How long can Parents and Grandparents stay in Canada?
Canadian Member of Parliament Kyle Seeback is proposing a new bill that will support parents and grandparents coming to Canada. This initiative would affect the Super Visa, which currently allows the parents and grandparents of Canadians to visit for up to two years without renewing their status.
Seeback proposes the following changes:
- Allow parents and grandparents to be able to stay for 5 consecutive years without a visa renewal;
- Allowing the purchase of medical insurance from countries other than Canada; and
- Reducing the low-income cut-off
Similar to the Parents and Grandparents Program, the Super Visa allows multiple entries into Canada over ten years. However, a Canadian child or grandchild must meet the minimum income requirement to be eligible. Additionally, parents and grandparents must have independent medical insurance coverage with a Canadian company.
To date, the bill has passed its first and second readings and is now being reviewed by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. For this proposal to become a law, it needs to pass the third reading, consideration by the Senate, and receive royal assent from the Governor-General.
Committee Members Questioning Seeback’s Bill
Committee members questioned Seeback’s proposal, specifically the acceptance of foreign medical insurance. The committee voiced concerns that a foreign insurance company may not cover a medical bill and the burden would fall on a Canadian taxpayer.
That said, the price of Canadian insurance is relatively expensive. Foreign nationals in their early seventies, with no pre-existing medical conditions, can range from 1,7000 CAD to 4,600 CAD per year.
In response to this question, Seeback stated: “This doesn’t mean you can go to any insurance company anywhere in the world. I’m encouraging the Minister to set up a framework for the ground rules for when an insurance company would qualify so that people can purchase insurance outside of the country.”
