Parent and Grandparent Super Visa: Stay in Canada Up to 5 Years at a Time

The Super Visa is a special visitor visa for parents and grandparents. A regular visitor usually gets up to 6 months per entry. A Super Visa holder can stay up to 5 years at a time and come and go for up to 10 years, as long as the passport and visa stay valid.

It has become more important in 2026 because the Parents and Grandparents Program stopped taking new applications on July 15, 2026. IRCC pointed families to the Super Visa as the alternative.

It does not lead to permanent residence, and it does not allow work or study in Canada.

The visitor must:

• Be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Apply from outside Canada.
• Be admissible to Canada, including passing a medical exam.
• Show they will leave Canada at the end of their stay.

The child or grandchild in Canada must:

• Be at least 18, and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Provide a signed letter of invitation promising financial support for the visit, listing the people in their household, and including a copy of their citizenship or PR document.
• Meet the minimum necessary income for the total number of people involved (their household plus the visiting parents or grandparents). IRCC publishes the income table on its Super Visa page; proof usually comes from Canada Revenue Agency notices of assessment, T4 slips, or employment letters.

The Super Visa is available to both visa-required and visa-exempt nationals.

Visitors need private medical insurance that is:

• From a Canadian insurance company, or from a foreign insurance company that IRCC has approved.
• Valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry.
• At least $100,000 in coverage for health care, hospitalization, and repatriation.
• Paid in full or in installments (a deposit may be required).

Canadian public health care (such as OHIP in Ontario) does not cover visitors, so this insurance protects your family from large hospital bills. Compare policies carefully: pre-existing conditions, deductibles, and refund rules differ a lot.

Each entry allows up to 5 years. If your parent wants to stay longer, they can apply from inside Canada to extend their stay, before their current status expires; see extend your status and maintained status. The medical insurance must remain valid for the whole stay.

The border officer decides the length of stay on each entry and records it in the passport or on a visitor record. Check the date every time your parent enters.

You pay the visitor visa processing fee plus biometrics ($85 CAD per person, or $170 for a family applying together, as of September 2026). Check the IRCC fee list. The largest cost is usually the medical insurance premium, which depends on age and health.

Processing times vary by country. Check the IRCC processing times tool, which lists Super Visa times by country, or our processing times page.

For short trips, a regular visitor visa or an eTA (for visa-exempt travelers) is simpler.