Super Visa Canada: The 2026 Guide for Parents and Grandparents

On This Page, You Will Find:

• What the super visa is and how long it lets you stay
• Why the super visa matters more after the Parents and Grandparents Program pause
• Who can act as a host
• Who can apply as a parent or grandparent
• Minimum necessary income and how family size is counted
• The 31 March 2026 change to the income calculation
• Health insurance requirements
• Documents, fees and how to apply
• Processing times and what happens after approval
• Super visa or sponsorship: choosing a route in 2026
• Frequently asked questions

The super visa is Canada’s long-stay visitor route for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens, permanent residents and registered Indians. It allows stays of up to five years per entry and remains valid for multiple entries for up to 10 years.

Two developments have changed the picture for families in 2026. On 31 March 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changed how it calculates the host’s income, widening eligibility. On 15 July 2026, IRCC paused intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). For most families who have not already entered the sponsorship queue, the super visa is now the only practical way to bring a parent or grandparent to Canada for an extended stay.

What the super visa is and how long it lets you stay

The super visa is a multiple-entry temporary resident visa issued under Ministerial Instructions rather than a separate immigration class. It does not grant permanent residence, work authorisation or access to provincial health care. It is a visitor visa with a much longer authorised stay than a standard one.

• Applicants who applied on or after 22 June 2023 are eligible to stay for five years at a time.
• The visa itself can be valid for up to 10 years, or until one month before the passport expires, whichever comes first.
• Holders must leave Canada or apply to extend their stay before their status expires. Maintaining valid visitor status is the holder’s responsibility.
• Older rules that capped stays at two years apply only to people who applied and entered Canada before 22 June 2023.

If you only need a short visit, a standard visitor visa is simpler and cheaper. Our Canada visitor visa guide sets out that process.

Why the super visa matters more after the PGP pause

IRCC announced on 15 July 2026 that it is pausing intake of new PGP applications. The department will not accept new interest-to-sponsor forms and will not issue new invitations to apply until further notice. IRCC said interest in the program continues to exceed the spaces available under the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

Existing applications are not affected. IRCC continues to process them and still plans to admit up to 15,000 parents and grandparents as permanent residents in 2026. IRCC pointed to the super visa as the route that remains open, noting it had recently relaxed both the income and the health insurance rules.

The practical effect is straightforward: unless a family already submitted an interest-to-sponsor form in an earlier round, permanent residence through the PGP is not currently available. For background on the sponsorship stream and where it stands, see our pages on parent and grandparent sponsorship and the options for bringing parents and grandparents to Canada in 2026.

Who can act as a host

The host is the person in Canada who invites the applicant. Under the 2026 Ministerial Instructions, a host must be all of the following:

• The child or grandchild of the applicant, by birth or adoption
• A Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Indian Act
• At least 18 years of age
• Resident in Canada
• Able to meet or exceed the minimum necessary income for the relevant family size

The host must write and sign a letter of invitation promising financial support for the length of the authorised stay. The letter must list every person counted in the family-size calculation, with each person’s name and date of birth. The host’s spouse or common-law partner may co-sign if they also meet the host criteria. Siblings, aunts, uncles and other relatives cannot co-sign.

Who can apply as a parent or grandparent

The applicant must be the biological or adoptive parent or grandparent of the host. IRCC requires that the applicant:

• Be outside Canada when the application is submitted, and have the visa printed by a visa office outside Canada
• Be admissible to Canada on security, criminality and health grounds
• Complete an immigration medical exam with an IRCC-approved panel physician
• Hold private health insurance valid for at least one year from the date of entry
• Satisfy an officer that they will leave Canada at the end of their authorised stay

Dependants cannot be included on a super visa application. A spouse or common-law partner who is also a parent or grandparent of the host must file a separate application, and both applicants are counted in the family-size calculation.

Minimum necessary income and how family size is counted

The minimum necessary income (MNI) is based on the Statistics Canada low income cut-off for urban areas of 500,000 people or more. The figures below were last updated on 29 July 2025.

• 1 person: $30,526
• 2 people: $38,002
• 3 people: $46,720
• 4 people: $56,724
• 5 people: $64,336
• 6 people: $72,560
• 7 people: $80,784
• Each additional person beyond seven: add $8,224

Family size is where most applications go wrong. IRCC counts more people than families expect. The count includes the host; the host’s spouse or common-law partner, including a separated spouse; dependent children of the host and of the host’s spouse, regardless of custody or child support arrangements; every super visa applicant the host is inviting; anyone already holding a super visa under a letter of invitation from the host or co-signer that is still applicable; and anyone the host or co-signer previously sponsored where the undertaking remains in effect.

IRCC’s own example: a host inviting one grandparent, who has a spouse and one dependent child, and whose spouse is already hosting two parents on super visas, has a family size of six – even though those two parents are not currently in Canada.

The 31 March 2026 change to the income calculation

Before 31 March 2026, IRCC assessed only the single tax year preceding the application. New Ministerial Instructions replaced that with two alternatives. A host now needs to satisfy only one of them.

• Option 1 – extended assessment period. The host’s total income, including a co-signer’s income where applicable, meets or exceeds the MNI in either of the two tax years before the application is submitted. Proof is the notice of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency.
• Option 2 – combining the applicant’s income. The host’s total income in the year before the application is at least 75 per cent of the MNI, and the applicant’s own income is added to cover the remainder. The combined figure must meet or exceed the MNI, and the applicant must document the income earned in the 12 months before filing.

IRCC confirmed that applications already in processing on 31 March 2026 are assessed against the new criteria, and that families who qualified under the old rules continue to qualify. Anyone who wants the benefit of Option 1 or Option 2 must file the supporting documents to prove it.

Health insurance requirements

Super visa holders are not covered by provincial or territorial health plans, so private coverage is mandatory. Since 28 January 2025, the policy no longer has to come from a Canadian company.

• The policy may be issued by a Canadian insurance company, or by an insurer outside Canada that is authorised by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to provide accident and sickness insurance and appears on OSFI’s list of federally regulated financial institutions
• It must be valid for a minimum of one year from the date of entry, and valid for each entry to Canada
• It must provide at least $100,000 in emergency coverage for health care, hospitalisation and repatriation
• It must be paid in full or paid by instalments with a deposit – quotes are not accepted
• Foreign-issued policies must state that the document was issued while the company was doing insurance business in Canada

Insurance brokers and claims administrators are not insurers and will not appear on the OSFI list. Coverage must be available for review by a border services officer on request, and should be renewed if it expires before the holder leaves Canada.

Documents, fees and how to apply

Applications are filed online through the IRCC Portal, from outside Canada. In the questionnaire, applicants select “Visitor visa or super visa,” then “To visit my children or grandchildren for more than 6 months (super visa).”

• Letter of invitation from the host, with proof of income and the full family-size list
• Proof of the host’s status: citizenship document, permanent resident card, or status card
• Proof of relationship, such as the host’s birth or baptismal certificate
• Proof of health insurance meeting the criteria above
• Proof of a completed immigration medical exam
• Any additional documents required by the local visa office

The super visa fee is $100 per person. Biometrics, where required, cost $85 per person. Applicants from visa-exempt countries pay neither fee: if approved, they are directed to apply for an electronic travel authorization (eTA) and are issued a letter to present to a border services officer on arrival. Documents not in English or French need a certified translation, or a translation accompanied by the translator’s affidavit.

Processing times and what happens after approval

There is no single super visa processing time. Times vary by visa office and by whether biometrics, a medical exam or additional documents are outstanding. Applicants should check IRCC’s processing-times tool for the office serving their country rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere, which go out of date quickly. Our summary of Canada immigration processing times explains how IRCC calculates them.

Approval does not guarantee entry. A border services officer makes the final decision at the port of entry and may ask to see the insurance policy. IRCC also cannot issue a super visa valid longer than the applicant’s biometrics, so biometrics validity can shorten the visa.

Super visa or sponsorship: choosing a route in 2026

With PGP intake paused, the choice is narrower than it was. Families who already have a sponsorship application in the system can still apply for a super visa while they wait, or withdraw the sponsorship application. A super visa application does not prejudice a pending sponsorship application.

The trade-off is real. A super visa is faster and cheaper but grants no permanent status, no work rights and no public health coverage, and it requires insurance to be maintained and renewed. Permanent residence through the PGP offers all of those things but is closed to new applicants for now. Our family sponsorship overview sets out the wider set of family reunification options.

Frequently Asked Questions