With the Parents and Grandparents Program paused, the Super Visa is currently the only practical route for bringing parents to Canada. And the requirement that refused more of these applications than any other \u2014 the host’s income \u2014 became easier to meet on 31 March 2026.<\/p>\n
The change opens two new doors. It also has a catch: it does not apply itself<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A Super Visa is a multiple-entry visitor visa for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. What separates it from an ordinary visitor visa is duration: valid for up to 10 years<\/strong>, with stays of up to 5 years<\/strong> per entry, extendable by a further 2 years<\/strong> from inside Canada.<\/p>\n The central condition is that the host \u2014 the child or grandchild living in Canada \u2014 proves their income is enough to support the visiting family members throughout the stay.<\/p>\n IRCC announced on 20 March 2026 that from 31 March 2026<\/strong> it would change how family income is calculated. Hosts now have two alternative ways to meet the requirement.<\/p>\n Previously only the single taxation year<\/strong> before the application was assessed. Now the host and co-signer, if there is one, may meet the requirement in either of the two taxation years<\/strong> preceding the application.<\/p>\n This matters for any host who had one weak year \u2014 a job change, illness, parental leave, or a slow year in business. Under the old rule that single year could sink the whole application.<\/p>\n This is the larger change. If the host and co-signer meet a required minimum percentage of the income threshold, the income of the visiting parent or grandparent<\/strong> can be added to cover the remainder.<\/p>\n For many Iranian families this is decisive. A parent with a pension, rental income or business earnings in Iran is no longer counted purely as a cost \u2014 they can be part of the answer.<\/p>\n The new rules apply both to applications submitted on or after 31 March 2026 and to applications already in processing<\/strong> on that date.<\/p>\n But here is the catch: if you want to rely on either alternative, you have to supply the documents that prove it<\/strong>. IRCC will not automatically look at your second tax year, and will not automatically add a parent’s income.<\/p>\n Which means there are families with files sitting in the queue right now who became eligible in March and have no idea they need to submit anything.<\/p>\n One reassurance: anyone who qualified under the old rules still qualifies. This change only adds routes \u2014 it takes none away.<\/p>\n No. IRCC is still not accepting interest to sponsor forms or issuing new invitations; only previously submitted applications are being processed. The Super Visa is the current alternative.<\/p>\n 31 March 2026 \u2014 for new applications and for applications already in processing on that date.<\/p>\n Either of the two taxation years before the application date. Previously only the year immediately before was considered.<\/p>\n Yes, provided the host and co-signer meet the required minimum percentage of the income threshold. The parents’ income can then be added to cover the rest.<\/p>\n Yes. If you want to rely on the second tax year or on your parents’ income, you must submit the supporting documents. It does not happen automatically.<\/p>\n Up to 10 years as a multiple-entry visa, with stays of up to 5 years per entry and the option to extend by a further 2 years from inside Canada.<\/p>\n This is one of the few recent changes that makes something easier<\/em> rather than harder. But only for people who know it exists and file the paperwork to use it.<\/p>\n If your Super Visa application was refused or is stuck in the queue, it is worth having it reviewed by a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) before you take any further step.<\/p>\n With the Parents and Grandparents Program paused, the Super Visa is currently the only practical route for bringing parents to Canada. And the requirement that refused more of these applications than any other \u2014 the host’s income \u2014 became easier to meet on 31 March 2026. The change opens two new doors. It also has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration-to-canada-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What a Super Visa is<\/h2>\n
What actually changed<\/h2>\n
1. A wider income assessment window<\/h3>\n
2. The visiting parent’s own income now counts<\/h3>\n
The detail most people will miss<\/h2>\n
What to do now<\/h2>\n
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Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
Has the Parents and Grandparents Program reopened?<\/h3>\n
When do the new income rules take effect?<\/h3>\n
Which tax year is assessed?<\/h3>\n
Can my parents’ own income really be counted?<\/h3>\n
My application is already in processing \u2014 do I need to do anything?<\/h3>\n
How long is a Super Visa valid?<\/h3>\n
In short<\/h2>\n
Sources<\/h2>\n
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