What Is the Difference Between a Super Visa and a Visitor Visa in Canada?
A super visa is a type of visitor visa for eligible parents and grandparents, allowing stays of up to five years at a time. Regular visitors usually stay for up to six months. A super visa has additional host-income, medical, and insurance requirements. It is not permanent residence. For a short visit, your passport, immigration status and travel route determine whether you need a visitor visa, an eTA or neither.
Who can apply?
A regular visitor visa, also called a temporary resident visa (TRV), is used by travellers who need a visa for visits such as tourism or seeing family. Applicants must meet entry requirements, have sufficient funds, and satisfy an officer that they will leave when their authorized stay ends. A medical examination may also be required, depending on their circumstances.
For a super visa, your biological or adopted child or grandchild must be at least 18, live in Canada, and be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered under the Indian Act. The host must provide a signed invitation and satisfy the applicable financial requirements. You must apply from outside Canada and meet admissibility and genuine-visitor requirements.
A child’s study or work permit alone does not qualify them to host a super visa applicant.
How do permitted stays and visa validity differ?
| Feature | Super visa | Regular visitor visa |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Eligible parents and grandparents | Visa-required visitors, including tourists and family visitors |
| Stay per visit | Up to five years under current rules | Usually up to six months; an officer may authorize less or more |
| Entries | Multiple | Single or multiple, as decided by the visa officer |
| Visa validity | Up to ten years | Up to ten years, generally limited by passport or biometrics expiry |
| Extra requirements | Qualifying host finances, medical exam and private health insurance | Sufficient funds and other visitor requirements; a medical exam may be needed |
Visa validity concerns travel to Canada; it is separate from how long you may remain after admission. Follow the departure deadline recorded in your passport or visitor record. A ten-year visa does not authorize a continuous ten-year stay. Older super visa entries before 22 June 2023 may have different authorized stays; do not assume an existing stay changed automatically.
What extra requirements does a super visa have?
The host, together with an eligible co-signer if applicable, can meet the minimum income requirement in either of the two tax years before the application. Alternatively, they must have earned at least 75% of the required amount in the preceding year, and the applicant’s income can cover the remaining amount. Applicants using that option must show that their income will continue in Canada. The threshold depends on IRCC’s family-size calculation; it is not simply the income of everyone living at the same address.
Applicants need an immigration medical examination and qualifying insurance: at least one year from entry, at least CAD 100,000 in emergency coverage, and coverage for health care, hospitalization, and repatriation. A paid policy, including instalments with a deposit, is accepted; a quotation is not. Insurance must meet IRCC’s rules, whether issued by a Canadian or eligible foreign insurer. Bring proof at each entry and renew coverage if it would expire during your stay.
Which option fits your visit?
Consider a super visa if you are an eligible parent or grandparent planning a long visit and can meet all its conditions. For a shorter visit—or if you do not qualify—first check the regular travel-document requirements. Do not assume that a short stay automatically requires a TRV.
Visa-exempt parents and grandparents can also apply under the super visa program. Successful applicants receive an approval letter to present at the border, and may need a separate eTA when flying. An eTA alone does not provide the super visa’s five-year stay.
Neither visa approval nor an eTA guarantees admission. You must meet entry requirements and maintain valid visitor status throughout your stay.
Requirements checked on 19 October 2026. Confirm current rules before applying using IRCC’s super visa eligibility guidance, financial support rules, insurance and document checklist, visitor visa guidance, and travel-document requirements.
This information is general. Canada Immigration Services is a private travel assistance provider and is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. You may apply directly through IRCC.
