Super Visa Income Requirements 2026
A Super Visa host must earn at least the low income cut-off (LICO) for their family size, counting the parents or grandparents invited. On IRCC's table updated July 29, 2025, a family of 2 needs $38,002. Since March 31, 2026, either of the two tax years before the application can count.
$38,002
Minimum necessary income for a family of 2, on IRCC's LICO table updated July 29, 2025
$8,224
Added for each person above 7
75%
The share of the required amount the host must reach before a visiting parent’s own income can be combined
CAD $100,000
The least emergency coverage the medical insurance must provide
How much income does a Super Visa host need?
The host in Canada must show they earn enough to support the visiting parent or grandparent on top of their own household. The threshold is the low income cut-off (LICO) minimum necessary income for the family size, and it rises as the family grows.
The host must be a Canadian citizen, a registered Indian under the Indian Act, or a permanent resident. IRCC updates the figures from time to time and publishes the exact amounts with the date of the table in force, and an officer measures the income against that table.
| Family size | Minimum necessary income |
|---|---|
| Two people | $38,002 |
| Three people | $46,720 |
| Four people | $56,724 |
| Five people | $64,336 |
| Seven people | $80,784 |
| Each person above seven | add $8,224 |
Who counts in the family size?
The family unit includes the visiting parents or grandparents themselves. You count:
- the parents or grandparents applying, and any other super visa applicants the host will support;
- the host;
- the host’s spouse or common-law partner;
- the dependent children of the host and of that spouse or partner;
- super visa holders on another letter of invitation from the host or the host’s spouse or partner that still applies;
- anyone the host or a co-signer sponsored whose undertaking is still in effect.
A couple inviting both parents is counted as a larger unit than a couple inviting one parent. The income you show is generally your income as assessed by the Canada Revenue Agency, as reflected on a Notice of Assessment, which is why the test is measured in taxation years.
The rule
The host in Canada must meet the low income cut-off (LICO) minimum necessary income for their family size, counting the parents or grandparents invited.
What changed on March 31, 2026?
Before this change, IRCC looked at the host’s income for the single most recent taxation year. Effective March 31, 2026, the host, and a co-signing spouse or common-law partner if there is one, can meet the minimum necessary income in either of the two taxation years immediately before the application is made.
A visiting parent’s or grandparent’s own income can now count. If the host’s household income in the year before the application falls short but reaches at least 75% of the required amount, the parent or grandparent can add their own income to make up the difference, and the combined amount must meet or exceed the minimum necessary income.
You must provide proof that the parent or grandparent will continue to earn this income while in Canada, and the document must include the currency they are paid in. IRCC has said the new rules apply to applications submitted on or after March 31, 2026 and to applications already in processing on that date. The change does not lower the LICO figures; it changes which years and whose income can be used to meet them.
What medical insurance must the application show?
Separate from the income test, every Super Visa applicant must have private medical insurance covering the visiting parent or grandparent, bought from an insurer, with proof of paid coverage in the application. Meeting the income test does not remove the need for insurance, and insurance does not remove the need to meet the income test.
The policy must provide at least CAD $100,000 of emergency coverage for health care, hospitalization and repatriation, and be valid for at least one year from the date of entry. It must be paid in full, or in instalments with a deposit. Quotes are not accepted.
Since January 28, 2025, IRCC has also allowed policies from insurance companies outside Canada, if the 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 list of federally regulated financial institutions, and issued the policy while doing insurance business in Canada.
How does the Super Visa differ from sponsoring parents through the PGP?
- Super Visa
- A temporary resident visa: a long-validity, multiple-entry visa with stays authorized for years at a time. It does not grant permanent residence. The host meets the base LICO for their family size, in one of the two tax years before the application. The Super Visa is open.
- Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)
- A sponsorship program that leads to permanent residence for the parent or grandparent, with its own, generally higher, income requirements measured over multiple years. The PGP is paused until further notice: IRCC says it will not accept new interest to sponsor forms or invite potential sponsors to apply, and it will keep processing existing applications. No reopening date has been confirmed.
- A host on temporary status
- A person on a work or study permit cannot host a Super Visa, and cannot sponsor through the PGP, until their own status changes.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Funds CalculatorProof of funds, super visa and sponsorship income
- Processing TimesIRCC wait times by program
- Fee CalculatorCurrent government fees, itemized
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
What is the Super Visa income requirement in 2026?
The host must earn at least the LICO minimum necessary income for their family size. On IRCC's table updated July 29, 2025, that is $38,002 for 2 people, $46,720 for 3, $56,724 for 4, $64,336 for 5 and $80,784 for 7. Above 7 people, add $8,224 for each extra person. The Funds Calculator shows the figure for any family size.
How is the family size counted for the Super Visa income test?
Count the parents or grandparents being invited and any other super visa applicants the host will support, the host, the host's spouse or common-law partner, their dependent children, super visa holders on another invitation letter from the host that still applies, and anyone the host or a co-signer sponsored whose undertaking is still in effect. A host couple with one child who invites both parents is a family of 5, which needs $64,336 on the current table. Inviting one parent instead makes it a family of 4: $56,724. The Funds Calculator does this count for you.
What changed for the Super Visa income test on March 31, 2026?
Two things changed. IRCC now accepts the host’s income from either of the two tax years before the application, not only the most recent year. A visiting parent’s or grandparent’s own income can also be combined with the host’s once the host reaches 75% of the amount. IRCC says the rules apply to applications made on or after March 31, 2026 and to files already in processing. The Super Visa Canada 2026 guide covers the full application.
Can my parent's own income count toward the Super Visa income requirement?
Yes, in part, since March 31, 2026. If the host’s household income in the year before the application reaches at least 75% of the required amount, the visiting parent or grandparent can add their own income to cover the rest. You must show they will keep earning it while in Canada, on a document that states the currency they are paid in. The Family Sponsorship Income guide compares the other income tests.
What are the Super Visa financial requirements besides income?
The main one is private medical insurance for the visiting parent or grandparent, with proof of paid coverage in the application. The policy must provide at least CAD $100,000 of coverage for health care, hospitalization and repatriation, valid for at least one year from entry. Since January 28, 2025, insurers outside Canada are also allowed if OSFI authorizes them to provide accident and sickness insurance and they issued the policy while doing insurance business in Canada. Meeting the income test does not replace the insurance. The Super Visa Canada 2026 guide covers the insurance rules.
Who can host a Super Visa applicant?
The host must be a Canadian citizen, a registered Indian under the Indian Act, or a permanent resident, and must meet the income test. Someone in Canada on a temporary status, such as a work or study permit, cannot host a Super Visa applicant until their own status changes. The same rule applies to sponsoring parents for PR. The Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship guide explains the permanent route.
Is the Super Visa income requirement the same as for sponsoring parents?
No. The Super Visa host meets the base LICO for their family size, in one of the two tax years before the application. A Parents and Grandparents Program sponsor must meet the minimum necessary income plus 30% for each of the three most recent tax years. The Super Visa is a long-stay visitor visa; the PGP leads to permanent residence and is paused until further notice. The Super Visa vs Parent Sponsorship guide compares them.
Part of:Visiting Canada
- Can You Work or Study on a Visitor Visa in Canada?
- Biometrics for Canadian Immigration: What You Need to Know
- What to Declare at the Canadian Border: CBSA Rules Explained
The textbook on this subject
Volume 1: Entering Canada $79
Six IRPA inadmissibility grounds (s.36 and s.38 to s.42), explained with the official text cited.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.