Super Visa Invitation Letter: What the Host Must Include, and Whether to Notarize It

Super Visa Invitation Letter: What the Host Must Include, and Whether to Notarize It

Quick answer: The super visa invitation letter is written by the child or grandchild in Canada, and IRCC requires it to contain three things: a promise of financial support for the whole visit, the list and number of people in the host's household, and a copy of the host's citizenship, permanent resident, or Indian status document. The host also has to show income at or above IRCC's minimum for the household size, counting the visiting parents. IRCC does not require the letter to be notarized. Where a visa office or the family wants the promise to carry more weight, an Ontario notary can witness the host's signature in person, or commission a statutory declaration of financial support online by video, at a flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST.

Ready now? Request the invitation letter appointment, or read on to check what the letter needs to say first.

A parent and grandparent super visa lets a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident visit for up to five years at a time, on a visa that can stay valid for up to ten years. Most of the application is the parent's to complete from outside Canada. One document is the host's, and it is the one families most often get wrong: the letter of invitation.

This guide explains what the letter must include, how the income test works, what the parents need on their side, and where a notary fits. It is written for the host, the adult child in Canada who will sign the letter. If you are preparing a visitor visa invitation rather than a super visa one, start with our guide to the notarized letter of invitation for a Canadian visitor visa, and for the broader picture see notarizing immigration documents online.

Key Takeaways

What a Notary Can and Cannot Do

What a notary can and cannot do: A notary public witnesses the host's signature on the letter, or commissions a statutory declaration of financial support. A notary does not decide whether the parent qualifies for a super visa, calculate the income test, or advise on the application. Those are IRCC's decisions; for advice, see an immigration lawyer or a regulated immigration consultant (RCIC).

Minute Notary witnesses signatures and commissions declarations as an Ontario notary public, including online by video for declarations under O. Reg. 431/20.

Who Writes the Letter, and Who Submits It

The letter comes from the host: the Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian whose parent or grandparent is applying. The host writes it, signs it, and sends it to the parent, who includes it in the super visa application filed from outside Canada. The parent is the applicant; the host is a supporting party.

That split matters at the notary's desk. If the letter is to be notarized, the person who has to appear is the host, in Canada, not the parent abroad. A parent asking a notary in their home country to "notarize the invitation" has the wrong signer.

What IRCC Requires the Letter to Include

IRCC's super visa instructions list what the letter of invitation must contain. Read the current page before you write, because the list is short and each item is checked.

1. A promise of financial support. The host undertakes to support the parent or grandparent financially for the entire length of the visit. Say it plainly, name the person, and cover the whole stay rather than a first few months.
2. The list and number of people in the household. Name everyone who lives in the host's home and give the total. IRCC uses this number for the income test, and the visiting parent or grandparent is added to it.
3. A copy of the host's status document. A Canadian citizenship certificate or card, a Canadian passport biographical page, a permanent resident card, or an Indian status card. Attach a clear copy; the officer needs to see that the host has the status that makes the parent eligible.

Beyond the three required items, a useful letter also states the host's relationship to the applicant, the host's full name, date of birth, address and phone number, where the parent will stay, and roughly how long the first visit is expected to last. Keep it factual and one to two pages. A letter is not improved by promises the host cannot keep, and an officer reads the income proof beside it.

The Income Test: How the Household Is Counted

The host must show income at or above IRCC's minimum necessary income for their household size. IRCC publishes the table each year on the super visa page; it follows the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), and it rises with each additional person.

Count carefully. The household includes the host, the host's spouse or partner, dependent children, anyone else living in the home, any other person the host is already supporting under a sponsorship undertaking, and the parents or grandparents who are applying. A couple with two children inviting both parents is a household of six for this purpose, not four.

Proof of income is the host's, and IRCC accepts documents such as:

• The most recent Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency, or the T4 or T1 return.
• An employment letter stating the job, start date, and salary, on company letterhead.
• Recent pay stubs and bank statements.
• Employment insurance stubs, if applicable.

Where the host's own income falls short, IRCC lets the host's spouse or common-law partner co-sign the letter of invitation, so that both incomes count. The co-signer adds their own status document and income proof. Confirm the current rule on the IRCC page, and if the co-signer also swears a declaration of support, expect a second seal.

What the Parent Needs on Their Side

The host's letter is one piece of the application. The parent or grandparent, applying from outside Canada, also provides:

• Medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company, or from an insurer outside Canada that IRCC has approved, valid for at least one year from the date of entry, with at least $100,000 of coverage for health care, hospitalization, and repatriation. Proof that it is paid in full, or paid in instalments with a deposit, goes with the application.
• An immigration medical exam, where IRCC's instructions require one.
• Proof of the relationship to the host, such as a birth certificate or other document naming the parent and child.
• The application forms and fees IRCC lists for the super visa.

The notary does not touch most of this. Where a translated document needs a sworn translator's affidavit, or the parent's papers need certified copies, those are separate notarial acts, and the affidavit of translation guide explains the first of them.

Does the Letter Need to Be Notarized?

IRCC's super visa checklist does not ask for a notarized letter of invitation. A signed letter with the required contents and the supporting proof is what the instructions describe.

Three situations make notarization worth considering:

1. The visa office asks for it. Some visa offices, or the local practice in the applicant's country, expect the promise of support to be sworn or the signature to be witnessed. If the parent has been told to provide a "notarized invitation" or a "sworn declaration of support", do what the office asked rather than arguing the checklist.
2. The family wants the promise to carry more weight. A sworn declaration of financial support is a statement made under oath, with the penalties that attach to a false declaration. Some hosts prefer to give one alongside the letter so the officer sees the promise taken seriously.
3. The letter will be reused. If the parent expects to travel more than once on the visa, a notarized copy of the original letter, kept on file, is easier to produce again than a fresh signature each time.

Where none of those apply, a signed letter with the income proof is enough, and a notary appointment adds cost without adding anything the officer needs.

Notarized Letter or Sworn Declaration: Which One, and Where

Two different notarial acts get called "notarizing the invitation letter". They are done differently in Ontario, and the difference decides whether you can do it from your kitchen table.

A witnessed signature on the letter. The host signs the letter in front of the notary, who confirms identity and signs and seals as witness. Ontario's remote rules do not extend to witnessing a signature, so this is an in-person appointment, at our Ottawa office or with a notary near you. Bring the letter unsigned and valid government photo identification.

A statutory declaration of financial support. The host swears or affirms a short declaration that they will support the named parent or grandparent for the duration of the visit, and signs it while the notary takes the declaration. Because it is a declaration, an Ontario notary can commission it online by secure video under O. Reg. 431/20, from anywhere in Ontario, in a few minutes. Our free statutory declaration of financial support template drafts it in the usual form; adapt the wording to what the visa office asked for.

If the visa office was specific about which one it wants, follow that. If it only said "notarized", the sworn declaration is the more useful document, because it can be commissioned online and it says under oath what the letter promises.

How to Commission the Declaration of Support Online, Step by Step

1. Draft the declaration, unsigned. Use the visa office's wording if it gave any; otherwise fill in the template with the host's details, the parent's full name and relationship, and the promise of support for the length of the stay.
2. Book the online appointment. Use the contact page to request the invitation letter service and tell us in the notes that it is a declaration of financial support for a super visa, so the right document is set up.
3. Join the video call with valid government photo ID. A passport, driver's licence, or PR card; the name should match the letter of invitation.
4. Declare and sign on camera. The notary confirms your identity, takes your solemn declaration, watches you sign, and completes the jurat.
5. Receive the sealed PDF. Send it to the parent with the signed letter and the income proof. Keep a copy for the next visit.

If a co-signing spouse is also declaring, both can attend the same appointment; each signature is a separate seal.

What to Bring to the Appointment

• The letter of invitation, drafted with the three required items, unsigned if the signature is to be witnessed.
• The declaration of financial support, drafted and unsigned, if a sworn declaration is wanted.
• Valid government photo identification for the host and any co-signer.
• The visa office's instructions, if the parent was given any, so the notary can match the form of the document to the request.

You do not need to bring the income proof, the insurance, or the parent's forms. The notary does not review them, and the officer does.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• The parent writes the letter. The invitation comes from the host in Canada. A letter signed by the applicant is not an invitation.
• The household count leaves out the parents. The visiting parents or grandparents are added to the household for the income test.
• A promise of support for "the first six months". IRCC asks for support for the entire length of the visit, which can run to five years per entry.
• No copy of the status document. The copy of the host's citizenship, PR, or Indian status document is one of the three required items, not an optional extra.
• Signing the letter before the appointment. If the signature is to be witnessed, the notary must see you sign. Bring it unsigned.
• Booking a video appointment for a witnessed signature. A witnessed signature is in person in Ontario. Book online only for the sworn declaration.
• Insurance from a company the officer will not accept. The medical insurance is the parent's item; check IRCC's current rule on Canadian and approved foreign insurers before buying a policy.

A Quick Scenario

An adult daughter in Mississauga invites her parents from Vietnam for a first visit of about a year. She writes the letter with the three required items, lists her household of four, adds her parents to make six, and attaches her permanent resident card and last year's Notice of Assessment. The visa office has asked the parents for a sworn declaration of support. She books a video appointment on a weekday evening, declares and signs on camera, and receives the sealed declaration the same day. Her husband co-signs to bring the household income above the threshold; he attends the same call, and his declaration is a second seal. The parents file the application with both documents, their insurance certificate, and the medical exam.

Pricing and Booking

Minute Notary charges a flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST for a witnessed signature or a commissioned declaration, online or in person. Online appointments add HST plus a small card processing fee, shown before you pay. Each signer's declaration is a separate seal.

• Declaration of support, online: most appointments take 3 to 4 minutes once the draft and ID are ready, seven days a week.
• Witnessed signature on the letter, in person: at our Ottawa office, or a mobile visit in the Ottawa area for a travel fee shown at booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a super visa invitation letter have to be notarized?

IRCC's super visa instructions do not require the letter to be notarized. Some visa offices, and some families, want a notarized letter or a sworn declaration of financial support. If yours does, an Ontario notary can witness the signature in person or commission the declaration online.

Who writes the super visa invitation letter?

The child or grandchild in Canada who is hosting. The parent or grandchild applying cannot write their own invitation; they submit the host's letter with their application from outside Canada.

What must the letter include?

A promise of financial support for the entire visit, the list and number of people in the host's household, and a copy of the host's Canadian citizenship, permanent resident, or Indian status document, with proof that the host meets the minimum income for the household size.

Can my spouse's income count?

IRCC allows the host's spouse or common-law partner to co-sign the letter so that both incomes count toward the minimum necessary income. The co-signer adds their own status and income documents. Confirm the current rule on the IRCC super visa page.

Can the declaration of financial support be commissioned online?

Yes. It is a sworn declaration, which an Ontario notary can commission over secure video under O. Reg. 431/20 from anywhere in Ontario. A witnessed signature on the letter itself is done in person.

How much does it cost?

A flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST, the same online or in person. Online appointments add a small card processing fee, shown before payment. Each signer's declaration is a separate seal.

Final Recommendation

Write the letter from the host's side with the three items IRCC lists, count the household with the parents included, and attach the income proof. Notarize only if the visa office asked or the family wants the promise sworn; if so, choose the sworn declaration where you can, because it can be commissioned online in minutes, and book an in-person visit only when a witnessed signature is what was requested.

Book Your Appointment

Need a super visa invitation letter witnessed, or a declaration of financial support commissioned? Minute Notary does both, at a flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST.

• Request an appointment: Contact us
• Call: (613) 434-5555
• Service page: Immigration Documents
• Free template: Statutory declaration of financial support
• Related guide: Notarized letter of invitation for a visitor visa
• Hours: Every day, Saturday and Sunday included, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (Ottawa time)

Sources

• IRCC — Parent and grandparent super visa
• IRCC — Super visa: who can apply
• IRCC — Letter of invitation
• Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act (Ontario)
• O. Reg. 431/20: Administering Oath or Declaration Remotely (Ontario)