News Release – Parent and Grandparent Super Visa soars to new heights
Super Visa approval rate now at 77 percent
Ottawa, March 5, 2012 — More than one thousand Parent and Grandparent Super Visa applications have been approved in less than three months since the Super Visa program took flight, for an overall approval rate of 77 percent, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.
“I'm pleased that the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa is working as intended and giving large numbers of eligible parents and grandparents an opportunity to spend extended periods of time with their families in Canada,” said Minister Kenney.
The process for getting a Parent and Grandparent Super Visa is simple and straightforward. Applicants for the Super Visa must submit proof that the host child or grandchild meets a minimum income, demonstrate that they have purchased comprehensive Canadian medical insurance and undergo the Immigration Medical Examination. Almost 99 percent of Super Visa applicants who met these requirements also went on to meet all other standard admissibility criteria which are required for all visa applicants.
In the days following its announcement, Abbotsford-based writer Manpreet Grewal said that “few would argue the wisdom of the new parent and grandparent super visa.” She added that “the super visa will allow parents and grandparents to follow a natural flow between Canada and other countries without creating an unnecessary burden on the Canadian taxpayer or spinning families into unnecessary stress.”
As of February 26, 80 percent of the finalized Super Visa applications were processed to a final decision within 41 calendar days, well below the target of eight weeks. As application volumes ramp up, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will continue to aim for a Super Visa processing time of eight weeks or less.
w.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-03-05.asp