Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents may be eligible to apply for the parent and grandparent super visa. This visa is valid for up to 10 years and will let you visit your family in Canada for up to two years without renewing your status.
Basic Requirements:
To apply for the parent and grandparent super visa, you must:
- Be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada,
- Be allowed to enter Canada and
- Meet certain other conditions.
Note: You cannot include dependents in this application. Only your spouse or common-law partner can come with you under this visa.
Special Requirements:
You must:
- Have a valid travel document, such as a passport
- Be in good health
- Convince an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit and
- Have enough money for your stay
- Temporary resident (visitor) visa
- Invitation Letter
- Prove that your child or grandchild in Canada meets a minimum income threshold,
- Provide a written statement from that child or grandchild that he or she will give you financial support,
- Have valid Canadian medical insurance coverage for at least one year and
Considerable Things:
Visa officers consider several things before they decide if you can come to Canada. You must be a real visitor to Canada who will leave by choice at the end of your visit. A visa officer will look at these things when you apply:
- Your ties to your home country,
- The purpose of your visit,
- Your family and finances,
- The overall economic and political stability of your home country, and
- An invitation from a Canadian host.
Income Scale:
In order to be eligible for the Super Visa, your child or grandchild in Canada must have an income that is at least equal to the minimum necessary income required. The amount required will depend on the size of your child or grandchild’s family unit (they may combine the income of their spouse or common-law partner to meet the minimum income required). The following table provides the funds that will be required (subject to change without notice):
Your child or grandchild may use the following income scale to assess their ability to meet the income requirements.
Size of Family Unit |
Minimum necessary income |
1 person (your child or grandchild) |
$23,298 |
2 persons |
$29,004 |
3 persons |
$35,657 |
4 persons |
$43,292 |
5 persons |
$49,102 |
6 persons |
$55,378 |
7 persons |
$61,656 |
More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add |
$6,268 |
Letter of invitation
Information for the person writing the letter of invitation
You must include this information about the person you are inviting:
- Complete name,
- Date of birth,
- Address and telephone number,
- Your relationship to the person,
- The purpose of the trip,
- How long the person plans to stay in canada,
- Where the person will stay, and how he or she will pay for things, and
- When the person plans to leave canada.
You must include this information about yourself:
- Complete name,
- Date of birth,
- Address and telephone number in Canada,
- Job title,
- Whether you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident,
- A photocopy of a document proving your status in Canada, such asDetails of your family, such as names and dates of birth of your spouse and dependants (this is mandatory for the parent and grandparent super visa), and
- A Canadian birth certificate, if you were born in Canada,
- A Canadian citizenship card, if you are a naturalized citizen, or
- A copy of your pr card or your imm 1000 proof of landing, if you are a permanent resident,
- The total number of people living in your household, including people you sponsored whose sponsorship is still in effect (this is mandatory for the parent and grandparent super visa).
For the parent and grandparent super visa only, you must also provide:
- A written and signed promise of your financial support for your parents or grandparents for their entire stay in Canada, and
- Proof that your income meets or is above the low-income cut-off (LICO) for the total number of people, including the visiting parents or grandparents.
Medical exams:
You might need a medical exam to be allowed to enter Canada. If you do, a Canadian immigration officer will tell you and will send you instructions about what to do. A medical exam can add several weeks to the processing time of your application.
Inadmissibility:
Some people are not allowed to come to Canada. They are known as “inadmissible” under Canada’s immigration law. There are many reasons we may not let you into Canada, such as:
- You are a security risk,
- You have committed human or international rights violations,
- You have been convicted of a crime, or you have committed an act outside Canada that would be a crime,
- You have ties to organized crime,
- You have a serious health problem,
- You have a serious financial problem,
- You lied on your application or in an interview,
- You do not meet the conditions in Canada’s immigration law, or
- One of your family members is not allowed into Canada.