Under the changes announced by the Canadian Immigration Minister, parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can now stay for up to five years per entry. Earlier they could stay for a period of two years
Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can now stay up to five years in the country under the new changes to the Super Visa programme. AFP
Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser on Tuesday announced changes to the country’s super visa programme, which will benefit Indians the most.
Under the changes announced by Fraser, parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can now stay for up to five years per entry. The minister also announced that super visa applicants will also be able to opt for medical insurance from international companies.
The changes will kick in from July 4.
What is a super visa and who is eligible?
The term super visa is used to refer to the parent and grandparent super visa of the Canadian government.
The super visa is a multi-entry visa that provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years. The key difference is that until now the super visa allowed an individual to stay for up to two years at a time in Canada, while a 10-year multiple entry visa would only have a status period for each entry of six months only.
Currently, most visitors to Canada may visit for up to six months when they first enter Canada. Visitors who wish to stay longer must apply for an extension, and pay a new fee.
With the parent and grandparent super visa, eligible parents and grandparents can visit family in Canada for up to two years without the need to renew their status.
According to LiveMint, in order to be eligible for the super visa, an individual must be the parent or grandparent of either a citizen of Canada or a Canadian permanent resident.
Additionally, they must also have a signed letter of invitation from the child/grandchild inviting them to Canada.
According to the Times of India, those who are currently holding a super visa have the option to extend their stay by up to two years at a time, while in Canada. It means the current super visa holders can stay in Canada for up to seven consecutive years.
How will the changes to super visa benefit Indians?
According to TOI, Indian diaspora is likely to be a significant beneficiary of the relaxation since India is the largest source of permanent residents under Canada’s point-based Express Entry programme.
The report said that Indians have topped the charts for the past several years in terms of the number of invites issued to become permanent residents and those admitted as permanent residents.
In 2020, 50,841 Indian citizens were invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada. They made up for 47 per cent of the total invites that were issued during the period.
In 2021, about one lakh Indians became permanent residents of Canada as the country admitted a record number of 4,05,000 new immigrants in its history.
According to Statistics Canada, Indian-Canadians are one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, making up the second largest non-European group after Chinese Canadians.
As more and more Indians make Canada their new home, the new super visa rules will help them reunite with their families for an extended period.
With inputs from agencies
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