Invitation Letter for a Canada Visitor Visa: What to Include

IRCC says it sometimes asks a visitor visa applicant for a letter of invitation from someone in Canada. The host writes the letter and sends it to the visitor, who includes it with the visitor visa application.

IRCC is clear about two limits. The letter does not mean the visa will be approved, because the officer still assesses whether the visitor meets the law. And writing it does not make the host legally responsible for the visitor once they are in Canada, although IRCC says the host must tell the truth and plan to keep the promises in the letter.

IRCC lists the visitor's complete name, date of birth, address and telephone number, your relationship to them, the purpose of the trip, how long they plan to stay, where they will stay and how they will pay for things, and when they plan to leave Canada.

The dates and the plan should match the rest of the application. In our experience, a letter that gives a different length of stay or a different host address from the forms raises more questions than it answers. How long a visitor can stay explains the six-month rule and the visitor record.

IRCC lists the host's complete name, date of birth, address and telephone number in Canada, job title, and whether you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. Include a photocopy of a document proving your status: a Canadian birth certificate, a citizenship card, a PR card or IMM 1000 proof of landing, or a Secure Certificate of Indian Status or status card.

IRCC also lists details of your family, such as the names and dates of birth of your spouse and dependants.

A letter for a parent or grandparent applying for a super visa must also include a promise of financial support for the whole visit, and the list and number of people counted in the family size calculation. The super visa income requirement and the super visa documents checklist cover the rest.

IRCC says its list is only a guide and that you must write the letter yourself. A template copied word for word is not what it asks for. If a visa was refused before, the common weak points are a better place to start than a stronger letter.

Whether the letter and the forms tell the same story, whether the trip's purpose and length fit the visitor's ties at home, and whether a super visa letter includes the support promise and family size IRCC requires.