Can I invite my parents for a long stay?

Inviting your mom and dad to visit for a few years is a perfectly realistic idea, but Canadian immigration law distinguishes between several fundamentally different mechanisms. The choice depends on the desired duration, the family's financial capabilities, the parents' health, and your willingness to wait. Below is a detailed explanation of all the options available as of summer 2025, their advantages, risks, and typical pitfalls for Calgary residents.

1. Super Visa: almost a “long-term visitor” visa without the right to work

This tool was created specifically for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or PRs. Starting in 2024, entry visas will be issued for up to 10 years, and a single stay can last up to five years, after which it can be extended for another two years without leaving the country.

Basic conditions:

  • a letter of invitation from a child/grandchild with a confirmed minimum income (LICO + 30%) — even if PR sponsorship is not being applied for;
  • medical insurance for at least CAD 100,000, purchased from a Canadian company and paid for at least one year in advance;
  • a set of biometric data and medical examination, as for a regular TRV.

Insurance policy – the largest expense. As of 2025, the annual rate for a person aged 60+ with a CAD 500 deductible ranges from CAD 1,800 to CAD 2,400, but Calgary brokers offer “installment plans” for Super Visas: monthly payments with a full refund if the visa is not issued.

Weaknesses:

  • No right to work or access to public healthcare (AHCIP);
  • Extensions within Canada are issued as Visitor Records and can take 90+ days, during which you retain your status but cannot leave the country;
  • Under the new IRCC policy, an officer may issue a shorter visa instead of a ten-year multi-entry visa if they consider the travel plan to be “unreasonably long.”

2. Parents & Grandparents Sponsorship Program (PGP): permanent resident card, but through a lottery

PGP is a classic “green card” for parents. In 2025, the government plans to accept only 10,000 complete applications and is already in its fourth year of processing candidates from the 2020 application, without opening a new registry.

Key requirements:

  • The last three Notice of Assessment must exceed LICO + 30%;
  • 20-year financial commitment to support parents (federal form IMM 5768);
  • submission of a complete package within 60 days of receiving an invitation.

Average processing time for applications is 24 months (non-Quebec files). If an officer refuses on the grounds of “insufficient income,” a Canadian son or daughter may appeal the decision to the Immigration Appeal Division; in practice, such appeals are successful when the applicant proves that they now meet the required threshold or that there are compelling humanitarian circumstances.

3. Extending visitor status (Visitor Record): “drop by drop”

If parents arrived on a visitor TRV and received the standard six months at the border, they can extend their stay several times by submitting form IMM 5708 at least 30 days before the expiry date.

Advantages:

  • No requirement to purchase insurance for a year in advance;
  • No strict financial barriers for sponsor children.

Limitations:

  • Officers are increasingly asking questions after the second or third extension and requesting proof of the “temporary nature” of the visit.
  • Each extension costs CAD 100, and processing takes 120–180 days.
  • No AHCIP and no possibility to work.

4. Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) pathway: a rare but real option

For parents who are already in Canada and cannot return for valid reasons (e.g., serious illness, danger at home, caring for grandchildren), it is possible to apply for PR on humanitarian and compassionate grounds (H&C). The process takes 22–36 months, and the approval rate is around 60%.

What officers consider:

  • degree of rootedness in Canada;
  • best interests of Canadian children;
  • level of risk and lack of adequate medical care in the home country.

H&C does not require LICO income, but is not suitable for those whose only desire is to “live closer to their children.”

5. Temporary benefits for Ukrainians

If the children are Canadian citizens or PRs and the Ukrainian parents arrived under CUAET and are already in the country, they can apply for a special PR program called “Family Reunification for Ukrainian Nationals” until October 22, 2024. No LICO or sponsorship form is required, but applicants must be physically present in Canada and have valid temporary status.

6. Medical care and living in Calgary

Even with a Super Visa, parents are not eligible for free AHCIP. The choice of insurance policy affects more than just the visa: private clinics in Calgary charge CAD 250–400 for a routine check-up without insurance. The most popular providers are Manulife and 21st Century, which offer monthly payments so that you don't have to freeze several thousand dollars at once.

Once in Canada, parents can take advantage of the city's Fair Entry program for discounts on transportation, swimming pools, and libraries, but only if their son or daughter “adds” them to their family application and proves low combined income.

7. Step-by-step route selection strategy

  1. Consider how many years and for what purpose parents plan to stay in Canada: vacation → TRV, 1–5 years → Super Visa, permanently → PGP/H&C.
  2. Check your income according to CRA NOA for 2022–2024: if the amount does not exceed LICO + 30%, there is no chance for PGP.
  3. Get medical insurance: look for a policy with a refund if you don't get approved, and keep in mind that for people over 65 and those with chronic conditions, the rate can double.
  4. Book a medical examination (Panel Physician IRCC) in advance — without it, you will not be granted a Super Visa, and the waiting list in Calgary is up to two weeks.
  5. In case of a PGP lottery, keep scans of your birth and marriage certificates certified by a translator: after receiving an invitation to apply for a full application, you only have 60 days.
  6. If you have already been issued a Super Visa, check the expiry date of your passport and insurance policy every year: your status will be automatically canceled on the day they expire.

Conclusion

There are at least three legal ways to invite your parents for a “long-term stay” in Calgary. Super Visa is the fastest and most flexible, but involves significant insurance costs and does not lead to PR. PGP gives you a permanent card, but requires a high income and winning the lottery. Regular Visitor Record extensions are suitable for several seasons but are not a substitute for either of the two main programs. Unique humanitarian options and special provisions for Ukrainians offer a chance to those who find themselves in exceptional circumstances.

The optimal strategy is to use the Super Visa for immediate reunification, while remaining in the PGP pool and maintaining your income so that, if invited, you can quickly transfer your parents from guest status to permanent resident status. This requires careful planning, but it allows you to see your family quickly and at the same time not lose sight of the prospect of “retiring together in Calgary.”