About Super Visa

In what can be aptly described as a game changer, the Canadian government has announced that effective from December 1, 2011, one may be eligible to apply for Canadian visitor visa under the Parent and Grandparent category and stay for up to two years here without the need to renew your status. This visa category has been named as, well guess it, ‘Parent and Grandparent Super Visa and is now commonly referred to as ‘Super Visa’.


This Visa will be valid for 10 years, though it has to be renewed every two years. What is even more exciting is the Immigration department claim that the processing time for this visa would be as short as eight weeks. This is in stark contrast and relief to the current waiting period which has now snowballed to more than seven years.


To understand the idea behind the Super Visa scheme one has to understand that every year the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) receives more than 35000 applications for sponsorship of parents and grandparents. As per reliable estimates this has resulted in more than 160000 pending applications, the result of which is the excruciatingly  long waiting period of seven to eight years for a decision on one’s permanent residency application.


Enter the Super Visa – So in order to cut down this back log the Government has now decided that it will suspend any further applications under the parent and grand parent category for the next two years as it processes the existing ones first and instead introduce this new Super Visa. Under this scheme parents and grandparents, whether they have applied for permanent residency or not, will be able to visit Canada for a period of up to two years on a visa which is valid for 10 years. And that too with the facility that their application will be processed in as short a time as around eight weeks.


The cornerstone of this visa is that visiting parents or grandparents would be required to have Private Medical Insurance valid for the period of their stay. This is to ensure that the visitor will not burden the Canadian healthcare system, a major reason for hold up of many permanent residency applications of parents till now. For full details on the insurance requirements visit our Super Visa Insurance page.  Also people applying to sponsor a parent or grandparent will have to show they can support their visiting relatives. This involves the usual minimum income requirements which are detailed in our Sponsorship requirements page.


Current industry estimate is that one would require a minimum of 100000 dollars of Medical Insurance. This Insurance has to be bought from a Canadian Insurance Provider. The proof of purchase of insurance has to submitted alongside the visa application. This insurance can be purchased by the sponsor himself.


Incidentally, the First Canadian Super Visa has already been issued. To quote Mr Jason Kenny, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism “We pledged to process the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa in less than eight weeks, We’ve issued the first of the Super Visas in just two weeks and we remain committed to reuniting families through the Super Visa in a timely manner. With the Super Visa, we have taken a common sense approach that allows parents and grandparents to spend extended periods of time with their loved ones in Canada, while at the same time, acting responsibly in protecting Canadian taxpayers. I’m pleased that the response to this program has been so positive”.


This website is dedicated to provide you with all the information and details one would need to visit Canada through this Super Visa program. Please explore the site for your specific needs.