Apply For A Super Visa For An Extended Visit With Family
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and you have parents or grandparents in another country, you can apply for them to visit you in Canada for an extended period of time. This special visitation visa is called a super visa—it lasts longer than six months—and can be applied for at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). If you need assistance with the super visa application, contact a local immigration and refugee law office—they can help to make sure your application meets all of the requirements.
One of the reasons that a Canadian woman may want her parents to visit is if she is expecting a child, so that her mother or father can be by her family’s side for the first year of her child’s life. This is a common request—Canadians and permanent residents want their parents close by, especially during special times in their lives. Super visas are also common for weddings, deaths in the family, or any other time when families need each other for emotional or physical support.
At the present time, most visitors to Canada may visit for up to six months when they first enter Canada, and they must apply for an extension, and pay a new fee if they intend to stay and visit longer. With the parent and grandparent super visa, however, eligible parents and grandparents can visit family in Canada for up to two years without the need to renew their status.
The Super Visa is a multi-entry visa providing multiple entries for a period up to 10 years. The main difference is that the Super Visa allows an individual to stay for up to two years on initial entry into Canada, while a 10-year multiple entry visa would only have a status period for each entry of six months only.
The main applicant requirements for a super visa include:
- Be a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Be allowed entry into Canada
- Valid Canadian medical insurance for at least one year
- Immigration medical exam completed by a doctor on the list of panel physicians within the last twelve months
Presence of factors that demonstrate the applicant will voluntarily return home after the super visa expires: strong ties to home country, the purpose of the visit, family and financial situation, and overall economic and political stability of the home country.
The main sponsor requirements for a super visa include:
- A written statement describing your willingness to support the applicant financially
- Proof that you meet the minimum income threshold
- May be asked to provide a letter of invitation
- Pay the required fees and submit the required documents
For more information or assistance with visa applications, contact an immigration and refugee law office.
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Arghavan Gerami
Arghavan Gerami is the Founder and Senior Counsel at Gerami Law Professional Corporation ('PC'), a full-service immigration law firm in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 2011, Ms. Gerami has focused her practice on immigration and refugee litigation. Prior to that, Ms. Gerami worked at the Ministry of Attorney General and the Department of Justice and had the privilege of serving the Honourable Mr. Justice M. Evans at the Federal Court of Appeal on immigration and administrative law appeals. Ms. Gerami contributes to the Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ms. Gerami has also published numerous journal articles and presented at various immigration and refugee law conferences and events across Canada.