Canada Visitor Visa Invitation Letter

What a Canada visitor visa invitation letter is for

When a family member or friend applies for a visitor visa (temporary resident visa) to Canada, a letter of invitation from the person they are visiting helps the visa officer understand the trip: who is coming, why, for how long, where they will stay, who is paying, and who the host is. IRCC publishes a list of the information it suggests a letter include, and a letter that leaves items out, gives vague dates or does not include proof of the host's status gives the officer less to rely on.

This template follows IRCC's list item by item. The letter has tables for the visitor's details and the host's details, sections for the purpose and dates of the visit, accommodation and expenses, and the visitor's reasons to return home, a table for the host's family in Canada, optional wording for a super visa's promise of financial support and household list, a truthfulness statement and an enclosures list. A host checklist, a guide to the documents visitors usually include, and a plain explanation of what the letter does and does not do complete it.

When to use it

Use it when you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered under the Indian Act inviting someone to visit you in Canada: parents and grandparents, siblings, extended family, friends, a partner, or guests for a wedding, graduation, birth or holiday. Use the super visa paragraph if you are inviting a parent or grandparent for a super visa.

For business visitors, an invitation from the Canadian company in a business letter format is more appropriate. For students and workers, other permits and documents apply. The visitor should always check IRCC's document checklist for their country.

What's inside

The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.

1. Letter heading

   • Host's contact details
   • Date
   • Visa office
   • Subject with visitor's name
   • date of birth and passport

2. About the visitor and the visit

   • Visitor's name
   • date of birth
   • address and phone
   • Relationship
   • Purpose
   • Arrival and departure dates
   • Accommodation
   • Who pays
   • Health insurance
   • Ties to home

3. About the host

   • Name
   • date of birth
   • address and phone
   • Job title
   • Status in Canada
   • Proof of status
   • Family in Canada

4. Super visa and signature

   • Promise of financial support
   • Household list
   • Proof of income
   • Truthfulness statement
   • Signature
   • Enclosures

5. Checklist and guidance

   • Eight-point host checklist
   • Visitor's documents
   • What the letter does and does not do

Preview pages

How to complete the letter

1. Enter your details. Use your full name, address in Canada and contact information.
2. Identify the visitor exactly. Use the name and date of birth exactly as in the passport.
3. Explain the purpose. Give a specific reason and any event dates.
4. Give exact dates. State the arrival and departure dates.
5. Explain arrangements. Say where the visitor will stay and who will pay for what.
6. Describe ties to home. Briefly explain the visitor's job, family or studies at home.
7. Prove your status. State your status and enclose a copy of proof.
8. Add the super visa paragraph if needed. Include the support promise, household list and proof of income.
9. Sign and send. Sign, date and send the letter and copies to the visitor.

Example: a completed letter excerpt

A fictional Calgary resident invites their mother from Manila for a graduation:

Visitor: Maria Santos Reyes, born April 3, 1962, Quezon City, Philippines; relationship: mother. Purpose and dates: to attend the host's master's graduation at the University of Calgary on June 12, 2027 and visit family; arriving June 1, leaving June 29, 2027. Accommodation and expenses: staying at the host's home in Calgary; the host pays for airfare and living costs; travel health insurance purchased for the visit. Ties to home: a retired teacher who owns her home in Quezon City and cares for her own mother there. Host: permanent resident, enclosing a copy of the permanent resident card, with spouse and one child listed.

The mother includes the letter, a copy of the PR card, her bank statements and her property records with her online application.

Canadian rules to know

These are the rules and IRCC guidance this letter reflects.

• IRCC letter of invitation guidance. The suggested information about the visitor and the host, and proof of the host's status.
• No legal responsibility. Writing a letter does not make the host legally responsible for the visitor, but it must be written in good faith.
• Super visa. A promise of financial support for the visit and the household list for the minimum income requirement, plus proof of medical insurance.
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Visitors must satisfy an officer that they will leave Canada at the end of their stay; misrepresentation can lead to a five-year ban.

Mistakes that weaken invitation letters

The common problems are names that do not match the passport, vague purposes and open-ended dates, no explanation of who pays, no proof of the host's status, promises the host cannot keep, overstating the relationship, and super visa letters with no support promise or household list. Completing every field and the host checklist avoids each of them.