FAQ

To be eligible for a super visa, the person applying must:

1. Be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident
2. Have a letter written by their child or grandchild stating that they will provide financial support to the visa-holder during their stay
3. Provide proof that their child or grandchild meets the minimum income requirement
4. Provide a copy of their child or grandchild’s Canadian passport or Permanent Resident Card (PR Card)
5. Take a medical exam and show they are healthy enough to enter the country
6. Provide proof that they have adequate insurance coverage from a Canadian insurance company (super visa insurance)

Visit the Government of Canada’s website for more details about the requirements for the government’s super visa program.

The minimum requirements a super visa insurance policy has to meet are:

• Must be valid for at least one year from the date the visa-holder arrives in Canada
• Must have at least $100,000 CAD in coverage
• Must cover emergency medical care, possible hospitalization, and repatriation
• Must be active and available for review by an immigration official each time the visa-holder enters Canada
• Must have been bought from a Canadian insurance company

Yes, you need to have Canadian medical insurance for a super visa application to be approved. The insurance policy must also be active when the visa-holder arrives in Canada.

While the minimum requirement for medical insurance coverage for super visa is $100,000 CAD, many choose to go above those minimum requirements. It is possible to purchase up to $1 million in super visa insurance coverage. Given the high cost of medical treatment without public healthcare coverage and the advanced age of the typical super visa insurance applicant, opting for a higher medical coverage amount is common.

Super visa insurance can cost between $100 to $200 per month for each parent or grandparent visiting Canada. But the exact cost of Canadian super visa insurance fees can vary, depending on factors like:

• Age
• Health & medical history
• Policy length
• Amount of coverage
• Deductible

Originally, super visa insurance had to be paid in full at the time of purchase. But as of December 2022, there are options to pay in monthly installments instead. Someone can also sponsor their parents or grandparents and buy the super visa insurance on their behalf. 

The deductible of your super visa insurance policy is the amount of money you decide to pay for medical care before your coverage kicks in. Different insurance companies offer different deductible amounts. Some deductibles can be zero, which means you don’t have to pay anything. Others can be thousands of dollars. You can save money on your insurance costs based on the deductible options you choose. The chart below shows how choosing a higher deductible can make your insurance premiumlower.

One of the pros of choosing a higher deductible is that you will pay less monthly or annual costs for your insurance coverage. On the other hand, choosing a lower deductible is the opposite. When you have a zero-dollar deductible, you don’t have to pay anything upfront for medical expenses. But you’ll have to pay a higher premium each month. Some people decide to pay a deductible, so their premium is lower. They then pay for smaller medical expenses, like prescription drugs, when they need to.