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In this article, I will address a few popular questions and answers for the Super Visa and some important information to consider when applying for this program. The Super Visa was created and intended for foreign nationals, who have children or grandchildren that are either Canadian citizens or permanent residents, to obtain a multi-entry visa for a period of 10 years. Additionally, they also have strict eligibility requirements that they must meet prior to applying for this program. If you are a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and would like to apply for the Super Visa, I suggest you read our article on “Do you Qualify for a Super Visa?” before reading this question and answer article. The intention of this article is meant to clarify any misunderstanding or confusion with regards to the Super Visa.
A: Fortunately, yes. The Super Visa is a multiple entry visa that allows the individual to enter Canada for a period of up to ten years.
A: In order to better understand the difference between a Super Visa and a Visitor Visa, I will explain what exactly a Visitor Visa entails first. A Visitor Visa is a visa given to foreign nationals to temporarily enter and stay in Canada for a period no longer than six months. If that foreign national would like to stay longer in Canada, they would have to apply for an extension. In contrast, a Super Visa is a visa intended for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents who would like to visit their family in Canada for a period of up to two years at a time without having to renew their status in Canada. Additionally, it is a multi-entry visa which provides the parent or grandparent with multiple entries for up to ten years. Therefore, the major difference between the two is that a Super Visa would allow the parent or grandparent entry into Canada for two years without renewing their status, whereas the Visitor Visa, being a ten year multi-entry visa, would only allow the individual to stay in Canada for a maximum of six months at a time.
A: The Super Visa has very specific eligibility requirements. The most important eligibility requirement is that you must either be a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada in order to apply. Another very important requirement is that the parent or grandparent must be admissible to Canada. In other words, they must not have any inadmissibility due to criminality or health reasons.
It is important to note that Immigration officers do assess several factors before determining the decision of a Super Visa application. One of the first factors they determine is whether the parent or grandparent is a genuine visitor to Canada and whether they will leave at the end of their authorized stay. Other factors that they assess include the individual’s ties to their home country; the purpose of their visit to Canada; their family ties and financial situation; the economic and political stability of their home country; and, whether the child or grandchild has provided a letter of invitation.
There are also specific responsibilities that the parent or grandparent have to abide by. For instance, they must ensure that their child or grandchild meets the minimum income in Canada; they must provide medical insurance coverage for a minimum of one year for the time they will stay in Canada; and they must complete a medical examination prior to arriving to Canada.
A: This is a very important question as it is essential to accurately determine the family size for the minimum income requirement. Therefore, when applying for a Super Visa and calculating the family size, you may include:
Anyone that is not any of the above individuals are excluded from the family size calculation.
Additionally, in order to better understand how to calculate the family size, I will include an example. If your family member that is inviting you to Canada has a family of three individuals and you plan on travelling with your dependent child, the family size would then be five. Specifically, the three family members in Canada plus the two family members, including yourself, travelling to Canada, would equate to five family members.
A: It is possible to cancel your family sponsorship application and apply for a super visa instead. Luckily, you can withdraw your family sponsorship application at any time, so long as the sponsored family member has not received their permanent residency in Canada and have already entered the country. Therefore, you may still apply for a super visa after withdrawing your family sponsorship application.
Should you have any further questions or feel confused or unclear about how to apply for the Super Visa, it is important to talk about any questions you may have and discuss your concerns. By talking to immigration professionals about your concerns, this will ease your worries and assist with the application process. Many immigration applications are difficult to pursue on your own and it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to apply. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped our clients apply for the Super Visa. If you believe that you may be eligible to apply under this program, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advice.
With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!
