Super Visa: a guide for Vancouver & BC hosts

What a super visa actually is

A super visa is a long-stay temporary resident visa designed solely for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Where a regular visitor visa caps a stay at months, this one functions as a multiple-entry document valid for as long as ten years and clears your parent or grandparent to remain for up to five years each time they arrive, with no status renewal in between. Right across Metro Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond and over on Vancouver Island in Victoria, it is the most workable way to keep a parent close for long stretches, whether that means lending a hand with a newborn, helping with childcare, or simply being present. IRCC frames the super visa as a vehicle for extended family reunification rather than a settlement programme (source: canada.ca, parent and grandparent super visa, 2026).

It is just as important to understand its limits. The super visa grants visitor standing only: no permanent residence, no authorisation to work in BC, and no entry to most public programmes. Families who want a parent to relocate to Vancouver for good should look to the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), and the section below explains why the super visa carries so much weight in 2026.

Super visa requirements: who qualifies

The applicant has to be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, full stop. You cannot tack a dependent child or another relative onto the same super visa file. Past the family tie, the super visa requirements rest on three foundations that we walk through with every BC client:

• The host in BC writes a letter of invitation and shows their income clears the LICO minimum.
• The applicant purchases qualifying $100,000 medical cover and clears an immigration medical exam.
• The applicant convinces an officer they will depart when their permitted stay ends, and may have to give biometrics.

The super visa income line (LICO)

A host proves they can provide for the visiting parent or grandparent by reaching the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) tied to their family size. That headcount captures everyone the host already supports and the parents or grandparents being invited. The table that follows shows roughly where the super visa income bar sits, a central piece of the super visa requirements every BC host must meet. Treat these as 2026 guidance only, since the LICO table is reset annually, so verify the live figures on canada.ca or plug your household into our super visa income calculator.

Why MSP won't cover the required insurance

Private medical insurance is non-negotiable for every super visa applicant. IRCC will only accept a policy that carries a minimum of CAD $100,000, runs at least one full year from the date of entry, and pays out for treatment, hospital admission and repatriation. The premium also has to be genuinely settled, whether in one payment or on an instalment schedule; submitting a quote alone is not enough to clear this requirement.

Crucially, this private cover does not duplicate BC's Medical Services Plan (MSP) - a visiting parent on a super visa usually sits outside MSP altogether, which is exactly why the policy protects the family from large Vancouver hospital bills. Since January 2025, the rules recognise plans from approved non-Canadian insurers as well as domestic ones, often unlocking lower-cost options. We measure any policy against every IRCC condition ahead of filing, since an inadequate policy ranks among the most frequent yet most easily avoided causes of refusal.

How long a super visa keeps you in BC

This is where the super visa earns its name. A typical visitor is admitted for up to six months; a super visa holder may remain for up to five years on each arrival. The visa stays valid for up to ten years (or until the passport runs out), and its multiple-entry nature means a parent or grandparent can come and go throughout, perfect for spending summers in BC and winters back home. To stay past the five-year mark on one trip, they can file from inside Canada to add up to two more years.

Super visa vs visitor visa vs the PGP

Families regularly want to know which option suits them. In short: a visitor visa fits short trips, the super visa fits long ones, and only the PGP leads to permanent residence, though it has no 2026 intake on the books.

Applying for a super visa, step by step

1. 01

   Establish who can host and who can come

   Start by confirming the relationship is genuinely parent-to-child or grandparent-to-grandchild, and that the BC host carries citizenship or PR; documents that prove the family tie are gathered at this stage.

2. 02

   Build the income case to LICO

   Working from the household count, the host pulls together Notices of Assessment, pay records and an employer letter so the file demonstrates income at or above the LICO line.

3. 03

   Lock down the $100,000 policy

   A one-year medical plan covering treatment, hospital admission and repatriation is purchased, with proof it is paid rather than merely quoted.

4. 04

   Put the invitation in writing

   At their Vancouver or BC address, the host signs a letter committing to support and a place to stay for the visiting parent or grandparent.

5. 05

   Submit, pay fees and complete biometrics

   The application goes in alongside the fees, with biometrics and the immigration medical exam handled whenever IRCC requests them.

6. 06

   Receive IRCC's decision

   Where the file is approved, the parent or grandparent can travel to BC and remain for up to five years on that arrival.

Most super visa refusals trace back to avoidable slips rather than anything dramatic: an invitation letter with too little detail, income evidence that does not quite reach LICO, or an insurance policy outside the coverage rules. Because we work under a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497), every document is reviewed before it is filed and we represent you directly with IRCC throughout.

Super visa processing time

The super visa processing time shifts often and depends on the visa office tied to your parent's country of residence. Plenty of files wrap up within a few months, but biometrics, a medical exam, or a request for additional documents can push the date out. Since these figures keep changing, check the live tool on canada.ca, or our processing timespage, for today's estimate, and leave yourself a buffer when arranging travel to Vancouver.