A special type of Canadian visit visa aimed at parents and grandparents of citizens and residents is showing a sustained and increasingly high level of interest.
The federal government approved 17,316 applications for the Parent/Grandparent Super Visa in 2015.
A total of 63,383 visa have been issued since the program began in December 2011, with the numbers steadily increasing each year.
The main benefit of the visa is that it allows the applicant to remain in Canada for periods up to two years. The ordinary visit visa only permits visits for six months at a time. This category of visa was created to offset the very limited number of permanent residence visa applications allowed each year, (typically 5000) and to remedy the long processing times for these applications. The PG Super Visa is usually processed in less than 6 months.
The Parent/Grandparent Super Visa is valid for 10 years and allows multiple entries to the country.
Terms of the Parent/Grandparent Super Visa
The applicant must:
- Show that they are the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
- Obtain medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company that is valid for at least one year, providing a minimum coverage of $100,000 for health care, hospitalization and repatriation;
- Undergo a medical examination.
The applicant’s family member in Canada must:
- Demonstrate that they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
- Provide the applicant with a letter of invitation. This is a letter that provides information about the applicant’s planned visit, about the child or grandchild’s occupation and economic situation in Canada. Most importantly, this letter must include a written and signed promise of financial support for the applicant for the duration of their visit;
- Demonstrate their income is above a predetermined minimum level: (Click here);
- One of the following documents to prove that the child or grandchild meets income requirement:
- Most recent copy of the notice of assessment (if the child or grandchild does not have a paper copy of their notice of assessment on file, they can view and print their tax returns using the CRA My Account online service)
- Most recent copy of the child or grandchild’s T4 or T1
- Original letter from the child or grandchild’s employer stating their job title, job description and salary
- Child or grandchild’s employment insurance pay stubs
Canada’s immigration authorities recently changed the documents required for the visa, which asks the child or grandchild to prove they meet a minimum income threshold.
Instead of an Option C printout, which involved making a call to the Canada Revenue Agency, applicants can now go online and access the document they require to prove the sponsoring child or grandchild meets the minimum income threshold.
Canadian residents and citizens can also sponsor their parents and grandparents to move here on a permanent basis, although the application threshold for 2016 has already been reached.
Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.
Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.
Recent News Articles:
- New Requirement for Canada’s Parent and Grandparent Super Visa
- Federal Government Targets Family Sponsorship Backlog
Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.
