Information on Parent and Grandparent Super Visa

About the Super Visa

On November 4, 2011, CIC announced a temporary pause on all new sponsorship applications for the parents and grandparents category. With the introduction of this pause, CIC implemented a long-term Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) for applicants seeking to visit their child or grandchild who is either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

The single or multiple-entry Super Visa allows visitors to stay for a period of up to two years.

Important information. Applicants who do not require a visa must also submit an application to the visa office.

Who may apply for a Super Visa?

To apply for the Super Visa you must either be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.

Note: You cannot include your dependent children in this application. Only your spouse or common-law partner is eligible to accompany you under this provision.

What must I do to obtain a SuperVisa?

In order to obtain a Super Visa, you will need to apply at a visa office and provide:

• evidence of the parent or grandparent relationship to the Canadian citizen or permanent resident you wish to visit (e.g. birth certificate, baptismal certificate or other official documents naming you as parent),
• a letter of invitation from your child or grandchild which includes arrangements for care and support,
• proof from your child or grandchild that he meets the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)
• proof that you have private medical insurance valid for a minimum of one year from a Canadian insurance company and that:
  • covers health care, hospitalization and repatriation,
  • provides a minimum coverage of $100 000, and
  • is valid for each entry to Canada and be available for review by a port of entry officer.

Note: You will be required to undergo a medical examination. Medical instructionswill be provided to you by the visa office. You are not required to complete a medical examination before you submit your application forms.

What must my child or grandchild do to meet the LICO minimum?

You child or grandchild’s income must meet or exceed the minimum necessary, as identified annually in the Income Table.

In the letter of invitation he must calculate his family size. This factor determines the amount of income required of him to provide care and support for you and your spouse, if applicable. He may use the table below to calculate the family size:

1. Your child or grandchild counts:
   • Himself
   • His spouse or common-law partner,
   • His dependent children,
   • any person he may have sponsored previously and for whom the sponsorship agreement and undertaking are still in effect.
2. He counts the number of persons he will be supporting :
   • You, and
   • Your spouse or common-law partner, if applicable.
3. He adds the number of persons covered by steps 1 and 2. The total represents his family size.
4. He looks at the LICO in the Income Table in this guide to determine if he meets the minimum required for his family size.
5. To demonstrate that he meets the minimum income required, your child or grandchild may include one of the documents listed in the Document Checklist (IMM 5484).

Effective from January 1 to December 31 2011

Your child or grandchild may use the following income scale to assess their ability to meet the income requirements.

Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)

Size of Family Unit	Minimum necessary income
1 person (your child or grandchild)	$22,229
2 persons	$27,674
3 persons	$34,022
4 persons	$41,307
5 persons	$46,850
6 persons	$52,838
7 persons	$58,827
More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add	$5,989

Canada issues first 'super visa'

OTTAWA: The first Parent and Grandparent Super Visa has been issued by the Canadian government, a minister announced on Monday. 

"We pledged to process the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa in less than eight weeks," Jason Kenney, minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, said in a statement. "We've issued the first of the Super Visas in just two weeks and we remain committed to reuniting families through the Super Visa in a timely manner." 

The Parent and Grandparent Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit their families in Canada for as long as 10 years, reported Xinhua. The visas need to be renewed every two years. 

Until the Super Visa was launched Dec 1, 2011, visitors to Canada usually could only visit for six months at a time and visitors who wished to stay longer had to apply for extensions and pay a new fee every six months. 

Super Visa seekers use the same application form as applicants for the standard six-month visitor visa. They must also submit proof that the host child or grandchild meets a minimum income, demonstrate that they have purchased comprehensive Canadian medical insurance and undergo the immigration medical examination. 

The first Super Visa was issued at the Canadian mission in Manila Dec 14, two weeks after the Citizenship and Immigration Canada began accepting applications, Kenney said. 

"With the Super Visa, we have taken a common sense approach that allows parents and grandparents to spend extended periods of time with their loved ones in Canada, while at the same time, acting responsibly in protecting Canadian taxpayers," Kenney added. "I'm pleased that the response to this program has been so positive." 

The new visa is part of the Conservative government's plan to battle an enormous backlog of about 165,000 parents and grandparents who are trying to join family in Canada. 

Earlier this year, Kenney told a parliamentary committee that the new system will help many families to be re-united. He said the requirement that visa holder buy health insurance will prevent them from abusing Canada's medicare system. 

"The department informs me that they're confident that the approval rate for these parent Super Visas will actually be very high," Kenney told the committee. 

"One of the reasons we are requiring that people demonstrate they have health insurance when they come into Canada, is to add greater certainty for our visa officers that admitting people is not going to end up representing a net cost to Canadian taxpayers," he said.