Super Visa Invitation Letter: What to Include (2026)

Quick answer

A super visa invitation letter is a signed letter from the Canadian child or grandchild hosting the parent or grandparent. IRCC requires it. For a super visa the letter must also prove the host meets the minimum necessary income and list every person counted in the host’s family size, with each name and date of birth.

MAK Canadian Immigration Services is a licensed Canadian firm in Mississauga and Scarborough, led by RCICs Usman Khalil (R709592, also CPA Ontario C83028834) and Omer Khalil (R710149). Every figure below was read from canada.ca on 10 September 2026; the pages are listed at the end.

What a super visa invitation letter has to do

IRCC’s eligibility page puts five conditions on the host: biological or adopted child or grandchild of the applicant, Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian, 18 or older and living in Canada, meeting the minimum necessary income, and signing a letter of invitation.

The applicant’s side is separate: outside Canada when they submit, allowed to enter Canada, an immigration medical exam, and private health insurance valid at least one year from the date of entry.

What IRCC says the letter must contain

IRCC’s guidance on the letter of invitation super visa applicants attach is the same guidance it gives every visitor. Two lists: the person invited, and the host.

About the person being invited	About the host writing the letter
Complete name	Complete name
Date of birth	Date of birth
Address and telephone number	Canadian address and telephone number
Your relationship to the person	Job title
Purpose of the trip	Citizenship or permanent resident status
How long the person plans to stay	A status proof document
Where they will stay, and how they will pay	Names and dates of birth of spouse and dependants
When they plan to leave Canada	The host’s signature

One line from that page is worth reading twice: “A letter of invitation doesn’t guarantee that we’ll issue a visa.”

The three extra items a super visa letter needs

The super visa forms and documents page adds three items an ordinary visitor letter does not carry: proof the host meets or exceeds the minimum necessary income, the list and number of people counted in the host’s family size, and each person’s name and date of birth.

How much income the host must show

IRCC’s host financial support page carries the minimum necessary income table, headed “Updated July 29, 2025”.

Number of family members	Minimum income the host needs
1	$30,526
2	$38,002
3	$46,720
4	$56,724
5	$64,336
6	$72,560
7	$80,784
Each additional member beyond 7	Add $8,224

Proof is normally the host’s notice of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency. IRCC also lists T4 or T1 forms, 12-month pay stubs, an employer letter giving job title, description and salary, bank statements, pension statements and rental property documents.

The income test itself changed on 31 March 2026, and our note on the updated Canada super visa rules sets out the two routes now open to a host.

Not sure your family size count or income year adds up? That arithmetic is what an officer checks first. Book a paid consultation with MAK, or call +1 647 832 8531 or +1 905 518 4539.

The insurance the letter should point to

The letter is not the insurance proof, but an officer reads them together. The policy must name the insurer, be valid a minimum of 1 year from the date of entry, be paid in full or in instalments with a deposit (“quotes aren’t accepted”), cover health care, hospitalization and repatriation, provide a minimum emergency coverage of $100,000, be valid for each entry, and be available for review by border services officers.

The policy must come from a Canadian insurer, or a company outside Canada authorised by OSFI, on OSFI’s public list, that issued it while doing insurance business in Canada.

Super visa invitation letter sample

This sample uses only what IRCC asks for. Square brackets are placeholders. Do not send it word for word, and make sure every enclosure it names is in the package.

[Host full name]
[Address, city, province, postal code]
[Telephone] · [Email]
[Date]

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Visa Office — [city, country]

Re: Letter of invitation — super visa application of [applicant full name], born [DD Month YYYY]

Dear Visa Officer,

I am [host full name], born [DD Month YYYY], a [Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada]. I live at [full Canadian address], telephone [number], and work as a [job title] at [employer name]. A copy of my [citizenship certificate / permanent resident card] is enclosed.

I am inviting my [mother / father / grandmother / grandfather], [applicant full name], born [DD Month YYYY], of [full address abroad], telephone [number]. A copy of my birth certificate showing our relationship is enclosed.

The purpose of the visit is [reason]. [He/She] plans to arrive on or about [date], stay [length of stay], and leave Canada on or about [date], staying with me at the address above at no cost. I will pay for [accommodation, food, local transport and any other costs].

My family size for the minimum necessary income calculation is [number]: [full name, date of birth] — [relationship]; [one line per person, including every super visa applicant I support]. My income for [tax year] was [$ amount], which meets the minimum for a family of [number]. My Canada Revenue Agency notice of assessment is enclosed.

[If applicable: My spouse or common-law partner, [full name], born [DD Month YYYY], a [Canadian citizen / permanent resident], co-signs this letter and their income is included above.]

[He/She] holds medical insurance with [insurer name], policy [number], providing a minimum emergency coverage of $100,000 for health care, hospitalization and repatriation, valid one year from [date of entry]. Proof of payment is enclosed.

I confirm the information above is true and complete.

Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Host full name]

What we check before a letter is filed

Most problems in these letters are arithmetic, not writing. The family size in the letter has to match the one used against the income table, and the dates have to match the application form and the insurance policy. A super visa is a visitor visa; permanent residence for a spouse runs through a different route, on our spousal sponsorship page.

Super visa invitation letter: common questions

Does the letter need to be notarized?

IRCC’s letter of invitation page sets out what the letter must contain and does not ask for notarization. It also states that the letter does not guarantee a visa.

Who has to sign it?

The host: the applicant’s child or grandchild in Canada. A spouse or common-law partner who is a citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian may co-sign; siblings may not.

How long can a parent stay on a super visa?

For applications made on or after 22 June 2023, IRCC states you are eligible to stay 5 years at a time. The visa can be issued for up to 10 years with multiple entries.

What does a super visa cost?

IRCC’s fee list shows a visitor visa at $100.00 per person and biometrics at $85.00 per individual, to a maximum of $170.00 per family of 2 or more eligible people. Insurance and the medical exam are extra.

Get the letter checked before you file

MAK runs paid super visa consultations through its licensed Canadian RCIC team. A review covers the income year, the family size count, the letter’s wording and enclosures, and whether the insurance meets the $100,000 rule. Start with our super visa page, then book a paid consultation. Mississauga and Scarborough offices; +1 647 832 8531 or +1 905 518 4539.

Written by Usman Khalil, RCIC R709592
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC R709592) and CPA Ontario member (C83028834), co-founder of MAK Canadian Immigration Services, Mississauga and Scarborough, Ontario. Family and visitor files are also handled by Omer Khalil, RCIC R710149.