a 2-year extension | Unlimited |
| Invitation Required? | Direct application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Portal | Must receive an invitation to apply (ITA) after submitting an interest to sponsor form |
| Status Granted | Visitor Status | Canadian permanent residence |
| Financial Requirements | Host must meet the minimum necessary income requirements, dependent on family size, for the most recent tax year. | Host must meet the minimum necessary income, dependent on family size, for the past 3 taxation years |
| Medical insurance | Required | Not Required |
Note that processing times for the PGP are country-dependent.
Eligibility Requirements
There are certain criteria both hosts and their relatives must meet when applying for a Super Visa.
Sponsor Eligibility
If you are eligible, then you can sponsor your parents & grandparents for a Super Visa. To be considered an eligible host, you need to:
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Reside in Canada at the time of application and at the time your relatives arrive
- Meet or exceed the minimum income requirements
To apply, you must promise to support your relatives throughout their stay in Canada.
Minimum Income Requirements
The annual income you need to sponsor your relatives depends on the size of your family.
Your spouse/ common-law partner can co-sign the application to help meet the income requirements.
You must include the following people when calculating your family size:
- Yourself
- Your spouse
- Your dependent children
- Your spouse’s dependent children
- The people you are sponsoring (e.g., your grandparent and their spouse, if applicable)
- Previously approved Super Visa applicants you or your co-signer has sponsored whose stay in Canada has not ended
- People you or your co-signer have previously sponsored (if the duration of the undertaking is still in effect)
The following table details the minimum income necessary in relation to family size.
| Number Of Family Members | Annual Income Required |
| 1 | $29,380 |
| 2 | $36,576 |
| 3 | $44,966 |
| 4 | $54,594 |
| 5 | $61,920 |
| 6 | $69,834 |
| 7 | $77,750 |
More than seven: For every additional family member, an additional $7,916 be added.
Sponsee Eligibility
Parents and grandparents, as well as their spouses/ common-law partners, can be included in the application. The application does not permit the inclusion of dependents.
All individuals listed in the Super Visa application have to be admissible to Canada and purchase health insurance for the time duration of their stay.
The health policy should:
- Be valid for at least a year, beginning from the date of entry
- Provide a minimum coverage of $100,000
- Be paid in full or in installments
- Cover health care, hospitalization, and repatriation
The policy also needs to be issued by either a Canadian insurance company/ a foreign insurer outside Canada, provided they meet IRCC standards.
In addition to this necessary health policy, sponsored parties are required to take an immigration medical exam. After their application has been submitted, they will be sent instructions on how and when to book their appointment and the type of exam.
Furthermore, IRCC should be satisfied that your relative intends to leave at the end of their stay. This can be proven through several factors, such as ties to their home country and the purpose of their visit.
How Sponsees Can Apply?
In order to sponsor your parents and grandparents for a Super Visa, you must know how sponsees can apply.
Only your parents or grandparents need to submit an application, but you must provide them with certain documents to include in their application.
They must apply from outside Canada.
Step One:
Gather the necessary documentation for the application, including:
- The letter of invitation from the sponsoring host, including the promise of financial support, and the list and number of people included in the calculation of family size
- Proof of the host’s income
- Proof of a health insurance policy
- Proof that the host (and their spouse or common-law partner, if applicable) is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian
- Proof of the relationship to the host
Step Two:
Submit the application on the IRCC Portal & pay all associated fees. Closely follow the instructions provided in order to avoid processing delay or outright application refusal.
Step Three:
Book an appointment as soon as possible at the nearest official biometric collection site if IRCC determines that the applicant needs to submit biometrics.
Step Four:
Wait to hear back from IRCC regarding the date & time the applicant needs to complete the medical exam, along with the type. Once completed, include proof of the exam in the application.
Step Five:
Wait for the application to be processed – processing time can differ significantly based on the visa office where you submitted your application.
If you seek information on how to begin your Canada immigration application process, you can talk to our NavaImmigration experts at 1800-918-8490, or you can drop us an email at [email protected].
