Visitor visa (temporary resident visa)

Conditions you must meet

• Hold a valid travel document, such as a passport
• Be in good healthIRCC lists this under the lead-in "you must:" on the eligibility page. The lead-in is not part of this quote because it does not sit adjacent to this bullet on the page.
• Have no criminal or immigration-related convictionsIRCC also lists separate grounds of inadmissibility, including criminal activity, human rights violations, organized crime, and security, health or financial reasons. Listed under the same "you must:" lead-in as the other basic requirements.
• Satisfy an officer that you have ties to your home countryIRCC names a job, a home, financial assets or family as examples of ties.
• Satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit
• Have enough money for your stayIRCC does not publish a fixed threshold: the amount depends on the length of the stay and on whether you stay in a hotel or with friends or relatives.

Official forms

• Application for Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa) (IMM 5257)Official form
• Family Information form (IMM 5645)IRCC lists this among supporting documents your personalized checklist may include.
• Use of a Representative (IMM 5476)
• Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual (IMM 5475)

Documents you must provide

• Digital copy of your valid passport or travel documentA clear, colour copy of the passport you will travel on, including the page showing your birth date and country of origin, and any pages with stamps, visas or markings. IRCC states the document should be valid for at least 6 months from your planned travel date.
• Letter authorizing a minor child to travel to CanadaIRCC notes other documents may also be needed depending on whether the minor travels alone or accompanied.
• Letter of invitation from someone in CanadaIRCC states a visitor may also need a letter of invitation. Where you are visiting family, IRCC also asks for proof of your relationship to the person inviting you — a marriage certificate, a statutory declaration of common-law union (IMM 5409), a birth certificate, or an official document naming you as a parent.

Steps in the process

• Immigration medical examIRCC states a visitor may need one. It does not state a universal trigger on this page.
• Give your biometrics (fingerprints and photograph)Required for citizens of certain countries or territories; IRCC publishes a separate tool to check whether you need to give them. VisaAI lists this for everyone because that country list has not been extracted yet, so it cannot yet tell you which side of the line you fall on.

Government fees

• Visitor visa processing feeCAD 100.00 per person. A family of 5 or more people applying at the same time and place pays a maximum of CAD 500.00.
• Biometrics feeCAD 85.00 per individual. IRCC states a family maximum applies to a family of 2 or more eligible people. Payable only if you must give biometrics, which depends on your citizenship — see the biometrics step above.

VisaAI suggestions

Not required by the authority. These are VisaAI’s suggestions for presenting a clearer application.

• Evidence of previous travelIRCC lists this under a heading it labels "recommended documents", not as a requirement. Copies of previous passports or visas used in the last 10 years, entry and exit stamps, and study or work permits showing time spent outside your country.