Canada Super Visa for parents and grandparents: LICO, insurance, and 5-year stays

This guide is for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want to bring their parents or grandparents to Canada for extended stays of up to 5 years per entry. It is also for parents and grandparents who have been invited to apply and need to understand the documentary requirements from their side: medical insurance, medical exam, and proof of ties to the home country.

This guide is not for parents who want to work in Canada (the Super Visa does not authorize employment), parents who need immediate permanent residence (use PGP sponsorship or explore Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds), or parents who are inadmissible on criminality or health grounds. If the parent has a prior visa refusal or removal order from Canada, consult an immigration lawyer before applying — the Super Visa does not override existing inadmissibility findings.

The choice between Super Visa and PGP sponsorship is usually about timing. PGP grants permanent residence, but the annual intake is capped, selection is not guaranteed, and processing takes 12-24 months. The sponsor must demonstrate MNI (Minimum Necessary Income) for three consecutive taxation years — not just one. Super Visa only requires LICO for the most recent tax year and is generally processed within a few months.

Most families use the Super Visa as a bridge: the parent visits for extended periods under Super Visa while the PGP application is in progress. The two processes can run in parallel. A Super Visa application does not prejudice a PGP application, and vice versa. The key distinction is that Super Visa is a visitor status — the parent must maintain genuine temporary intent even while a PR application is pending. At the port of entry, the CBSA officer may ask about the PR application and assess whether the parent genuinely intends to leave at the end of the authorized stay. A pending PR application is not, by itself, grounds to refuse entry, but it is a factor the officer weighs in the overall temporary intent assessment.

The Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) is the minimum income the Canadian host must demonstrate to sponsor a parent or grandparent under the Super Visa. LICO is published annually by Statistics Canada and incorporated into IRCC's operational guidance. The host must provide their most recent Notice of Assessment (NOA) from the Canada Revenue Agency showing total income at or above LICO for the applicable family size. Family size includes the host, their spouse or common-law partner, dependent children, any previously sponsored persons still within the undertaking period, and the visiting parent(s).

If the host's income is below LICO, the Super Visa application will be refused. There is no discretionary override. A co-signer (the host's spouse or common-law partner) can combine income by providing their NOA as well. The combined household income on line 15000 of both NOAs must meet LICO. The income must be from Canadian sources reported on a Canadian tax return. Foreign income not reported to the CRA or income earned by the parent cannot be substituted. For hosts on maternity or parental leave, EI benefits reported on the NOA count toward LICO — but note that LICO is based on the most recent completed tax year, and the NOA may reflect reduced income during a leave year.

The parent must purchase private medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company before applying. The policy must meet all of the following requirements:

• Canadian provider: The insurance must be issued by a company licensed to operate in Canada. Travel insurance purchased from a home-country insurer, even if it covers treatment in Canada, does not satisfy the requirement. The IRCC officer may verify the insurer's licensing status.
• Minimum coverage: At least $100,000 in emergency medical coverage. Higher coverage ($200,000 or more) is advisable given Canadian hospital costs for uninsured patients, particularly for older parents with pre-existing conditions.
• Minimum term: Valid for at least one year from the date of entry. The officer at the port of entry may request proof of the policy. If the policy start date is after the entry date, the officer may limit the authorized stay to less than the requested period.
• Pre-existing conditions: Most Canadian Super Visa policies cover stable pre-existing conditions — meaning conditions that have not changed in treatment, medication, or symptoms for a defined period (typically 90-180 days, depending on the insurer). An unstable pre-existing condition may result in a coverage exclusion. Read the policy wording carefully. A claim denied for a pre-existing condition exclusion can leave the parent with a significant hospital bill.
• Deductible and co-pay: Most policies carry a deductible (commonly $1,000-$5,000) and may have co-pay provisions. The parent or host is responsible for the deductible amount and any costs exceeding the policy maximum.

The parent or grandparent applicant must prepare:

• Invitation letter: Written and signed by the Canadian host child or grandchild. Must state the purpose of the visit, the relationship, the duration, the address where the parent will stay, and a commitment of financial support. The letter should reference the host's NOA and income level to demonstrate LICO is met.
• Immigration Medical Examination (IME): Conducted by an IRCC panel physician in the home country. The results are valid for 12 months. The parent cannot complete the IME after arrival — it is a pre-application requirement.
• Proof of ties to home country: Property deeds, pension or retirement benefit statements, bank statements, family composition documents showing dependents in the home country, and any active employment or business ownership documents.
• Passport: Valid for at least the requested stay duration. If the passport expires in 3 years, the CBSA officer will limit the stay to the passport expiry date, not the full 5 years.
• Proof of relationship: Birth certificate of the Canadian host showing the parent's name. If the relationship is through a grandchild, both the grandchild's birth certificate and the parent's child's birth certificate may be needed to establish the chain.

The Canadian citizen or permanent resident host must provide:

• Notice of Assessment (NOA): Most recent tax year. Line 15000 (total income). If co-signing with a spouse, both NOAs. The NOA is the only accepted income document — T4 slips, pay stubs, or employment letters are not substitutes.
• Proof of status in Canada: Canadian passport, citizenship certificate, PR card (both sides), or Canadian birth certificate. If the host is a permanent resident, the PR card must be valid.
• Family composition: List of all household members including the host, spouse, dependent children, and any other persons financially dependent on the host. This determines the LICO family size.
• Signed undertaking: A statement that the host will provide financial support for the parent's stay, including covering any costs not covered by the medical insurance. IRCC provides no prescribed form for the Super Visa undertaking — the invitation letter itself serves this function.

The most common Super Visa refusal grounds are: (1) LICO not met — the host's income on the NOA is below the threshold for the family size; (2) insurance from a non-Canadian provider — the policy issuer is not licensed in Canada; (3) insufficient ties to home country — the officer is not satisfied the parent will leave at the end of the authorized stay; (4) medical inadmissibility — the IME reveals a condition likely to cause excessive demand on Canadian health or social services. An IME finding of medical inadmissibility is difficult to overcome for a Super Visa because the parent cannot access provincial health coverage and the insurance requirement is meant to mitigate this — but the officer still assesses excessive demand risk. If refused, the parent can reapply with improved evidence. A refusal does not bar future applications, but it creates a record that the next officer will review. Address the specific refusal ground in the new application rather than resubmitting the same package.

Rajesh and Sunita are Indian nationals in their late 60s. Their daughter Priya is a Canadian citizen living in Mississauga, Ontario, with her husband and two young children. Priya sponsors both parents under PGP, but the application is still in process (expected 18 months). She applies for Super Visas for both parents to bridge the gap. Priya's household size for LICO is 6: herself, her husband, two children, and both parents. Her combined household NOA line 15000 is $92,000, above the LICO for a family of 6. Rajesh and Sunita each purchase a $100,000 Canadian medical insurance policy from a provider licensed in Ontario. They complete their IMEs at a panel physician in New Delhi. Rajesh provides property documents for the family home in India and pension statements. Sunita provides a letter from her employer confirming a leave of absence with a return date. Both applications are processed concurrently. At the port of entry in Toronto, the CBSA officer reviews the insurance certificates and grants both parents a 5-year stay endorsed on their passports. The PGP application proceeds in parallel. The parents' Super Visa status remains valid regardless of the PGP outcome. If PGP is approved, they become permanent residents and the Super Visa status terminates — they are no longer visitors. If PGP is refused, they remain on valid Super Visa status until the authorized stay expires, and Priya can apply for a renewal or extension.

• Using a home-country insurance policy. The Super Visa explicitly requires a Canadian insurer. A comprehensive travel policy from the home country — even one providing $500,000 in worldwide coverage — does not satisfy IRCC's requirement. The refusal on this ground is non-discretionary.
• Miscalculating LICO family size. Forgetting to count the visiting parent(s) in the household size or including income from a non-co-signing relative inflates the LICO calculation. IRCC cross-references the NOA with the listed household members. A mismatch results in refusal.
• Relying on a T4 or pay stub instead of the NOA. The NOA is the only accepted income document. If the most recent NOA is from a year with lower income (for example, during a maternity leave or sabbatical), the host should wait for the next NOA before applying. Submitting a T4 with a letter explaining income will increase is not sufficient.
• Applying with an expiring passport. If the parent's passport has 2 years of validity remaining, the maximum authorized stay is 2 years, not 5. Renew the passport before applying if the full 5-year stay is desired.
• Missing the IME requirement. The Super Visa application requires an upfront IME. A visa office may request one after filing, but this adds months to processing. Complete the IME before submitting the application whenever possible.