Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney recently announced Canadian immigration has issued over 20,000 Parent and Grandparent Super Visas, since the program started in December of 2011. Applicants for the Super Visa must be the parents or grandparents of a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident. Dependents of parents or grandparents are not eligible for this visa.
Minister Kenney offered the Super Visa program as an example of the government’s commitment to reunite families, citing the visa’s provision of longer visiting periods for parent and grandparent applicants. Minister Kenney further stated the Super Visa was an innovative method of re-entry to Canada, enabling parents and grandparents to travel back and forth, between their home country and Canada. This was accomplished by removing the requirement of applying for a new Temporary Resident Visa with every visit to Canada.
The Parent and Grandparent Super Visa is a popular Canadian immigration visa, with over 1000 Super Visas being issued each month. Super Visas allow parents and grandparents to enter and leave Canada as many times as they want, for up to 10 years, while also having the option to stay in Canada for up to 2 years at a time. As mentioned, the Super Visa eliminates the need for parents and grandparents to reapply for a Temporary Resident Visa each time they come to Canada and also eliminates the need for visitor status renewal during extended periods of visitation in Canada.
Those interested in applying under the Super Visa program must be able to demonstrate their host (i.e. son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter) meets the minimum income level, and that the applicant has acquired comprehensive Canadian medical insurance and passed a medical examination. Canadian immigration officers also consider a number of other factors when deciding whether to grant the Super Visa, such as:
- what ties the applicant has to his or her native country;
- the reason for the visit to Canada;
- the applicant’s family and financial situation;
- the economic and political stability of the applicant’s home country;
- invitations from Canadian hosts, which includes Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents.
The Super Visa program has a high approval rate, and is an attractive alternative to more lengthy Canadian immigration programs.
For a free consultation with a Canadian immigration lawyer, contact First Immigration Law Firm toll-free in North America @ 1 (855) 360-4333 or 1 (514) 360-4333 internationally.