How Long Can You Stay in Canada on a Super Visa? Five-Year Stays and Extensions
A Super Visa’s validity and the time a parent or grandparent may stay after each entry are different questions. Under current IRCC guidance, applicants who applied on or after June 22, 2023 are eligible to stay for up to five years at a time. For older applications, the entry date can also matter. “Up to five years” is a maximum, not a promise of admission or a guaranteed stay in every case.
Applications made on or after June 22, 2023
IRCC says a person who applied for a Super Visa on or after June 22, 2023 is eligible to stay for up to five years at a time. After arrival, keep a record of the entry date and check any passport stamp, visitor record or other document issued at the border. Do not calculate the end of the current stay from the visa’s expiry date alone.
Older applications: check when you entered Canada
If the Super Visa application was made before June 22, 2023, the date of entry may affect the permitted stay. A holder who entered before that date can stay for the period granted by the border officer. For example, if the officer authorized two years, the visitor must plan around that period. To stay longer, the person may leave and re-enter before the authorized period ends, or apply from inside Canada to extend the stay and wait for a decision.
A holder whose pre-June 22, 2023 application entered Canada on or after that date is eligible for up to five years at a time under current IRCC guidance. A border officer must still allow entry, and the visitor should keep evidence of the entry date even if no passport stamp was issued. Do not assume an older authorization has automatically changed to five years without checking the record.
If the authorized stay is ending, apply for a visitor record
A visitor who wants to remain in Canada longer generally applies for a visitor record. IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days before the current status expires. The expiry date is usually shown on an entry stamp, visitor record or other permit. If there is no passport stamp, the ordinary visitor rule is generally six months from entry or until the passport or biometrics expire, whichever comes first; Super Visa holders should use the Super Visa-specific stay rules and their individual entry record.
A visitor record extends permission to stay in Canada; it is not a visa for entering Canada. Submitting an extension request does not mean it has been approved. Follow IRCC’s instructions about maintaining status while a timely application is being processed. If the visitor plans to leave Canada and return, confirm the separate travel document and re-entry requirements; a visitor record is not a new entry visa.
Visa-exempt travellers may still need an eTA for air travel
People from visa-exempt countries may also apply for a Super Visa to visit their child or grandchild for an extended stay. Some still need an electronic travel authorization linked to their passport to board a flight to Canada. Check the requirement for the traveller’s passport. A Super Visa, eTA and visitor record serve different purposes and do not replace one another.
Before travelling or applying to extend
Check the Super Visa application date; for older cases, also confirm the date of entry. Keep the entry record and note the current status expiry. If an extension is needed, review the visitor record instructions and apply at least 30 days before expiry. Separately check whether the visa can be used for travel, the authorized stay for this entry, and any passport or eTA requirement. Checked against IRCC information on 21 October 2026. The individual record and current IRCC instructions control.
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