How to Write an Invitation Letter for Canada Visa
If you’re applying for a visa to visit Canada, you may be asked to provide a notarized invitation letter to support your application.
For more information about visiting Canada, including expert and bespoke help with the requirements and how to write an invitation letter, get in touch with one of our legal experts today. Call us on +1 844 290 6312 or contact us online.
Overview of Canada Invitation Letter
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.
What Information Should Be Included in the Invitation Letter?
Information Regarding the Visa Applicant
The invitation letter should include the following information about you, the visa applicant:
- Your complete name
- Your date of birth
- Your address and telephone number
- Your relationship to the person who’s inviting you
- The purpose of your trip
- How long you plan to stay in Canada
- Where you will stay
- How you pay for things during your trip
- When you plan to leave Canada
Information Regarding the Inviter
The invitation letter should include the following information about the person writing the letter and who is inviting you to Canada:
- Their complete name
- Their date of birth
- Their address and telephone number in Canada
- Their job title
- Whether you they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- A photocopy of a document proving their status in Canada, such as:
- A Canadian birth certificate, if they were born in Canada
- A Canadian citizenship card, if they are a naturalized citizen
- A copy of their PR card or your IMM 1000 proof of landing, if they are a permanent resident
Additional Information for the Canada Super Visa
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)
What Are Invitation Letters Used For?
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.
How Should the Invitation Letter be Submitted?
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.
Sample Invitation Letter
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>
How Can Total Law Help?
It’s important to consider how important an invitation letter may be to your Canadian visitor visa application if you’re asked to provide one.
An invitation letter should provide important, key information about your trip to a Canadian immigration officer and confirm that you’ll be travelling for entirely legitimate and honest reasons.
It’s therefore essential that the person writing the letter remembers to include all of the necessary information needed to reassure IRCC that your visit to Canada won’t be something that will require raising concerns about.
If you require any assistance with your invitation letter for a Canadian visa, or any other part of the visitor visa or super visa application process, Total Law can help.
We are a team of expert immigration lawyers who are experienced in Canadian and international immigration law. Whether you need additional help on what needs to be included in your invitation letter, are unsure about any part of your visitor visa application, or need help liaising with your local Canadian visa office, we can help.
For more information about the services we provide and what we could do for you, reach out to us today on +1 844 290 6312 or contact us online.
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