Can My Parent's Income Count Toward a Super Visa?

Since March 31, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) lets a Super Visa host meet at least 75% of the required income alone and add the visiting parent's or grandparent's own income to cover the rest, up to a maximum of 25% of the minimum necessary income, according to canada.ca. This is new under the rule that took effect March 31, 2026, and it arrives alongside a second new option that lets a host use whichever of their last two tax years shows the stronger income. If you or your child were told in the past that your income fell just short of qualifying, it is worth checking the numbers again.

What Changed in the Super Visa Income Rules on March 31, 2026?

On March 20, 2026, IRCC announced that, starting March 31, 2026, it would change how it calculates family income for Super Visa eligibility, according to canada.ca's official notice. The Ministerial Instructions regarding the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, also on canada.ca, took effect the same day and repealed the instructions that had been in force since September 15, 2023. Before this change, a host had to show that their income in the single most recent tax year met Statistics Canada's low income cut-off (LICO) for their family size, using only their own income and that of any co-signing spouse or common-law partner. The new instructions add two ways to qualify instead of just one.

How Do the Two New Income Options Work?

Per canada.ca's operational manual for the Super Visa, a host now has two options. Under Option 1, the host, and co-signer if applicable, must show that their total income in either of the two taxation years immediately preceding the application meets or exceeds the most recent LICO, so a weaker recent year no longer disqualifies a host outright if the year before it was strong enough. Under Option 2, the host's total income in the most recent 12-month period or tax year should meet at least 75% of the most recent LICO, and the income of the visiting parent or grandparent applying for the Super Visa may be added to cover the rest, up to a maximum of 25% of LICO. A host can also choose Option 2 simply because it looks at more current income, even without needing to add the visiting parent's or grandparent's income at all. If a host is inviting both parents or both grandparents at once, canada.ca says the income of both visiting relatives may be considered to supplement the host's income for the applicable family size.

Here is how the rule that applied before March 31, 2026, per canada.ca's official notice, compares with the two options now set out in canada.ca's operational manual.

Who Counts in the Super Visa "Family Size"?

The minimum necessary income is scaled to family size, and canada.ca's operational manual sets out exactly who is counted: the host, the host's spouse or common-law partner including a separated spouse, the dependent children of the host and of the host's spouse or common-law partner, and the dependent children of those dependent children, the Super Visa applicant and anyone else applying for a Super Visa at the same time, any previously approved Super Visa holder for whom the host or their spouse signed a letter of invitation that is still valid, and anyone the host or a co-signing spouse has previously sponsored under an undertaking that is still in effect, along with that person's family members. One detail trips people up: canada.ca specifies that because the Super Visa is a temporary resident visa, the family members of the Super Visa applicant are not included in the family size count, which is different from the family size calculation used for a family class sponsorship application for a parent or grandparent.

It is also worth knowing that IRCC's full permanent sponsorship program for parents and grandparents is not currently accepting new applications, so for many families the Super Visa is the only realistic way to bring a parent or grandparent to Canada for an extended stay right now. See why Canada's full parent and grandparent sponsorship program is currently paused for the bigger picture.

What Should You Do Now?

Start by identifying which option actually helps your case. If your income in either of your last two tax years already clears LICO on its own, Option 1 is simpler and does not require your parent or grandparent to prove anything. If neither year clears it alone but you are at or above 75%, Option 2 may let their income close the gap, provided you gather income documents for both of you, such as notices of assessment, T4s, pension statements or bank records showing regular deposits, in the format canada.ca's operational manual describes. Foreign income is converted to Canadian dollars using the exchange rate in effect on the date you submit the application. In my experience, getting the family size count wrong is a common way a Super Visa income calculation goes sideways, since it is easy to forget a previously sponsored relative whose undertaking is still active. Every family's numbers, timeline and sponsorship history are different. A consultation with a licensed RCIC-IRB can confirm which option fits before you submit anything.