Tourist Visa vs Super Visa: For many Canadian citizens and permanent residents, bringing parents or grandparents to visit them in Canada is a dream. Although there are various immigration approaches, the process can still seem overwhelming for individuals, especially with the difference between a standard tourist visa (also referred to as a visitor visa, a bit confusingly), and the Super Visa.
Take notice that, as of September 30, 2025, Canada is still developing its immigration policy and has made recent changes to allow for more family reunification while balancing economic and medical needs.
A visitor visa is a flexible document that permits temporary entry for tourism, family visits or business meetings, to name just a few purposes. The Super Visa is specifically designed for parents and grandparents, allowing them to stay longer and strengthen family bonds.
This article aims to highlight the various types and subtypes of visas, considerations for eligibility, the application process, and where to find the primary differences among the different visas issued to extend visitor stays. We have also included the recent updates from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
We will discuss how these options allow families, parents and grandparents to demonstrate their commitment to multigenerational relationships, while also providing practical information to assist you in selecting the appropriate pathway.
With an aging population and Canada’s commitment to family reunification, the need to distinguish between visas has never been more pressing. The Super Visa, which was first introduced in 2011, witnessed a notable development in 2025 in that health insurance rules were relaxed for the issuance process.
Simultaneously, the Visitor Visa is a convenient entry point for an initial or short visit. Whether you seek a short vacation or have more extended plans of multiple years, this guide—accompanied, where appropriate, by tables to convey information—provides the foundations of knowledge to move forward and make decisions with confidence.
It’s worth mentioning that despite the fact the Parents and Grandparents Program has inflated its cap to 25,000 applications for permanent residency in 2025, this article is limited to temporary options.
In a world where spending time with family supports mental health and cultural continuity, these visas limit distance. Success requires preparation, including evidence of funds (and perhaps language, where applicable).
If you are thinking of language preparations, you can use celpip.biz for free practice tests and tips on the CELPIP exam, which is a government-recognized tool to demonstrate English language proficiency. Now let’s start breaking this down step by step.
Understanding the Tourist Visa (Visitor Visa)
The Tourist Visa, formally known as the Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or Visitor Visa, is the main entry permit issued by the Canadian government for a non-resident with the objective of a short-term stay in Canada. A Tourist Visa is issued by the IRCC, and it is stamped or affixed to your passport, signifying that you have received approval to travel to Canada.
As of 2025, the Tourist Visa allows for a wide range of purposes, like sightseeing in Stanley Park in Vancouver, to attending a family wedding in Toronto.
Types and Subtypes of Visitor Visas
Visitor Visas come in two main subtypes based on entry frequency, with no further subdivisions for parents or grandparents specifically. These are:
- Single-Entry Visitor Visa:
- Provides a single entry into Canada.
- suited for one-time planned visits, eg, when taking a two-week vacation.
- When the visa is exited, it is expired and you would have to reapply for another visa each time you plan to visit again.
- Typically valid until the expiration of the passport or up to 10 years max for the validity period, but only good for your six-month stay at any one time per entry.
- Multiple-Entry Visitor Visa:
- Permit unlimited entries while it is valid (up to 10 years).
- Ideal for frequent short visits, such as a monthly check on a family member.
- The maximum stay, however, is limited to six months in each visit; border officers will allow or determine how long each stay will be upon arrival.
- This factor is a considerable draw for this subtype, particularly for parents and grandparents seeking flexibility without the need for reapplication.
Moreover, certain travellers are eligible for visa exemptions or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), which is a form of electronic approval for air travel but is not classified as a visa. Parents and grandparents from visa-requiring countries (for example, India, China, the Philippines) will, however, have to apply for a full TRV.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must show that they are bona fide visitors and will leave Canada by choice. Key requirements are:
- Reason for Visit: Clearly explain tourism or visiting family as a reason for the visit; parents or grandparents wanting to visit children should have an invitation letter from the child with details about their relationship and trip.
- Ties to Home Country: Applicants can provide documentation such as property ownership, employment, or family obligations outside of Canada to demonstrate that the visitor’s intent is to return to their home country.
- Financial Capacity: Proof of sufficient funds during the stay; example being bank statements showing CAD 2,000-3,000 per month or more depending on plans.
- Health and Safety: No serious criminality; sometimes medical examinations will be required for stays over 6 months, but it is rare for visitors.
- Not Seeking Paid Work or Study: Visitors may not engage in paid work, but a visitor can apply for an extension, but they will be scrutinized.
For parents and grandparents, stressing emotional ties is an important aspect of the application process, however, overstaying may result in being denied future entry to Canada.
Application process
You can apply online through the IRCC portal or at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). The steps to apply include:
- Prepare your documents: Passport, recent photographs, letter of invitation and proof of finances.
- Fees: A fees of CAD 100 is required. And a fees of CAD 85 is applicable if your biometrics are required.
- Submit the application and after that, attend and carry out the biometric component (fingerprinting) within 30 days.
- The processing time is between 15-120 days depending on your country of origin. Please see the IRCC portal for your time estimation tool.
- Once you receive your approval, you must present your visa at your port of entry. The visa may be renewed for some other 6 months beyond the original time (again). The cost is CAD 100 and must be justified.
In 2025, there are no major changes to Visitor Visas; however, the IRCC is encouraging all submissions to be done online to reduce processing backlogs.
The Super Visa Explained
Launched in 2011 as a substitute for the delayed PGP, the Super Visa is the multiple entry visa type only for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens, permanent residents or registered Indians under the Indian Act.
It was designated so that families could spend time together without permanent residency. As of May 2025, IRCC reports an average of 100k issuances a year, indicating its popularity.
The Super Visa has no subtypes; it is a single category type of visa to visit for extended periods. It acts as a multiple-entry visa, valid for 10 years, allowing visitors to stay for 5 years at a time, which exceeds the normal “visitor” provisions.
The travellers who do not require a visa are given a letter confirming the intention, but they do not have a sticker placed in their passports instead.
Eligibility Criteria
Requirements for eligibility are strict to confirm sustainability. Core requirements:
- Proof of Relationship: The individual must provide birth certificates or DNA tests establishing an individual (parent or grandparent) connection to the eligible Canadian host (a child or grandchild).
- Eligible Host: The host must be over the age of 18, live in Canada, and have an income that meets (LICO) plus 30%. As of July 29, 2025, the minimum income table will be as follows:
Number of Family Members | Minimum Annual Income (CAD) |
1 | 30,526 |
2 | 38,002 |
3 | 46,720 |
4 | 56,724 |
5 | 64,336 |
6 | 72,560 |
7 | 80,784 |
Each additional member | +8,224 |
- Invitation Letter: Provided by the host (or co-signed by the host’s spouse), indicating financial support, along with the household family size for income purposes.
- Medical Insurance: Verification of private insurance for a minimum of one year from arrival in Canada, at least CAD 100,000 in health care, hospitalization, and repatriation. There is a significant change in 2025 (applicable January 28) allowing for insurance products underwritten by non-Canadian insurance companies and published in Canada as long as the O.S.F.I. approved the company, to help increase access to insurance for applicants whose countries do not have insurance options, instead of being limited to policies underwritten by Canadian companies.
- Visitor Intent to Return: There is an evaluation of the applicant’s ties to home, purpose of visit, and ability to return to their home country.
- Language Skills: The applicant’s level of English and/or French needs to be displayed by achieving CLB Level 4 in four abilities – listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Recognized tests will include, but are not limited to the CELPIP-General (desirable since it is issued from a Canadian testing organization) or, the IELTS, or the TEF/TCF for French. If there is a post-secondary degree from a Canadian institution that was taught in English or French, the applicant is considered exempt from testing for language. The celpip.biz website offers free mock tests, sample questions, and study guides specifically for immigration purposes, which will facilitate the possibility of gaining the needed score quicker.
Health exams are required to obtain a Super Visa, which is not in the Visitor Visa process.
Application Process
This visa is similar to Visitor Visas but requires additional documentation:
- The sponsor is required to prepare a letter of invitation and show proof of income (e.g., tax assessments from the last 3 years).
- You will need to apply online.
- Submit a valid passport, photos and proof of relationship
- Submit a proof of paid insurance quote,
- Submit proof of language results.
- Fee: CAD 100 + biometrics.
- Processing time takes 60-180 days; you will need to apply from outside Canada.
- At border control: provide all documentation. The border officer may allow you to stay for a maximum of 5 years.
Renewals will require you to begin the application process again before the expiration date. In 2025, if all goes as planned, you will be able to upload a digitized proof of insurance with your application.
Key Differences: Tourist Visa vs Super Visa
The Visitor and Super Visas serve overlapping but distinct roles. Here’s a comparative table:
Aspect | Visitor Visa (Tourist) | Super Visa |
Target Group | General public, including parents/grandparents | Exclusively parents/grandparents of Canadians/PRs |
Stay Duration | Up to 6 months per visit | Up to 5 years per visit |
Validity Period | Up to 10 years (multiple-entry) | Up to 10 years (multiple-entry) |
Entry Type | Single or multiple | Multiple only |
Income Requirement | Applicant’s own funds | Host’s minimum income (LICO +30%) |
Insurance | Not required (provincial coverage optional) | Mandatory CAD 100k for 1 year (eased 2025) |
Language Test | Not required | CLB 4 required (e.g., via CELPIP) |
Medical Exam | Rarely (if >6 months) | Always required |
Fee | CAD 100 | CAD 100 |
Processing Time | 15–120 days | 60–180 days |
Renewal | Extension application (CAD 100) | Full reapplication |
This table highlights the Super Visa’s family-focused advantages, ideal for extended caregiving or retirement visits, versus the Visitor Visa’s brevity and simplicity.
Latest Updates as of 2025
Targeted reforms are coming with the 2025 changes. The expansion of insurance for Super Visas on January 28 increases the options for providers, which means that the international applicants may reduce the costs for themselves by 20-30%. The increase of the threshold of income in July represents the inflation (raised by about 5% compared to 2024).
The language tests remain unchanged, with an increasing number of people opting for the online version of CELPIP—many have utilized celpip.biz resources and achieved CLB 4+.
The changes for visitor visas are minor: the integration of the eTA has been improved for exempt travelers and biometrics can be taken quicker through a mobile app. The PGP’s cap increase to 25,000 invites (from 10,000 in 2024) is a route to PR, but Super Visa is still the fast temporary solution during the intake that is on hold.
IRCC’s 2024-2026 Levels Plan focuses on the family class and anticipates 110,000 admissions per year, thus indirectly giving a lift to temporary visas.
Use a Visitor Visa to do trial runs or have short stays or reunions and use the Super Visa for the longer stays. RCICs will give you the best advice if you are not sure about your visa options, especially about the finances.
