Super visa insurance for parents from Pakistan

Parents applying from Pakistan need a super visa policy with at least $100,000 of emergency medical coverage, valid one year from the date of entry, from a Canadian insurer, paid before the application is submitted. Pakistan is the third-largest source of super visas after India and China, at 5% of all approvals from 2011 to 2023, and IRCC’s September 2026 processing estimate from Pakistan is about 92 days. At age 65 a $100,000 policy with stable pre-existing conditions covered costs about $2,051 to $3,095 a year, roughly ₨4.0 to 6.1 lakh.

Who buys the insurance: the parent in Lahore or the child in Mississauga?

The child in Canada should buy it. The parent is the insured person and must be named on the certificate, but the purchaser and the card used can be yours. You pay in Canadian dollars, you sidestep foreign-currency limits on Pakistani cards, and you hold the paperwork if a refund is needed.

The search usually starts in Pakistan. A parent in Lahore, Karachi or Rawalpindi hears “super visa insurance” from an agent, searches, and finds a Pakistani travel policy at a tenth of the price. If that policy goes into the application, the file is refused for the reason set out in the next section.

If you are the parent reading this, do not pay anything in rupees yet. Send this page to your child in Canada, who can buy the right policy and email you the certificate to upload.

Why Jubilee, EFU and Adamjee policies are refused

IRCC accepts a Canadian insurance company, or a foreign insurer authorized by OSFI for accident and sickness insurance and listed on OSFI’s public register. Pakistan’s insurers are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, not OSFI, and none has a Canadian branch. There is no “IRCC-approved list”; OSFI’s register is the only test.

The officer instructions add that a foreign insurer’s policy must have been issued “in the course of its insurance business in Canada” and must say so on the policy. Brokers and claims administrators do not count as insurers. Quotes are not accepted; the policy must be paid in full or in instalments with a deposit.

A refusal forfeits the $100 visa fee, the $85 biometrics fee and the medical exam fee. The Pakistani premium is usually non-refundable too. The full rules are on our super visa insurance hub.

What does super visa insurance cost in Pakistani rupees?

At age 60, rates seen in October 2026 run $1,621 to $2,741 a year for $100,000 of cover with stable pre-existing conditions. At 65 the range is $2,051 to $3,095, and at 70 it is $3,380 to $4,683. At about 196 rupees to the dollar, that is roughly ₨3.2 lakh to ₨9.2 lakh depending on age and carrier.

Annual premium, $100,000 coverage, $0 deductible, stable pre-existing conditions covered, rates seen Oct 2026 — verify at quote time. Rupee figures are approximate conversions at 1 CAD = 195.79 PKR (Clock7, 17 Oct 2026), labelled “approximate, Oct 2026”.

Source tables: BestQuote and PolicyAdvisor. Lowest of the six carriers compared on 17 October 2026 for a 65-year-old with stable pre-existing conditions: Secure Travel at $2,051. A $500 deductible cuts roughly 15% off the Manulife premium and a $5,000 deductible roughly 35%. If the lump sum is a problem, IRCC accepts instalments with a deposit; a missed instalment lapses the cover, so set up the payments from a Canadian account.

How long does a super visa take from Pakistan, and when should the policy start?

IRCC’s estimate for applications from Pakistan was about 92 days on 22 September 2026, against a service standard of 112 days. Biometrics time is not included. Pakistani files are processed by the Islamabad visa office, which also handles security screening that can add weeks for some applicants.

Do not lock the policy start date to a guessed arrival. Buy a policy whose effective date can be moved before coverage begins, set it to the planned flight, and change it when the passport comes back. The parent then has the full year from the date of entry that IRCC requires on every entry.

Source: Immigration.ca, 22 Sep 2026. Many parents of Canadians live in the Gulf; if your parent is a UAE resident they can apply from Dubai and the UAE page applies.

Timing tips for Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi applicants

Book the medical exam the week the application is submitted and the biometrics the day the instruction letter arrives. Both run on fixed calendars that fill up before Eid and in the summer. The insurance certificate must already be in the file at submission. Medical results are valid for 12 months.

Immigration medical exam. The International Organization for Migration performs Canadian immigration medicals in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Mirpur. The adult fee was ₨31,000 in Islamabad, Karachi and Mirpur and ₨32,000 in Lahore from June 2023, plus 16% GST on lab and X-ray work in Lahore; check the current figure when booking. The exam includes a chest X-ray and urine test and takes three to four hours. Bring the medical request letter with the IME number and the passport or CNIC. IOM does not charge for appointments and warns against paying anyone else for one. Parents from Azad Kashmir can use Mirpur rather than travelling to Islamabad.

Biometrics. Canada’s visa application centres in Pakistan are in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, per IRCC’s VAC finder. VFS Global runs them; booking the biometrics appointment is free, and from 7 March 2026 the biometric instruction letter must be uploaded to book. Optional VFS services (photo ₨1,095, courier ₨8,497) are extra, and VFS has announced new charges from 1 November 2026.

Documents in Urdu. Nikah namas, B-forms and FRC certificates in Urdu need an English or French translation, per IRCC’s document page. A certified translator’s stamp is accepted; otherwise the translator must swear an affidavit and cannot be a relative.

Share this with your son or daughter in Canada. They need to check their income against the LICO table for their household size, sign the letter of invitation, and buy the insurance in Canadian dollars. Send them this link and ask them to get a quote before you spend anything on the file in Pakistan.

The exact IRCC document checklist

IRCC’s document list is short, and each item is checked. The insurance certificate must name the insurer, the insured parent, the coverage amount and dates, and show that it is paid. A missing item turns a 92-day file into a refusal or a request for more documents.

1. The online super visa application and the $100 fee plus $85 biometrics fee (family cap $170).
2. A letter of invitation signed by the host child or grandchild in Canada, listing everyone in the household with name and date of birth, and showing the host meets the minimum necessary income. A spouse or common-law partner may co-sign; a sibling cannot.
3. Proof of the host’s income (notice of assessment, pay stubs or T4s).
4. Proof of the host’s status: Canadian citizenship document, permanent resident card, or Certificate of Indian Status.
5. Proof of relationship: the host’s birth certificate or another official document naming the applicant as parent or grandparent. A NADRA Family Registration Certificate is commonly used.
6. Proof of paid medical insurance: $100,000 minimum per applicant, health care, hospitalization and repatriation, valid one year from the date of entry, from a Canadian insurer or an OSFI-listed foreign insurer. Quotes are not accepted.
7. Proof of a completed immigration medical exam with an IRCC panel physician.
8. Form IMM 5476 if a representative is used.
9. Certified translations of any document not in English or French.
10. Any extra documents required by the Islamabad visa office, shown when you select Pakistan on the IRCC page.

The policy must also be shown to the border services officer at the airport. Print it and keep it with the passport.

Pre-existing conditions: answer the questionnaire

A parent in their sixties on medication for blood pressure, diabetes or a heart condition should buy a plan with a medical questionnaire that covers stable conditions. Plans with no questionnaire are cheaper because the insurer checks the medical history only when a claim is filed. Stability periods differ by carrier: 90 days at Secure Travel to age 69, 120 days at TuGo for ages 60 to 69, 180 days at Manulife, GMS and 21st Century. Compare them on our cost page, then get a quote.