How to Write an Invitation Letter for Canada Visa

Applicants applying for a Canadian visitor visa (also known as a temporary resident visa) may sometimes be asked by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to provide a visa invitation letter.

An invitation letter is a letter written by someone who is inviting you to Canada. It may be written by a friend, a family member, business partner, or anyone else who knows you personally.

The only requirement for the writer is that they should be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. It would also be beneficial if they are a person of good standing with a reliable source of income.

The letter must be written in good faith and only contain truthful information about the person writing it, you, and your trip. Although invitation letters do not guarantee that you will obtain a visitor visa, they may help to increase your chances of obtaining one.

Page Contents

• Overview of Canada Invitation Letter
• What Information Should Be Included in the Invitation Letter?
• Additional Information for the Canada Super Visa
• What Are Invitation Letters Used For?
• How Should the Invitation Letter be Submitted?
• Sample Invitation Letter
• How Can Total Law Help?

The Canadian super visa is a visa targeted at eligible parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. It allows them to come and stay in Canada for up to 5 years at a time.

Due to the visa’s extended length compared to a regular visitor visa, the invitation letter must include some additional information  about the person inviting you.

These include the following:

• Details of the inviter’s family, such as names and dates of birth of their spouse and dependants
• The total number of people living in their household, including people they have sponsored whose sponsorship is still in effect
• A written and signed promise of their financial support for you (the parent or grandparent coming to Canada) for your entire stay in Canada
• Proof that their income meets or is above the low-income cut-off (LICO) for the total number of people (with yourself included in the calculation)

There are a few reasons why IRCC may ask you for a notarized letter of invitation with your visitor visa application.

However, most often, it will be in order to verify that the information you’ve included in your application is accurate and truthful. The fact that the letter will be written by a close friend or family member will also help to verify the authenticity of your application.

More specifically, invitation letters will help the visa officer to confirm:

• The reasons why you wish to visit Canada
• You will adhere to the conditions of your visitor visa
• You will have enough money to support you during your stay
• You will leave Canada at the end of your stay

The person writing the letter may also need to get the letter notarized in order to strengthen the authenticity of the document.

The invitation letter should be written by the person inviting you to Canada. It should also be notarized by a notary public, if it’s been indicated to you that this needs to be done.

The letter should then be sent to you, the visa applicant. You will then need to send it, along with any additional supporting documents to the Canadian embassy or consulate in your home country when you apply for your visitor visa.

It is recommended that the letter be signed and dated by the person who wrote it.

Below is an example of what a Canada invitation letter may look like. Note that this is only a rough template, and sections may be added, taken away, or edited as needed according to your own personal circumstances.

<Writer’s Name>

<Writer’s Address>

<Writer’s phone number>

<Date>

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to confirm that I am inviting <applicant’s name>, date of birth <applicant’s date of birth>, of <applicant’s address> to come and stay with me in my home at <address> between the dates of <dates>.

I am a Canadian permanent resident and work as a <occupation> in Toronto. I attach a photocopy of my permanent resident card for your records.

<Applicant’s name> is my cousin and will be travelling to stay with me in Canada mainly to visit family members, who also live in the Toronto area. We will be visiting some local tourist attractions in Toronto as well as travelling outside of the city to give <applicant’s name> a good sense of Canadian culture.

<Applicant’s name> will be staying for a total of one week here in my home in Toronto. He will be flying back to <country> on <date>. 

<Applicant’s name> works as a <occupation> back in <country>, and will be paying for his outward and return flight by himself. While he will be staying with me at no cost to him, we will plan to share the cost of things like local travel, food and gifts. He will be paying his share through money saved up from his work.

I can be reached through my home address and phone number as listed at the top of this letter. <Applicant’s name> can be reached through his home address of <applicant’s address> or through his phone number, <applicant’s phone number>.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with either of us if you require any more information.

Yours faithfully,

<Writer’s name>

<Writer’s signature>

<Date>