- Eligible host and co-signer
- Medical admissibility
- Health insurance policy
- Letter of invitation
- Minimum necessary income
- Calculating family size
Eligibility criteria and documentation requirements
The Super Visa offers eligible parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents the possibility of visiting Canada for 5 years on each entry.
An applicant is eligible for a Super Visa if they apply from outside Canada, meet the requirements for temporary residence in Canada as a visitor and provide the additional supporting documentation demonstrating that they meet the requirements in the Ministerial Instructions.
Eligible host and co-signer
Proof of an eligible host includes the following:
- proof of the applicant’s relationship to the host, which may include
- a copy of the child’s or grandchild’s birth certificate
- a copy of the child’s or grandchild’s baptismal certificate
- another official document naming the applicant as the parent or grandparent
- a copy of their Canadian citizenship
- a copy of a permanent resident document
Only biological or adopted children may invite their parents or grandparents. They may also invite the spouse or common-law partner of their parent or grandparent.
Foreign national with a host who is a Registered Indian
A Super Visa application may include a host child or grandchild who is a registered Indian. In such cases, officers should process the Super Visa application as usual and should not require additional proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence in Canada from the host; the Certificate of Indian Status is the only proof required to prove that the host is a person registered under the Indian Act. Should all the requirements for a Super Visa be met, officers should issue a Super Visa, which allows for a stay of 5 years for each authorized entry.
A spouse or common-law partner of the host may co-sign the letter of invitation. Proof of an eligible co-signer (if applicable) should include the following:
- proof of the co-signer’s relationship to the host
- proof of the co-signer’s status in Canada, which may include
- a copy of their Canadian citizenship; or
- a copy of a permanent resident document
The co-signer may provide proof of income, to be combined with the host’s income, in order to demonstrate that the minimum necessary income is met or exceeded.
Medical admissibility
The applicant must provide
- proof of submitting to an immigration medical exam
- proof of being admissible to Canada on health grounds as per A38.
Health insurance policy
The applicant must provide satisfactory evidence that they have valid health insurance from a Canadian insurance company or an insurance company outside Canada that is approved by the minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Footnote 1 .
The health insurance policy should
- be valid for a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry
- cover the applicant for health care, hospitalization and repatriation
- provide a minimum of $100,000 emergency coverage
- be valid for each entry to Canada, and
- be available for review by the border services officer on request
The officer should be satisfied that the applicant has the appropriate health insurance policy for a full year on each entry (initial and subsequent), regardless of the applicant’s method of payment (for example, payment in full or instalments with a deposit). Quotes are not accepted.
Letter of invitation
The applicant must provide a letter of invitation written and signed by the host child or grandchild. An eligible spouse or common-law partner of the host may co-sign the letter of invitation to have their income count toward the minimum necessary income.
The letter of invitation and accompanying documentation must include
- a promise of financial support for the applicant for the length of the authorized stays
- a list of all individuals to be included in the family size calculation to assess if the host meets or exceeds the minimum necessary income
Minimum necessary income
In order to determine the host’s ability to financially support the applicant for the length of the authorized stays, the host must provide proof that they meet or exceed the minimum necessary income, which is based on Statistics Canada’s low income cut-offs (LICO). Acceptable documents include
- the last Notice of Assessment (NOA) issued by the Minister of National Revenue (CRA);
- T4 or T1 for the last tax year
- pay stubs for the most recent 12 month period available
- Employment Insurance benefit statements
- a letter from an accountant confirming the annual income, if self-employed
- proof of other sources of income (for example, pension statements)
- an original letter from the employer stating the job title, job description and salary
- bank statements
Calculating family size
The following individuals must be included in the family size count for the minimum necessary income:
- host
- host’s spouse (which might include a separated spouse) or common-law partner
- dependent children of the host and of the host’s spouse or common-law partner (including dependent children of any dependent children)
- Children who meet the definition of a dependent child must be included in the count, regardless of custody and child support arrangements.
- These are any valid Super Visa holders for whom the host or the host’s spouse or common-law partner has signed or co-signed a letter of invitation.
- These are individuals the host or co-signer has previously sponsored (or acted as a co-signer for) for whom the duration of the undertaking remains in effect.
- It also includes their family members, whether or not they were included in the undertaking.
Since the Super Visa is a temporary resident visa, the family members of the Super Visa applicant are not included in the family size count for the purpose of meeting the minimum necessary income. This is different from the family size count to sponsor a member of the family class.
Note: Undertakings include those from family class and refugee resettlement sponsorships and take effect on the day on which a foreign national becomes a permanent resident. The case processing centre can review the Global Case Management System (GCMS) to confirm if the host or co-signer has previously sponsored any persons. Officers should make a note in the GCMS of any person sponsored, or co-signed for, who is still being processed and has not yet become a permanent resident.
Footnotes
Footnote 1Currently, no foreign insurance companies have been designated by the Minister. If a client specifically requests in their application that a foreign insurance company be considered for approval by the Minister, please contact the Immigration Program Guidance Branch for further direction.
