Super Visa income requirements and the LICO explained

A Super Visa application turns heavily on money, but not the visitor’s money, the host’s. The Canadian citizen or permanent resident inviting a parent or grandparent must prove their household earns at least a minimum amount set by the Low Income Cut-Off, or LICO, for the combined family size. This income test is one of the pillars of the program, alongside the invitation letter and the mandatory medical insurance. Getting the LICO calculation right, and documenting it cleanly, is one of the surest ways to keep an application on track.

What the LICO is

The Low Income Cut-Off is a Statistics Canada measure that reflects the income level below which a family of a given size is likely to spend a disproportionate share of its income on necessities. IRCC uses the LICO as the benchmark for several family-based immigration streams, including the Super Visa. For the Super Visa, the host must show income at or above the applicable LICO figure for their family size. The figures are updated periodically, so a host should always check the current table rather than rely on an old number.

Who must meet it

The requirement falls on the host in Canada, not on the visiting parent or grandparent. The host is the child or grandchild who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and who signs the invitation letter. The visiting parent does not need to show personal income to satisfy this test. If the host has a spouse or common-law partner, that partner’s income can often be combined with the host’s to meet the threshold, provided the partner co-signs the commitment. This matters for households where one earner alone would fall short.

How family size is counted

The threshold scales with family size, and the family size for Super Visa purposes is larger than many hosts expect. It includes the host, their spouse or partner, their dependent children, anyone else they are already financially responsible for, and the parents or grandparents being invited on the super visa. In other words, you add the incoming visitors to the existing household. Because a bigger family size means a higher LICO target, the host should tally everyone carefully before comparing against the table; undercounting is a common reason applications fall short.

What counts as income and how to prove it

Hosts demonstrate income with objective documents. The most important is typically the Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment for the most recent tax year, which shows assessed income. Supporting evidence can include recent pay stubs, a letter from the employer confirming position, salary and length of employment, bank statements, and documentation of other income sources. For self-employed hosts, business and tax records carry the weight. The goal is a consistent, verifiable picture that clearly meets or exceeds the LICO for the family size.

Meeting the threshold across one or more years

IRCC generally looks at income to confirm the host can realistically support the visitor during the stay. Hosts should present their strongest, most recent documentation and ensure the figures are internally consistent with the invitation letter, which states the household size. A mismatch between the family size on the letter and the size used to calculate the LICO target is an avoidable error that invites questions. If income is close to the threshold, bolstering the file with a co-signing partner’s income or additional documentation can make the difference.

Where the insurance requirement fits

It is important not to confuse the income test with the insurance requirement; they are separate hurdles, and both must be cleared. The LICO test is about the host’s ability to support the visitor. The insurance requirement is about covering the visitor’s medical costs, since they are not eligible for a provincial plan. The visiting parent must hold Canadian medical insurance of at least $100,000, valid for 365 days from entry, covering healthcare, hospitalization and repatriation. A host can meet the LICO comfortably and still have the application refused if the insurance is missing or does not meet the rules, and vice versa.

Common mistakes to avoid

The frequent errors are undercounting family size, submitting outdated or inconsistent income documents, forgetting to include a co-signing partner’s income when it is needed, and treating the LICO as a round number instead of checking the current figure. On the insurance side, the parallel mistakes are buying a policy below $100,000, with a term shorter than 365 days, or from a non-Canadian insurer. Each of these is avoidable with careful preparation and a final cross-check of all the numbers against the current rules.

The bottom line

The Super Visa income requirement asks the Canadian host to show household income at or above the LICO for the combined family size, which includes the visiting parents or grandparents. Prove it with notices of assessment, pay stubs and an employment letter, count family size carefully, and combine a partner’s income if needed. Remember that the LICO is only one of the hurdles: the visitor still needs at least $100,000 in medical insurance valid 365 days from a Canadian insurer. Compare your coverage options and see your price so the insurance side is handled while you finalize the income documents.