Super Visa Insurance Canada 2026: $100,000 Coverage Rules
As of September 24, 2026.
Super visa insurance must be private health insurance from a Canadian insurance company, or from a foreign insurer authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) that issued the policy while doing insurance business in Canada. It must give at least $100,000 in emergency coverage for health care, hospitalization and repatriation, be valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry, and be paid in full or in instalments with a deposit. Quotes are not accepted. A super visa lets parents and grandparents of a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian visit for 5 years at a time, with multiple entries for up to 10 years. You cannot include dependants on the application. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will not issue the visa unless you show qualifying private health insurance. This guide covers that insurance rule, not a shopping list of commercial providers.
TL;DR
Coverage must be at least CAD $100,000 in emergency medical and must include health care, hospitalization, and repatriation | The policy must be valid for a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry, and again on each later entry | Quotes are not accepted. The policy must be paid in full or in instalments with a deposit | The insurer must be a Canadian company, or a foreign company authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) that issued the policy while doing insurance business in Canada | The super visa fee is CAD $100 per person, plus $85 for biometrics if needed. Processing times vary by country
Planning a visit to Canada?
Check whether you need a visitor visa or an eTA, and what your application should include. Free, and it takes about a minute to start.
What insurance does IRCC require for a super visa?
Short answer: You must show proof of private health insurance that is valid for a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry. The policy has to come from a Canadian insurance company, or from a company outside Canada that the minister has approved under the OSFI rules below. Eligibility is on the IRCC who can apply page, last updated 6 July 2026. Document detail is on the forms and documents page. Super visa holders are not eligible for provincial or territorial health-care plans. The insurance is the coverage they use in Canada.
You must have proof of a policy on each entry. If coverage will expire before you leave, renew it so you stay covered for the rest of the stay. Border services officers can ask to see the policy.
What must the policy itself contain?
Short answer: IRCC's document list says the policy should name the insurance company that issued it (the insurer or underwriter), be valid for a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry, be paid in full or in instalments with a deposit, cover the applicant's health care, hospitalization and repatriation, provide a minimum emergency coverage of $100,000, be valid for each entry to Canada, and be available for review by a border services officer on request. Quotes are not accepted. A letter of intent or an unpaid estimate is not proof.
IRCC insurance rule
What officers look for
Minimum emergency coverage
CAD $100,000
Minimum duration
1 year from the date of entry
Must cover
Health care, hospitalization, repatriation
Payment
Paid in full, or instalments with a deposit. No quotes
Issuer
Canadian insurer, or OSFI-authorized foreign insurer doing insurance business in Canada
Each entry
Fresh proof that the policy is valid for that entry
All policies issued by a foreign insurance company must include a statement that the document was issued or made while the company was doing insurance business in Canada. That sentence is IRCC's wording, not a broker slogan. If it is missing, the document does not meet the foreign-insurer test.
Advertisement
Can you buy the policy from a company outside Canada?
Short answer: Yes, since 28 January 2025, but only if that foreign company is authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) under the Insurance Companies Act to provide accident and sickness insurance, appears on OSFI's public list of federally regulated financial institutions, and issued or made the policy while doing insurance business in Canada. IRCC announced the change in the notice that health insurance requirement makes the super visa more accessible (28 January 2025). OSFI does not keep a list of foreign insurers that have no Canadian branch or subsidiary. Insurance brokers and claims administrators are not insurance companies and will not appear on the OSFI list.
Previously, proof had to come from a Canadian provider only. The 2025 change did not drop the $100,000, 1-year, paid-proof, or repatriation rules. It only widened who may issue the policy. If a relative abroad buys a travel plan that is not on the OSFI list and was not issued in the company's Canadian insurance business, IRCC will not treat it as super visa insurance.
Who else has to qualify besides the insurance?
Short answer: You apply from outside Canada. The host must be your biological or adopted child or grandchild, at least 18, living in Canada, and a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian. The host must meet or exceed the minimum necessary income and write and sign a letter of invitation. You must take an immigration medical exam with an approved panel physician. You must be allowed to enter Canada and you must look like a genuine visitor who will leave. Dependants cannot ride on this application. The super visa landing page, updated 6 July 2026, is the overview.
The letter of invitation must include proof the host meets the income test and the list of people counted in family size, with each person's name and date of birth. A spouse or common-law partner of the host may co-sign and contribute income if that person is also a citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian. Siblings of the host cannot co-sign. IRCC's income table, last updated 29 July 2025, sets the minimum by family size. For a host with no spouse, common-law partner or dependent children, who is not already hosting or sponsoring anyone and invites one parent (a family size of 2), it is $38,002. For a host with a spouse and 2 dependent children who invites both parents (a family size of 6), it is $72,560. The host proves income with a Canada Revenue Agency notice of assessment that meets the minimum in either of the 2 tax years before the application. If the host's income in the last year was at least 75% of the minimum, the parent or grandparent can add their own income to cover the rest, with proof that it continues while they are in Canada.
If you already filed a parent or grandparent sponsorship, you can still apply for a super visa while you wait, or withdraw the sponsorship and apply for the super visa instead. If you only want to stay 6 months or less, a regular visitor visa may be the better fit.
Visa-exempt applicants can still get a super visa to stay 5 years. If IRCC approves, you receive a letter to show a border services officer. If you fly, you may also need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) linked to the same passport.
Get your immigration roadmap
Answer a few questions about your background and goals. See which Canadian immigration programs fit you best.
How much does the super visa application cost, and how long does it take?
Short answer: IRCC lists the super visa fee as starting from CAD $100. The how to apply page, updated 28 August 2026, prices the super visa at $100 per person for a multiple-entry temporary resident visa, plus $85 biometrics if you need to give them. Visa-exempt applicants do not pay the super visa fee or the biometrics fee. Processing times vary by country. On 22 September 2026, the IRCC processing-times tool showed 66 days for parents or grandparents living in the United States, 70 days for India, 77 days for China, 92 days for Pakistan and 265 days for Iran. These times do not include the wait to give biometrics. Because the policy must be valid for at least 1 year from the date you enter Canada, a long wait matters for the dates on the policy. Check your country on the tool or in the super visa column of our processing times by country table before you buy.
Fee
Amount (CAD)
Who pays
Super visa (multiple-entry TRV)
$100
Each applicant, unless visa-exempt
Biometrics
$85
Applicants who must give biometrics
Family biometrics maximum
$170
Eligible family applying together
Insurance premium
Set by the insurer
Not an IRCC fee. Budget it separately
You apply in the IRCC Portal from outside Canada. When the questionnaire asks "I want to apply for", select Visitor visa or super visa. When it asks why you need a visitor visa, select To visit my children or grandchildren for more than 6 months (super visa). Pay with a credit card, Debit MasterCard, or Visa Debit. If you need biometrics, pay that fee with the application.
IRCC cannot issue a super visa that is valid longer than your biometrics. If you have given biometrics before, you may need to extend their validity. As of 24 September 2026, IRCC had extended temporary Ebola-related measures until 28 September 2026. Check that notice if it applies to where you are applying from.
This firm does not quote commercial insurance premiums. Rates move with age, health, deductible, and underwriting. Ask the insurer, in writing, what happens to the premium if IRCC refuses the visa.
What documents sit next to the insurance policy?
Short answer: The personalized checklist in the portal is the list that counts. Typical items are the letter of invitation with income proof, the insurance policy that meets the table above, proof of a panel-physician medical exam, proof the host is a citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian, and proof you are the parent or grandparent (the host's birth or baptismal certificate, or another official document that names you). Local visa offices can add documents. All pages must be readable. If IRCC cannot read a scan, the file can be returned or delayed.
Translations follow the usual IRCC rule: documents not in English or French need a translation. Use of a representative, if you have one, is IMM 5476.
We are Go Far Global, a licensed Canadian immigration firm. Super visa files stall on insurance wording, unpaid quotes, and income letters that under-count family size. If you want the visa documents checked before you pay a premium, book a consultation.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration or legal advice. Immigration laws and policies change frequently. Each case is unique and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) before making immigration decisions.
Rami Mamar is an RCIC-IRB licensed immigration consultant and Commissioner of Oaths with over a decade of experience helping clients from Iran, UAE, Syria, Armenia, and worldwide immigrate to Canada. He has overseen 10,000+ immigration cases including Express Entry, work permits, study permits, and family sponsorship applications.
