Super Visa: Purpose, and Details for Application

What is a Super Visa? If you have applied for a visa to Canada in the past year, you will have heard about this special type of visa created for parents and grandparents of citizens and permanent residents of Canada. The practice of petitioning for visas for family members who are living outside of Canada is common among immigrant families. In fact, there has been a large number of visa applications and visa petitions for family members over the past few years. Although a huge influx of immigrants is always a concern for governments, Canada is not opposed to the reunification of families and gladly welcomes visitors, provided of course that they pass the screening process for visitor and permanent residence visas. Beginning of the Super Visa In November 2011, the office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) called for a temporary hold on all the applications and petitions for visas of parents and grandparents. The purpose of this move was to give visa offices a chance to work through the backlog of existing visa applications. In place of the TRV or temporary residence visas for parents and grandparents, CIC introduced the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa. These are special visas granted to the named group of people. The CIC website provides more information about the super visa and updates on the results of this change in visa policy. Super Visas are only granted to parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and immigrants who have permanent residence status. There are several requirements for this visa of which applicants should be aware. rnRequirements You may be wondering about the Super Visa's first requirement, which is an application for a Temporary Resident Visa or TVR. Even visitors from visa exempt countries need to complete and submit the forms in the TVR application package. Applicants can get these forms from the visa office in their country or download them from the CIC website. Other requirements for the Super Visa include: 1.Passport 2.Application fee ($75-$150) 3.2 passport photographs of each family member 4.Identification documents 5.Evidence of relationship with child/grandchild 6.Proof that the child/grandchild meets the minimum income threshold based on the LICO (Low Income Cut-Off) table. 7.A statement of full financial support and care from the child/grandchild as host of the parent/grandparent. 8.A successful medical exam. 9.Travel medical insurance from a Canadian company (also known as super visa insurance) The Super Visa's most difficult requirement is probably the need to purchase an insurance policy. One of the conditions of this policy is that it provide minimum coverage of $100,000 (in Canadian dollars). It should cover expenses for hospitalization, basic health care and repatriation. It must also be valid for at least one year. Most importantly, the medical insurance policy must be provided by a Canadian company. There are many insurance companies in Canada that offer medical plans specially designed for Super Visa applicants. It is advisable for applicants and their children or grandchildren to choose a policy that is refundable in the event that their visa application fails, so as to avoid worry about unnecessary costs.