Super Visa Insurance

Insurance for Parents and Grandparents Travelling to Canada

Super Visa Insurance

What is Super Visa?

Currently, most visitors to Canada may visit for up to six months when they first enter Canada. Visitors who wish to stay longer must apply for an extension, and pay a new fee.

With the parent and grandparent super visa, eligible parents and grandparents can visit family in Canada for longer periods of time than with a visitor visa.

The super visa is a multi-entry visa that provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years. The key difference is that the super visa allows an individual to stay for up to 5 years at a time in Canada, while a 10-year multiple entry visa would only have a status period for each entry of six months only.

With the parent and grandparent super visa, eligible parents and grandparents can visit family in Canada for up to two years without the need to renew their status.

Who is eligible for a parent and grandparent super visa?

To be eligible for the super visa, applicants must be the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Dependants of parents and grandparents are not eligible for the super visa. However, they can apply for a regular visitor visa. The super visa applicants must also be found admissible to Canada and meet some other conditions.

Visa officers consider several factors before deciding whether an applicant is admissible. Officers must believe the applicant is a genuine visitor to Canada who will leave by choice at the end of the visit. Among the things the officer might consider are the following:

the person’s ties to his or her home country;
the purpose of the visit;
the person’s family and financial situation;
the overall economic and political stability of the home country; and
invitations from Canadian hosts.

The parent or grandparent must also do the following:

provide a letter promising financial support from their child or grandchild in Canada who has a minimum income;
prove he or she has Canadian medical insurance for at least one year to cover the time he or she will be in Canada; and
complete an immigration medical examination.

What to look for when purchasing Super Visa Insurance?

When purchasing the super visa insurance for your parents to visit, there are a few things you should consider before making the purchase. Following are some of the factors you should consider:

Cost: Cost is one of the big factors to consider before you actually make the purchase. Make sure you or your broker looks at prices of different companies and compares them to see what would be the cheapest option. I have access to most of the major providers in the industry to provide the most cost effective coverage.

Benefits: Before you make the purchase, make sure the insurance you are buying provides you the coverage you actually need, based on your individual needs. Everyone has different needs and different situations. You want to make sure that the coverage you are buying does provide for things you really care about. Some of things to look for are:

In-Hospital Care
Medical Services
Diagnostic Services
Out-Patient Treatment
Prescription Medicine
Ambulance
Health Practitioners
Accidental Dental
Return of Remains
Child Care
Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Repatriation to Country of Origin
Out-of-Canada Expenses

These are some of the areas you want to pay attention to and compare.

Eligibility: There is an eligibility criteria for each of the company. You want to pay special attention to the Eligibility questions to make sure that your personal situation or health does not make you ineligible to qualify for the insurance. The irony is that you will not know until you need to claim if you actually were eligible to qualify for this insurance you had.

Deductible: The amount you choose as a deductible will heavily determine what you will pay for the insurance. The higher the deductible amount you choose, the lower the premium. Please make sure you understand what the deductible amount is and if you are fully comfortable with it.

What happens if my parents / grand-parents don't get the visa?

Most insurance companies will refund all of part of the premium if you didn’t receive the visa from the immigration department.

Even if after you receive the visa, but then decide not to come to Canada for any reason, there are some companies that may refund all or part of the premium.