Super Visa Insurance Requirements Explained

The super visa lets a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident visit for long stays, up to five years at a time, on a visa that can be valid for up to ten years. In exchange, IRCC wants proof that a hospital bill will not fall on the public system. That is the insurance requirement, and it is checked closely.

The rules are specific enough that a policy bought without reading them is often the reason for a refusal.

This applies to parents and grandparents applying for a super visa, and to the children and grandchildren in Canada who host them and sign the invitation.

The insurance must cover health care, hospitalization and repatriation, provide at least $100,000 of coverage, and be valid for at least one year from the date of entry. It must be issued by a Canadian insurance company or, since January 2025, by a foreign insurance company that Canada's Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) authorizes to provide accident and sickness insurance and that appears on OSFI's list of federally regulated financial institutions; the policy must state that it was issued in the course of the company's insurance business in Canada. It must be paid in full, or in instalments with a deposit. A quote is not accepted.

The host side has its own proof. The child or grandchild must show income at or above IRCC's minimum for the family size, counting everyone they support plus the visiting parents, mainly with the Canada Revenue Agency notice of assessment; other income documents, such as T4 slips, an employment letter or pay stubs, are accepted only when it is unavailable. The invitation letter includes a written promise of financial support for the length of the visit.

The applicant must also be admissible, complete an immigration medical exam, and show the usual visitor evidence: purpose of visit, ties to the home country and travel history. A super visa is not sponsorship; it does not lead to permanent residence on its own.

As of this review in October 2026, IRCC's super visa pages set out the insurance rules and the minimum income table by family size, and OSFI's website shows whether a foreign insurer is authorized. Both change, so check them on the day the policy is bought and the day the application is submitted.

Common mistakes include buying a policy with less than one year of validity or under the coverage minimum, using a foreign insurer that OSFI has not authorized, submitting a quote instead of proof of payment, miscounting the family size for the income test, and reusing a generic invitation letter that does not match the trip.

Cancord reviews the policy against IRCC's current insurance rules, the host's income documents and family size, the invitation letter, the applicant's ties and travel history, and whether a super visa, a visitor visa or sponsorship planning fits the family's goal.