Canada super visa for a Lebanese parent: income, insurance, wait time

The steps

1. Check the host's income

   Family size and IRCC table (updated 29.07.2025); CRA notice of assessment for either of the last two years, or 75% topped up by the parent's income.

   before anything else

2. Take out health insurance

   Canadian insurer or foreign insurer authorised by OSFI; at least 1 year from entry, at least $100,000 emergency cover, paid (not a quote).

   before applying

3. Have the medical exam

   With an IRCC panel physician in Lebanon.

   before applying

4. Gather the documents

   Signed letter of invitation, host's status, family relationship, Beirut visa office list (IMM 5859), certified translations.

   a few days

5. Apply online and pay

   IRCC Portal, from outside Canada; CAD 100 + CAD 85.

   1 day

6. Give biometrics

   After the instruction letter, free appointment at the Beirut VAC; no biometrics over 79.

   as soon as the letter arrives

7. Wait for the decision

   25 days shown for Lebanon on 21.10.2026, excluding biometrics.

   about 25 days

8. Hand in the passport

   When IRCC asks, at the VAC, for the visa to be placed.

   on request

What it really costs

Super visa fee, per person	CAD 100
Biometrics, per person	CAD 85
Medical exam with a panel physician	physician's fee, not published by IRCC
One year of health insurance, at least $100,000	depends on the insurer and the policy
Certified translations (documents not in English or French)	varies
Observed total	CAD 185 per person in IRCC fees, excluding medical exam, insurance and translations

Amounts recorded on 23.10.2026.

What most often gets stuck

• Host's income below the table in both of the last two tax years.
• Family size miscounted: invited parents, partner, dependent children or people already sponsored left out.
• Letter of invitation without the named list (name and date of birth) of the people counted.
• Co-signed by the host's brother or sister: only the spouse or common-law partner can co-sign.
• Insurance bought from a broker or from a foreign insurer not authorised by OSFI, or just a quote.
• Non-biometric “RL” Lebanese passport: it no longer allows you to leave Lebanon since 01.10.2026.
• Application made while the parent is in Canada: the super visa must be applied for from outside.

The Canada super visa lets a Lebanese parent or grandparent stay with their child or grandchild in Canada for up to 5 years at a time, with multiple entries over a period of up to 10 years. IRCC fees are CAD 100, plus CAD 85 for biometrics, and the processing time shown for an application made from Lebanon was 25 days on 21 October 2026, not counting biometrics. You also need a letter of invitation proving the host’s income, private health insurance for at least one year and a medical exam.

This guide sets out the rules published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It does not replace an officer’s assessment of your application.

At a glance

• Length of stay: 5 years at a time (applications made on or after 22 June 2023), multiple entries over up to 10 years.
• Cost: CAD 100 per person, plus CAD 85 for biometrics; medical exam, insurance and translations on top.
• Wait time from Lebanon: 25 days according to IRCC (data updated on 21 October 2026), excluding biometrics.
• Key documents: letter of invitation with proof of income, proof of health insurance, proof of the medical exam, proof of the host’s status and of the family relationship.
• Where: online application, made from outside Canada; biometrics at the visa application centre (VAC) in Beirut.

You cannot include dependants in a super visa application: each parent or grandparent applies separately. For a stay of 6 months or less, IRCC points to the ordinary visitor visa.

Why the super visa in 2026

Since 1 January 2026, IRCC has not been receiving new applications to sponsor parents and grandparents for permanent residence, unless further instructions are issued: only applications received in 2025 are being processed (notice in the Canada Gazette of 27 December 2025). For a long stay, the super visa is therefore the route that remains open. A sponsorship application already submitted does not stop you applying for a super visa while you wait for a decision.

Who can invite: the income requirement

The host is the applicant’s biological or adopted child or grandchild. They must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian, be at least 18, live in Canada and meet the minimum necessary income. Their spouse or common-law partner can co-sign the letter of invitation and add their income; the host’s brother or sister cannot.

Step 1: family size. Count the host, their spouse or common-law partner, their dependent children (even with shared custody), the invited parents or grandparents, and anyone the host or their partner still sponsors or already hosts on a super visa. IRCC’s example: a single host with no children inviting one parent is a family of 2.

Step 2: the income table. Minimum income required, in Canadian dollars, according to IRCC’s table updated on 29 July 2025:

• 1 person: $30,526
• 2 people: $38,002
• 3 people: $46,720
• 4 people: $56,724
• 5 people: $64,336
• 6 people: $72,560
• 7 people: $80,784
• more than 7: add $8,224 per person

What changed on 31 March 2026. New ministerial instructions, in force from that day, give two ways to meet the threshold:

• Option 1: the total income of the host (and co-signer) meets the threshold in either of the two tax years before the application. Proof: the notice of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
• Option 2: the income of the host (and co-signer) in the year before the application is at least 75% of the threshold, and the invited parent’s income makes up the rest. The parent must show they will keep earning that income during their stay, with documents that show the currency (pay slips for the last 12 months, employer’s letter, bank statements, pension statements…).

Example: a couple living in Montreal with one dependent child who invite both parents of one partner are a family of 5; they need $64,336 under option 1, or at least $48,252 (75%) under option 2, with the parents’ income covering the rest. Applications being processed on 31 March 2026 are assessed under the new rules.

The letter of invitation, signed by the host, contains a promise of financial support for the length of the stay, proof of income, and the list of people counted in the family size, with each person’s name and date of birth.

The health insurance required: what IRCC says

The parent must show proof of private health insurance valid for at least one year from the date of entry into Canada, and on each entry. The insurer must be:

• a Canadian insurance company;
• or a company outside Canada that is authorised by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to provide accident and sickness insurance, appears on OSFI’s public list and issued the policy while doing insurance business in Canada. The policy must say so.

The policy must name the insurer, cover health care, hospitalisation and repatriation, provide at least $100,000 of emergency coverage, and be paid in full or in instalments with a deposit: a quote is not accepted. It must be available to border officers on request. Note: an insurance broker or claims administrator is not an insurer and does not appear on the OSFI list. If the policy expires during the stay, renew it.

We name no insurer and no price: premiums vary from one policy to another. Compare several policies against IRCC’s criteria above.

Applying from Lebanon

• The application is made online, through the IRCC Portal, while the parent is outside Canada. In the questionnaire, say you are applying for a super visa to visit your children or grandchildren for more than 6 months. Fees are paid by credit card, or by Visa or Mastercard debit card.
• Documents: letter of invitation and proof of income, proof of insurance, proof of the medical exam, a copy of the host’s proof of citizenship or permanent residence, proof of the relationship (the host’s birth certificate, for example), and a certified translation of any document not in English or French. The Beirut visa office also publishes a list of additional documents for temporary resident visas (form IMM 5859, April 2026 version): previous passports, a bank statement for the last 12 months, the purpose of the trip, employment or pension.
• The medical exam is done with an IRCC panel physician; IRCC’s “Find a panel physician” tool lists Lebanon. Fees are set by the physician.
• Biometrics (fingerprints and photo): after payment, IRCC sends an instruction letter; book an appointment at the Beirut VAC as soon as possible. IRCC lists this centre (page updated on 24 August 2026); according to the website of the provider mandated by IRCC, it is in Hamra, at the Gefinor Center, Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 16:00, and booking is free. Anyone over 79 on the date of application does not need to give biometrics. The visa cannot be valid for longer than the biometrics (10 years).
• The passport: if the application is approved, IRCC asks for the passport, which is handed in at the VAC, so the visa can be placed in it. The parent needs a passport that allows them to leave Lebanon: non-biometric “RL” passports no longer do since 1 October 2026.

Super visa or ordinary visitor visa

For a stay of 6 months or less, IRCC points to the visitor visa. The super visa is designed for long stays, up to 5 years per entry, and adds its own requirements to those of any visitor visa: the host’s income, one year of insurance, a medical exam. IRCC data of 21 October 2026 show, for an application made from Lebanon, 25 days for the super visa and 66 days for the visitor visa. These times change every week: check them in IRCC’s tool before applying.

Before the authorised stay ends, the parent must leave Canada or apply to extend their visitor status.

Did IRCC ask you for another document, or has the wait time changed? Let us know.

See also: sponsoring your parents to Canada, with the federal programme paused.

Sources

• IRCC, “Super visa for parents and grandparents”, modified 6 July 2026.
• IRCC, “Who can apply” (host, insurance, medical exam), modified 6 July 2026.
• IRCC, “Proof of financial support” (table updated 29 July 2025, options 1 and 2), page modified 6 July 2026.
• IRCC, “Forms and documents” (letter of invitation, health insurance), modified 30 July 2026.
• IRCC, “Submit your application” (fees of $100 and $85), modified 24 July 2026.
• IRCC, “How long you can stay in Canada”, modified 6 July 2026.
• IRCC, Ministerial Instructions regarding the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa (2026), in force 31 March 2026.
• IRCC, “Check processing times” and processing times data file (Lebanon: super visa 25 days, visitor visa 66 days), updated 21 October 2026.
• IRCC, “Where to give your biometrics” (Beirut VAC), modified 24 August 2026.
• IRCC, “Who needs to give their fingerprints and photo” (exemption over 79, 10-year validity), modified 9 July 2026.
• IRCC, Beirut visa office, additional document checklist for a temporary resident visa (IMM 5859), April 2026 version, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Canada Gazette, Part I, Ministerial Instructions on applications by parents and grandparents, 27 December 2025.
• Provider mandated by IRCC in Lebanon, Canada–Lebanon page, archived version of 24 August 2026 (secondary source).
• Moving2Canada, “Super Visa Income Calculation Is Becoming More Flexible Starting March 31”, 24 March 2026 (secondary source).

Checked on 23.10.2026.