About Super Visa for Parents or Grandparents?
For a variety of reasons, as a recent permanent resident or citizen, you might want to invite your parents or grandparents to stay with you for extended periods of time in Canada. Following they retire, during your parenthood or as you adjust to motherhood, after the loss of a loved one, or simply because you miss them, you might want them to stay with you.
It’s not always as easy as just purchasing plane tickets for your parents or grandparents to visit you in Canada, especially for new immigrants. If your parents are foreign nationals, they could need a visa to enter Canada; also, the visitor visa’s time restrictions might not always be adequate for your needs.
Your parents or grandparents can more easily visit Canada for several extended visits over the course of a 10-year period thanks to the Canadian government’s super visa
program without having to apply for a visa each time. In this article, we go into great detail about how to apply for a parent or grandparent super visa, including the qualifications and paperwork needs.
In this article:
Describe a super visa.
- What distinguishes a super visa from a visiting visa? Explain requirements for a super visa for Canada?
- How to compose an invitation letter for a super visa? How to apply for a super visa for Canada?
- If you’re from a nation that doesn’t require a visa, may you apply for a super visa?
- What is the processing cost for a super visa for parents or grandparents?
- How long does it take to process a super visa? Can you use a super visa to work in Canada?
- If my parents have a super visa, may they live with me permanently?
Describe a super visa?
- A multiple-entry visa that allows for multiple entries for up to ten years is known as a SUPER VISA. A super visa typically lasts up to 10 years (or as long as their passport is still valid), avoiding you and your parents or grandparents the trouble of having to apply for visas again each time they wish to come visit you.
Your parents or grandparents will have the legal status of a visitor when they enter Canada on a super visa. They will not have the same legal privileges and obligations that you do as a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, such as the right to work there.
What distinguishes a super visa from a visiting visa?
Despite giving visa holders visiting status in Canada, both the super visa and the visitor visa have certain key differences.
These include:
Your parents or grandparents are permitted to stay in Canada for up to two years with a super visa (up to five years for super visas issued after July 5, 2022). Whereas the visa officer may occasionally issue a shorter period visa, a visiting visa allows the holder to stay in Canada for up to six months. Super visas often last up to 10 years or until the expiration of your passport, whereas visitor visas may have a limited validity period. A super visa can only be obtained by parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents, although anybody can apply for a guest visa to Canada.
A Canadian super visa applicant must meet the following requirements:
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or their grandfather.
- Application from outside of Canada
- Own a letter of invitation that has been duly signed by the kid or grandchild they are visiting in Canada. (For more information, check the section below.)
- Possess medical insurance coverage from a Canadian insurance provider with a minimum annual validity
- $100,000 CAD.
Meet other eligibility conditions, which may include passing a medical examination. While reviewing super visa applications, the Canadian government may also take into account the applicant’s ties to their home country, the reason for their visit, the economic and political stability of their home country, and other criteria.
How to compose an invitation letter for a super visa?
Your parents or grandparents will need a written letter of invitation from you for their super visa application if you’re inviting them to stay with you in Canada for an extended period of time.
A letter of invitation contains a written promise that you’ll support the parent or grandparent you’re inviting for the duration of their stay in Canada.
Additionally, it must have the following details: Whoever or whatever you’re inviting:
- Include their full name and birthdate.
- Their home country’s address and phone number.
- Their bond to you.
- When possible, give dates. The reason for their vacation and how long they want to stay in Canada.
- How they will pay for expenditures and where they will stay (e.g., completely sponsored by you or split based on how much money they plan to bring).
About you (the invited party):
Your full name, along with your birthdate. Your Canadian address and telephone number. Your legal status in Canada, including whether you are a citizen or a permanent resident, as well as a copy of your PR card, citizenship card, or birth certificate.
Your position title.
The total number of residents in your home, including you, your spouse, any children you may have, and any other persons you may have sponsored. Information about your family, such as the names and birthdates of your spouse, kids, and other dependents.
How to apply for a super visa for Canada?
Applications for super visas are received by the Canadian government all year long, and there is no quota or cap on the aggregate number of super visas that can be issued annually. There is a good chance that your parents’ or grandparents’ super visa application will be approved as long as both you and your parents or grandparents can provide documentation proof of your eligibility.
A summary of the application process is provided below:
You can submit an application on paper or online. When making a super visa application, the applicant must be outside of Canada. They have the option of submitting their application on paper or online, however online applications are preferred. The applicant can follow the status of their application, avoid processing hold-ups and courier fees, and apply for a super visa online.
Assemble the necessary documents:
Assemble the required documents for the application after reviewing the document checklist with your parent or grandparent. These usually comprise of their passports, birth and marriage certificates, dates of travel (such as tickets or itineraries), proof of medical insurance, the letter of invitation you send them, as well as your documentation attesting to your legal presence in Canada and your financial standing.
In order to prove that they have strong ties to their home country and that their stay in Canada will only be temporary, they must also produce copies of their financial records, such as bank statements, tax returns, property paperwork, investment documents, etc.
Depending on the nation the application is made in, some documents may not be necessary in that country. For instance, you might be obliged to have the invitation letter notarized before delivering it to your parents or grandparents in some circumstances.
Complete the super visa application and submit it.
The candidate can complete the super visa application after gathering all the required paperwork. Before applying, they must first pay the processing charge and the biometrics fee online with a debit or credit card. In the case of paper applications, preserve a copy of the receipt because it must be submitted with the completed application. Paper applications must be submitted in person at the regional visa application center if biometrics is necessary for your country.
Send any further documentation that’s required.
They can be required to submit more paperwork when their super visa is being processed for your parents or grandparents. They could also have to undergo a medical
examination, provide a police certificate, and submit their biometrics (picture and fingerprints), depending on the country from which they are applying. In rare circumstances, applicants might additionally need to appear for an interview at their neighborhood visa office.
Obtain the super visa, and then prepare to depart.
Your parents or grandparents will have to submit their passports after the super visa application has been reviewed and accepted in order to obtain their visa. Your parents or grandparents will be permitted to visit Canada as frequently as they’d like for as long as the super visa is in effect; the visa sticker will specify the expiration date.
They will be required to present their passport, visa, and health insurance to the border official at the time of their departure.
If you’re from a nation that doesn’t require a visa, may you apply for a super visa?
If visitors from nations without visa requirements want to stay in Canada for longer than six months at a time, they can apply for a super visa. Visa-exempt applicants must complete a slightly different application process, and instead of receiving a visa sticker for your passport, you will receive an approval letter that you must show the border official when you arrive.
What is the processing cost for a super visa for parents or grandparents?
A parent or grandparent super visa typically has an application processing charge of about $100 CAD. Applicants can also be forced to pay $85 CAD for biometric processing and $200 CAD to $300 CAD for a medical test, if one is necessary. The cost of travel, required health insurance, courier fees, and the cost of their stay in Canada are not included in these payments.
How long does it take to process a super visa?
Depending on the nation you apply from, a super visa has a different processing time. For example, if you are requesting one from India, the typical processing period (excluding the time for submitting biometrics) is 135 days.
Can you use a super visa to work in Canada?
Your parents or grandparents cannot work while they are in Canada on a super visa because it only offers the holder a visiting status. They might, however, be qualified to submit a work visa application from within Canada. They could first need to look for employment in Canada, depending on the kind of work permit they are eligible for. It’s crucial to keep in mind that if their application for a work permit is granted, their status will shift to that of a temporary worker and their super visa would become invalid.
If my parents have a super visa, may they live with me permanently
Your parents or grandparents can only visit Canada while their super visa is still active because a super visa is only good for a certain period of time. The amount of time they must spend outside of Canada before returning is not capped, though. They will need to have current medical insurance each time they enter Canada, which could take some time to get.
Check to see if you qualify to sponsor your parents or grandparents for permanent residence through the family sponsorship program if you intend to invite them to live with you indefinitely. Your parents or grandparents may work in Canada and reside permanently as citizens. However, the number of PRs awarded through the family sponsorship scheme is restricted, and the application processing time can be two years or longer. Your parents or grandparents are permitted to stay with you as long as their super visa is still in good standing while they wait for their PR application to be processed.
