In this article
The short version
A Super Visa is a temporary resident visa for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. It lets them come to Canada as visitors and stay for an extended period, and it can be valid for up to ten years, allowing multiple entries.
The headline feature is the length of stay. A Super Visa holder can stay in Canada for up to five years at a time on a single entry, and can apply from inside Canada to extend that stay by up to two more years.
A regular visitor visa gives you six months. The Super Visa gives you five years. That is the entire point of it.
What a Super Visa is NOT
It is not permanent residence. It is not a path to permanent residence. It does not lead to citizenship. It does not give the holder the right to work in Canada. It does not give them health coverage.
This distinction matters because the Super Visa is often marketed as an alternative to the Parent and Grandparent Program, which is the actual sponsorship route to permanent residence for parents and grandparents. It is not an alternative. It is a different thing entirely. The Parent and Grandparent Program is intake limited and lottery based, and the Super Visa exists partly because the wait for that program is so long.
You can hold a Super Visa and separately be in the Parent and Grandparent Program pool. They do not conflict.
Who can apply
The applicant must be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Dependants of the parent or grandparent generally cannot be included, other than a spouse or common law partner who is also a parent or grandparent of that same citizen or permanent resident.
The applicant must be admissible to Canada, must satisfy an officer that they will leave at the end of their authorised stay, and must meet the medical and insurance requirements below.
The child or grandchild in Canada must sign a letter of invitation that includes a promise of financial support, and must show that their household meets or exceeds the minimum necessary income for their family size. IRCC publishes the income table, and the family size includes the person or people being invited.
The requirement everyone gets wrong: medical insurance
The applicant must have Canadian medical insurance coverage.
Almost every website, including many run by consultants, states that this insurance must be paid in full. That is wrong.
IRCC's own requirement is that the policy be paid in full, OR paid in instalments with a deposit. What IRCC does not accept is a quote. A quote is not a policy. If you submit a quote, you will be refused.
That distinction is worth money to a family. Paying a year of medical insurance for an elderly relative in a single lump sum is a significant cost, and many families believe they have no choice. They do have a choice.
The other insurance detail almost nobody explains
The insurance must be from a Canadian insurance company, or from a foreign insurer only if that insurer is authorised by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and is doing insurance business in Canada.
This has a hard edge to it. A broker is not an insurer. A claims administrator is not an insurer. If your policy document names a broker or an administrator rather than an authorised insurer, it can be refused.
Check the name on the policy. Check that name against the OSFI list. Do it before you submit, not after.
The insurance must also be valid for at least one year from the date of entry, must cover healthcare, hospitalisation and repatriation, and must provide at least the minimum coverage amount that IRCC specifies.
The medical exam
The applicant must have an immigration medical exam. This must be done by a panel physician approved by IRCC. Your family doctor cannot do it, no matter how qualified they are.
Depending on the applicant's country of residence, additional requirements may apply.
Where and how to apply
The Super Visa is applied for from outside Canada. It is issued as a visa in the applicant's passport, or as an electronic travel authorisation equivalent depending on nationality, and it is examined at the port of entry like any other visa.
Being issued a Super Visa does not guarantee entry. A border services officer at the port of entry makes the final decision on admission, and on how long the person may stay, on every single entry. This is true of every visa and it surprises people every year.
Is it right for your family
If your parents want to spend long periods with you in Canada, keep their home and their life abroad, and do not need to work or access Canadian healthcare, the Super Visa is very likely the right instrument, and it is far more accessible than the Parent and Grandparent Program.
If they want to live in Canada permanently, work, access public healthcare, and eventually become citizens, the Super Visa does not do that, and no amount of renewing it will turn it into permanent residence.
Be clear with yourself about which of those two things you actually want, because the applications are completely different.
Not sure which pathway is right for you? Our RCIC-licensed consultants can advise you on the best strategy based on your immigration goals.
Prepared by George Paul, KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Not sure which pathway is right for you? Our RCIC-licensed consultants can advise you on the best strategy based on your immigration goals.
Check Your EligibilityPrepared by George Paul, KGraph Immigration Consultants. Last updated July 2026. This guide is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice.