Your parents in Punjab, you in CanadaBring your parents to Canada from India
Two visas fit a parent's visit: the ordinary visitor visa, and the Super Visa for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The Super Visa allows far longer stays but asks more of you as the host: an income test and a year of medical insurance. Here is what you send, what your parents prepare in Punjab, and what it costs.
Government facts checked on official sites on 26 Oct 2026.
The visas your parents can use
Visitor visa (TRV)
- Stays of up to 6 months per visit, as the officer decides
- Single or multiple entry, as the officer decides; valid at most 10 years, or until the passport or biometrics expire if sooner
- No income test for you; an invitation letter and proof of your status support the file
Super Visa (parents and grandparents)
- Stays of up to 5 years at a time, multiple entries for up to 10 years
- You must meet the minimum income for your household size
- Your parents need a year of medical insurance that meets IRCC's conditions, and an immigration medical exam
What you send from Canada
- Signed letter of invitationYour relationship, the purpose and dates of the visit, and whether you provide accommodation and money.
- Super Visa only: what the letter must includeProof that you meet the minimum income, and the list and number of people you counted in your family size, with each person's name and date of birth. Your spouse or common-law partner may co-sign it if they are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian; no other relative can.
- Proof of your status in CanadaCopy of your Canadian passport, PR card or Indian Act registration.
- Proof you are their childYour birth certificate naming them, or equivalent records.
- Super Visa only: income proofNotice of Assessment, pay stubs and an employment letter showing your household income met the minimum in either of the last 2 tax years.
What your parents prepare in Punjab
- PassportsValid for the whole intended stay.
- Family Information Form (IMM 5645)Each parent, as an applicant aged 18 or over.
- Bank statements for 6 months, and proof of ties to IndiaPension, property, family remaining in Punjab.
- Super Visa only: medical insuranceValid at least 1 year from entry, minimum $100,000 emergency cover, covering health care, hospitalisation and repatriation, paid in full or by instalments with a deposit. Quotes are not accepted.
- Super Visa only: immigration medical examWith an IRCC panel physician.
Retired, with no employer to show? How a pension, property and family in India make the return case: visas for senior citizens. Full document checklist.
Super Visa: minimum income for your household
| People in your household | Minimum income (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30,526 |
| 2 | 38,002 |
| 3 | 46,720 |
| 4 | 56,724 |
| 5 | 64,336 |
| 6 | 72,560 |
| 7 | 80,784 |
| Each extra person | add 8,224 |
IRCC's table, headed "Updated July 29, 2025". Count your parents in the household. If your income was at least 75% of the minimum, IRCC lets your parents add their own income to cover the rest. IRCC source.
Government fees
- Visitor visa or Super Visa, per person
- CAD 100
- Biometrics, per person
- CAD 85
- Biometrics, family applying together (maximum)
- CAD 170
Paid to the government, not to us, and separate from our fee. Official fee page, checked 26 Oct 2026. Visa-centre service charges, medical exams and insurance, where they apply, are extra.
The steps, in order
- 1You send your documentsInvitation letter, status proof and, for a Super Visa, your income evidence.
- 2Super Visa: insurance and medicalYour parents buy the year of insurance and take the immigration medical exam with a panel physician.
- 3Online application and feesFiled on the IRCC portal; the visa and biometrics fees are paid online.
- 4Biometrics in PunjabAfter IRCC emails the Biometric Instruction Letter, your parents book the VAC appointment through AMS and give fingerprints and a photo.
- 5Passport request and decisionThey submit passports only when IRCC asks for them, then collect them with the decision.
Your parents give biometrics at Canada visa application centres in Chandigarh, Jalandhar or New Delhi. Canada appointment dates we checked.
Worth knowing
- Since 22 June 2023 a Super Visa holder can stay 5 years at a time; before that status ends they must leave or apply to extend. Source
Paying from Canada
Government fees are paid online during the application. Our professional fee is invoiced by Pro Lifeset Overseas Pvt Ltd and paid by a payment link we send on WhatsApp to whoever is paying: you, or your parents in Punjab. If you want to pay with a card issued outside India, tell us first and we will confirm the link accepts it. Never pay anyone's personal account or UPI handle on our behalf.
Questions
Should my parents apply for a Super Visa or a visitor visa?
If they want to stay longer than about six months at a time and you meet the income minimum, the Super Visa: up to 5 years per stay. If the visit is shorter, or your income is below the table, the visitor visa is simpler: no income test and no compulsory year of insurance. Both cost CAD 100 per person plus biometrics.
Can I pay for my parents' application from Canada?
Yes. IRCC fees are paid online during the application. Our professional fee is paid by a payment link that we send to whoever is paying, you or your parents. If you want to use a card issued outside India, tell us first and we will confirm the link accepts it.