Super Visa Application
Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents can apply for their parents or grandparents for a multi-entry visa to Canada. A super visa allows sponsored parents and grandparents to stay for upto 2 years at a time. It is a multi-entry visa for a period of 10 years.
Otherwise known as the Parent Visa in Canada or the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, this visa belongs to the Temporary Resident Visas. It allows these close relatives to visit their children and grandchildren for a set period of time. The children or grandchildren must be Canadian Permanent Residents or Canadian Citizens.
Whereas, the Visitor Visa could be used for this purpose, the Super Visa was created to lengthen the time that parents and grandparents could stay with their loved ones. The Super Visa allows them to stay for up to 2 years at a time in Canada with their children and grandchildren if they fulfill the requirements.
During the time that parents and grandparents are in Canada with the Super Visa, they are not allowed to work or enroll in any part time or full time studies. They are also not allowed to try and get Canadian documents or Canadian benefits such as health care coverage. They are only allowed to stay with their relatives and visit the country.
What are the Super Visa requirements ?
Since the Super Visa for parents and grandparents allows them to stay for such long periods of time, the requirements are also more extensive than the ones for just the visitor visa. The applicants must meet the following requirements to be considered eligible for this visa:
- You must be at least 18 years old to apply as the primary visa applicant;
- You must have a valid governmental issued passport with at least one blank page that is not the last page of the passport;
- You must translate and certify all the documents that you have that are in another language other than English or French;
- You must have a clean criminal history and submit court documents to prove it;
- You must be ready to pay the necessary visa application fees and visa processing fees;
- You must sign and date the appropriate documents where necessary;
- You must fill and sign a Visa Application Center (VAC) Consent Form;
- You must submit copies of your current immigration status in another country or in Canada;
- You must have enough funds to cover your stay in Canada;
- You must be ready to attend and interview or give biometric information;
- You must go through a medical examination;
- You must prove that your stay in Canada is temporary and that you will return to your home country once your visit is over;
- You must prove that you do not plan to work or study in Canada.
If the applicant does not meet these requirements, then the Canadian Consulate will ask for more evidence. If you cannot prove that you are eligible, then they will deny your visa.
How to complete the Super Visa application ?
There are several steps to complete the Super Visa application and they are listed and explained in detail below.
Confirm your eligibility
To get the Super Visa, you must prove you are eligible on the Government of Canada website. When you get to the website, click on the tab Immigration, go to Visit and then click on the “Visit your children or grandchildren” link. In the site, you will see the link to “Determine your eligibility”. You must click on this link and answer the questions on the survey.
The questionnaire will determine whether you are eligible or not and if you are, it will give you a reference code and instructions to apply.
Create an account
You must save the reference code and then open an account in the same Government of Canada website. You can either open the account through your bank account details or use a Government of Canada login (GCKey). Once you login, you can start your application.
Submit the Application
Use your reference code to access your answers to the questionnaire and the forms you need to fill out. There are two main forms to complete when you apply for a Canada Visitor Visa:
- Form IMM 5257, Application for Temporary Resident;
- Form IMM 5707, Family Information Form;
Other forms that you might have to fill out if they are applicable for you are:
- Form IMM 5409, Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union;
- Form IMM 5476, Use of a Representative;
- Form IMM 5475, Authority to release personal information to a designated individual;
Within the application page, you will also have to submit the following supporting documents:
- Your passport scan to prove that it is valid;
- Your travel history, meaning your whole passport scanned to also prove that you have blank pages in it;
- Your bank or other financial statements to prove you have enough funds for the trip to Canada;
- A travel itinerary if you have already booked your tickets, or just a description of what you plan to do once in Canada;
- A letter of invitation from your child or grandchild;
- Proof of relationship such as a birth certificate or other documents;
- The immigration statuses in Canada of your child or grandchild;
- Bank statements or other financial statements of your child or grandchild proving that they meet the Low-Income Cut Off minimum such as:
- The latest copy of their Notice of Assessment;
- The latest copy of their T4 or T1;
- An original letter from your child’s or grandchild’s employer with their title, description, and annual salary;
- Their employment insurance pay stubs;
- If your child is self-employed, an accountant should confirm their annual income;
- Proof of other sources of income such as investments, pensions, etc. - A Declaration Letter from you to the Government of Canada where you explain why they should give you a visa;
- Two (2) photos that meet the Canada Photo Requirements;
- Your employment or education status through a resume or diplomas, as well as a letter from your employer stating that you have contractual obligations to fulfill and you must return to your home country;
- Other documents which prove you will return to your home country such as a lease, property deed, and so on.
- Documents which prove that you have private medical insurance that is valid for a minimum of one year from a Canadian insurance company that covers the following:
- Health care, repatriation, and hospitalization;
- Has a minimum coverage of $100,000;
- Has a validity for each entry to Canada;
Once you submit all the documents, you can then proceed to submit the application. After that, you will have to pay the visa application fee and your application will be completed.