What Documents Do I Need for a Super Visa?

A letter of invitation, written and signed by your child or grandchild. IRCC requires it to include proof that they meet the minimum necessary income, the list and number of people counted in their family size, and each person's name and date of birth. Their spouse or common-law partner may co-sign and add their income, if that person is a citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian; no other relative can. How to count the family and read the income table covers the arithmetic.

Proof of income: the Canada Revenue Agency notice of assessment for either of the two tax years before the application. If the host is using the 75 percent route with your income added, the alternatives IRCC lists are a T4 or T1, twelve months of pay stubs, an employer letter with title, duties and salary, bank statements showing employment or pension deposits, pension statements, or rental contracts.

Proof of the host's status: a copy of their Canadian citizenship document, their permanent resident document, or their status card, and the same for the co-signing spouse if there is one.

Proof of relationship: a copy of the host's birth certificate or baptismal certificate naming you as the parent, or another official document that names you as the parent or grandparent.

Proof of private health insurance. IRCC's list: the policy names the insurer, is valid for at least one year from your date of entry, is paid in full or in instalments with a deposit (a quote is not accepted), covers health care, hospitalization and repatriation, provides at least $100,000 of emergency coverage, and is valid for each entry to Canada. The insurer is Canadian, or a foreign company authorized by Canada's Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and on its public list, with a statement that the policy was issued while doing insurance business in Canada. The insurance note explains the foreign-insurer rules.

Proof that you completed an immigration medical exam with a panel physician. A valid passport. And whatever your local visa office adds: IRCC's page asks where you are applying from and lists extra requirements by country, so check that section for yours.

Any document not in English or French goes in with a translation and the original-language copy. A certified translator, a member in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial translators' body, stamps the translation with a membership number. Anyone else who translates must add an affidavit. If a representative helps with the application, their details go in the contact section and the Use of a Representative form IMM 5476 is included. IRCC adds that you are not required to hire one and are treated the same either way.

The super visa fee is $100 per person, the same as a multiple-entry visitor visa. Biometrics are $85 where required; IRCC says to pay it with the application to avoid delay, then book the appointment as soon as the instruction letter arrives. Applicants from visa-exempt countries pay neither fee: if approved, they are directed to get an eTA and receive a letter to show at the border.

IRCC says documents must be clear and easy to read, or the application may be returned or delayed. You apply from outside Canada, through the IRCC portal. If a sponsorship application is already in progress, you can still apply for a super visa while it waits. And remember the general visitor test still applies: ties at home, the purpose of the visit, family and finances. Super visa or visitor visa sets out when the shorter route is the better one.

The letter first, because a letter that misses the family count or a date of birth is the most common reason a file is returned. Then the insurance policy wording against IRCC's list item by item, and the income proof against the right row of the table. In our experience, the applicant's side is straightforward; it is the host's paperwork that decides the timeline.