Super Visa — the income rule just got easier to meet.
Since March 31, 2026 you can use either of your last two tax years, or add your parent's own income to close a shortfall. Check where you stand in under a minute.
Income checker
Does your income clear the bar? Two routes now say yes.
The minimum necessary income is set by Canada's Low Income Cut-Off for your family size. Counting that family size wrongly is the most common reason a super visa fails on money rather than merit — so start there.
Since March 31, 2026
Two ways to meet the same number.
Before this change, one bad tax year could sink an otherwise strong application. Now there are two alternatives, and either one is enough.
Previously only the most recent tax year counted. Now the host � with a co-signing spouse or common-law partner if there is one � may rely on whichever of the last two years meets the threshold.
Where the host reaches the required minimum percentage of the threshold on their own, the visiting parent's or grandparent's income can be added to cover the rest.
Figures in force from July 29, 2026. The threshold is the Low Income Cut-Off itself — not LICO plus 30%, which is the separate requirement for sponsoring parents for permanent residence. Several sites conflate the two. Confirm on canada.ca →
Medical insurance
The requirement that catches most families. It is bought, not quoted.
Every super visa applicant needs private medical insurance of at least $100,000, valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry, covering healthcare, hospitalisation and repatriation. It must already be paid for when you apply — a quote is not accepted — and proof is required on each entry to Canada, not just the first.
The policy may come from a Canadian company, or from a foreign insurer authorised by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions under the Insurance Companies Act and appearing on OSFI's public list. An overseas policy that is merely cheap and comprehensive does not qualify. Check the OSFI list →
Super visa or visitor visa
A longer stay, bought with a higher bar.
The super visa is not simply a better visitor visa. It asks more of the host and costs more to prepare — and in return it removes the six-month cycle entirely.
Before anything is filed
Six things we settle first.
Most refused super visa files are not weak cases. They are strong cases assembled in the wrong order, where one number or one missing document undoes the rest.
Birth certificates and, where names have changed, the documents that connect them. The whole category rests on this link being provable.
Citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian, at least 18, and living in Canada. A spouse or common-law partner may co-sign; siblings and other relatives cannot.
Host, their spouse or partner, dependent children, anyone they have sponsored who is still under undertaking, and every parent or grandparent being invited. Counting this wrong is the most common reason a file fails on income.
Notices of Assessment are the anchor. Pay stubs, employment letters and an accountant's letter for the self-employed support them � they do not replace them.
Bought and paid before you apply, not quoted. Check the insurer against OSFI's list if it is not a Canadian company.
A long stay still requires a credible reason to return home. The invitation letter has to read as a plan, not a formality.
Related
If the super visa isn't the fit.
No income test and no insurance requirement — but six months at a time.
Extending a stay that is running out, or restoring status inside the 90-day window.
Where the goal is permanent residence rather than a long visit.
Send us your family size and your last two Notices of Assessment.
We will confirm the threshold that actually applies to you, which of the two routes fits, and what the invitation and insurance need to say. Brampton, London, or remotely across Canada.
Reviewed August 2026 — general information only, not legal advice, and no consultant–client relationship is created by reading this page. Income thresholds are re-published annually and the figures above are those in force from July 29, 2026. Confirm current requirements on canada.ca and the document list before filing. IRCC makes all final decisions.
Super visa review
Do your parents meet the super visa test?
Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.
- Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant — never a bot, never a salesperson
- A written shortlist of the programs you realistically qualify for
- Consultations are fee-based; you get the fee and available times by reply
CHK Immigration Services — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions.