A grandmother arrives at Pearson with two suitcases and a walking cane, and within a week she has taken over the kitchen in a Brampton semi-detached and is walking a grandchild to school. For many families in Peel Region, that picture is exactly why the super visa exists. It lets a parent or grandparent stay for a long period, without the wait and the commitment that come with sponsoring them for permanent residence.
It is still a visitor visa, though. That one fact shapes nearly everything about the application and about what happens afterward. Your parent cannot work here, they do not become a permanent resident by staying a long time, and in Ontario they generally cannot rely on public health coverage. The family also takes on real costs, chiefly private medical insurance, which can be expensive for an older person with health conditions.
What follows is general information and not legal advice on your family’s circumstances. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changes its requirements, income tables, and insurer rules from time to time, so confirm the current details on its website.
How Long a Super Visa Lasts
A super visa allows your parent or grandparent to visit for up to five years at a time. The visa can allow multiple entries for up to 10 years, or until the passport or other documents expire, if sooner. An ordinary visitor is often limited to about six months at a time, which is the main appeal here. A family planning a visit of six months or less should look at a regular visitor visa instead, as IRCC will direct them there.
The actual length of stay is set by the officer and shown on the visa or in the entry documents. Do not assume a five-year stay simply because the program allows it. If your parent needs to remain longer than authorized, an application to extend must be made before the authorized stay runs out.
Applicants who do not normally need a visitor visa, such as citizens of visa-exempt countries, can still apply for a super visa. They receive a letter to show a border officer rather than a visa in their passport, and those flying to Canada may also need an electronic travel authorization.
Who Can Host
The host must be the applicant’s biological or adopted child or grandchild. You must be able to prove that relationship, usually with birth certificates or adoption records. The host must also:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Live in Canada.
- Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Indian Act.
- Meet the minimum necessary income.
- Write and sign a letter of invitation.
An important limit: a brother, aunt, or family friend cannot host in this program. A son-in-law cannot host in his own right either, although a host’s spouse can be counted in the household and may help with income as a co-signer.
Applicants must be outside Canada when they submit the application. A parent who is already here on a visitor record, hoping to switch without leaving, is not eligible to apply from inside Canada. Each person applies individually, and dependants cannot be included in the application. If both of your parents are coming, plan on each one needing their own application, insurance, and medical exam.
The Income Test, Using a Sample Household
The host must show income at or above a minimum necessary income set by IRCC, which varies with family size. In this calculation, family size counts:
- The host, plus the host’s spouse or common-law partner.
- The host’s dependent children.
- Super visa applicants.
- Certain other people whom the host has previously sponsored or is responsible for.
Consider a hypothetical family in Brampton: a host, her husband, and one child, inviting both of her parents. That makes a family size of five. On the table IRCC updated in July 2025, the amount for five people was $64,336. By comparison, a family size of three shows $46,720, and a family size of four shows $56,724. IRCC adjusts these amounts periodically, so look at the current table on the day you apply.
There are two ways to meet the test:
- Full amount: the host’s total income, combined with any co-signer’s, meets or exceeds the minimum in either of the two tax years before the application.
- 75% plus the applicant’s income: the host’s income in the year before the application is at least 75% of the minimum, and the applicant’s own income makes up the rest. The applicant must show that they will continue earning that income while in Canada, such as through a pension or rental income, and that document must show the currency.
The preferred proof is a Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment. If that is not available, alternatives may include a T4 or T1, recent pay stubs, an original employer letter with job title, duties, and salary, bank statements showing regular deposits, or other proof such as pension statements or a lease with property ownership records.
Self-employed hosts in Brampton, including owner-operators in trucking, should pay close attention here. Income on your tax return can be far lower than your gross business revenue, and it is the net figure that usually matters on the Notice of Assessment. Write-offs that lowered your taxes can also lower your apparent income for this purpose. Check before you assume that you qualify.
The Insurance Requirement
The private medical insurance must meet each of these requirements:
- It must be valid for at least one year from the date of entry.
- It must provide at least $100,000 in emergency coverage.
- It must cover health care, hospitalization, and repatriation.
- It must come from a Canadian insurer or from a foreign company that the minister has approved.
- It must be valid for each entry into Canada.
The cost of this coverage should be taken seriously. Premiums rise with age and with pre-existing conditions, and some policies have deductibles or limits on existing conditions that could leave a family exposed in a real emergency. Compare the wording of each policy as closely as you compare the premiums. Ask your insurance broker these questions: What does it do about a condition that was stable at the time of purchase? What if the policy lapses and must be renewed? Is there a refund if the visa is refused?
Coverage must also be maintained, in practice, for the entire stay. Hospital care in Ontario for an uninsured visitor can be costly, and the family’s undertaking of support does not go away because a policy ended.
Medical Exam and the Genuine-Visitor Test
The applicant must complete an immigration medical exam, carried out by a physician approved by IRCC. A serious condition does not automatically mean refusal, but a health issue can lead to questions, and an inadmissibility finding is possible in some cases. Biometrics may also be required.
Beyond these tests, the officer must be satisfied that the person is a genuine visitor who will leave at the end of the stay. The officer looks at ties to the home country, the purpose of the visit, family and financial situation, and travel history. A strong file explains the real picture. For instance, it might explain that a parent still owns a home in Ludhiana and has another child who lives there, and that the visit is to help with young grandchildren.
Honesty matters in the invitation letter as well. The letter should set out the relationship, the purpose and expected length of the visit, the household’s composition, and your promise to provide financial support for the entire stay. If the true plan is that your parent will provide full-time childcare, or that they want to live with you for good, think about how to describe it honestly. A visitor cannot work in Canada. Family help around the home is a normal part of a visit, but the line between that and paid employment needs care.
Super Visa or Sponsorship?
Super visas and parent and grandparent sponsorship are not the same thing.
Sponsorship leads to permanent residence, access to public health care once eligible, and the right to work, but intake is limited, and it carries a long financial undertaking and a stricter income test. A super visa is a temporary status with fewer long-term rights, and it is often easier to plan around. Having a pending sponsorship application does not prevent a parent from applying for a super visa while they wait. The family can pursue both tracks, as long as they are honest in each application about the other. For an overview of temporary options, see our temporary residence page.
Common Reasons Applications Struggle
The requirements themselves point to the likely trouble spots:
- Income that falls short because the family size was counted incorrectly, usually by leaving out a dependent child or someone from a past sponsorship.
- A Notice of Assessment that does not match the claimed income.
- A policy that lacks repatriation coverage, covers less than a full year, or comes from an insurer that does not meet the rule.
- A weak or generic invitation letter, or inconsistent statements about the purpose of the visit.
- A travel history that includes an unexplained overstay.
- Old documents, or documents in another language without a proper translation.
After a visa is granted, the family has to keep track of its conditions too. Note the date on the entry documents, and keep the insurance current. If your parent’s stay is ending and the family wants it extended, prepare the application well in advance. Staying past the authorized date can harm any future application.
Planning the Visit
Before you apply, sit down as a family and work through the practical parts. Who will drive to medical appointments? How will you pay for insurance over several years? What happens if your parent’s health declines? Is your parent ready for a Brampton winter, away from their friends and their own community, even with family nearby? These are not legal questions, but they influence whether a long visit works.
If the file has complications, such as a prior refusal, income close to the line, a past overstay, or a serious medical history, you may want a review before submitting. You can read about our immigration law services or contact the firm to arrange a consultation. An officer will make the decision, and no representative can promise it. A truthful, well-organized application gives your parent’s file the clearest chance of being properly understood.