Super Visa Insurance for Parents & Grandparents The 2026 Family Guide

1What the IRCC Requires From the Insurance

Super Visa insurance is not optional and it is not ordinary travel insurance. IRCC refuses applications whose coverage misses any of its conditions, so this is the part to get exactly right. The policy must provide at least $100,000 in emergency medical coverage, be valid for at least one year from the date of entry, cover emergency care, hospitalization and repatriation, and come from a Canadian insurance company or a foreign provider authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). You must also show proof the premium is paid, in full or in eligible instalments, before the visa is granted.

Every policy EGE Insurance quotes meets these conditions. In practice an approved plan covers:

• Hospitalization and surgery. Ward or semi-private room costs and emergency surgical care.
• Diagnostics. X-rays, bloodwork and other tests a physician orders during an emergency.
• Emergency dental and prescriptions. Acute dental pain and medications needed for a covered emergency.
• Repatriation. Returning the insured person home if a medical emergency makes that necessary.

The complete application checklist, document list and refusal reasons live in our IRCC Super Visa requirements guide, so this page stays focused on the decisions the host family actually has to make.

2The Requirements at a Glance

Figures verified against IRCC 2026 thresholds. Full table and sources in the IRCC requirements guide linked below.

Every figure above is verified against the 2026 thresholds; the full table and the document checklist live in the IRCC Super Visa requirements guide.

3Your Host Income: A Worked Example

As the host, you are the financial anchor of the application. Your invitation letter is a legal promise of support, and IRCC checks that your household income meets the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for your family size. Your household count includes yourself, your spouse or partner, your dependent children, anyone else you already sponsor, and the parents or grandparents you are inviting.

A worked example: a couple with two children inviting one parent counts as a household of five. For 2026 that requires $64,336 in income. The same couple with no children inviting one parent is a household of four, which requires $56,724.

Since March 31, 2026, you can qualify using income from either of your two most recent taxation years. If last year was weak because of parental leave, a layoff or a career change, the year before can carry the application. Proof is your CRA Notice of Assessment (line 15000), supported by T4 slips or pay stubs.

The full LICO table for every family size, and the exact document list, is in the IRCC Super Visa requirements guide.

4The Applicant Medical Exam

Every Super Visa applicant takes an immigration medical exam with a panel physician approved by IRCC. It is more than a check-up: it typically includes a physical exam, blood tests and a chest X-ray, and the results go directly to IRCC.

The exam matters for insurance planning too. If it documents a chronic but controlled condition, such as managed diabetes or hypertension, the policy you buy should cover stable pre-existing conditions, and not every plan does. Our pre-existing conditions guide compares which insurers offer that coverage and on what terms.

5What "Stable" Actually Means

Insurers do not use the word stable loosely. A condition is generally considered stable when, for a defined period before the policy starts (the stability period), there has been no new diagnosis, no new or changed medication, no new symptoms, no hospitalization and no pending test results for it. The required stability period varies by insurer and by the applicant's age.

Answer medical questions exactly and completely. An innocent mistake on a health questionnaire is one of the most common reasons a claim is denied, and a denied claim defeats the entire purpose of the coverage.

How each insurer defines and prices stability, and which plans suit which conditions, is covered in depth in our pre-existing conditions guide.

6Costs, Monthly Payments and Refunds, Briefly

Three pages on this site go deep on the money questions, so here is just the shape of it. Premiums rise with age bracket, coverage for stable pre-existing conditions costs more than coverage without it, and a higher deductible lowers the premium. Many insurers let you pay monthly rather than a full year upfront, which is often what makes the application affordable; the details are in our monthly payment guide.

• Current price ranges by age and coverage level: see Super Visa insurance prices by age.
• Paying monthly instead of annually, and what it costs extra: see the monthly payment guide.
• If IRCC refuses the visa, most insurers refund the premium minus a small administrative fee when you submit the refusal letter: see the refund policy guide.

7The Path From Decision to Approval

1. Check your host income against the LICO threshold for your household size, using whichever of your last two taxation years is stronger.
2. Gather the applicant's health picture: conditions, medications, and how long everything has been unchanged. This determines which insurers fit.
3. Compare quotes from multiple insurers for the same $100,000-plus, one-year coverage, with and without pre-existing condition coverage as needed.
4. Buy the policy and get proof of coverage for the application, choosing monthly payments if cash flow matters.
5. Book the medical exam with an IRCC panel physician and submit the application with the invitation letter, income proof and insurance certificate.

8Frequently Asked Questions