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Guide to Obtaining a Tourist Visa for Canada | From Requirements to Costs

The Canadian tourist visa, also known as the Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), is an official document that allows foreign nationals to enter Canada for tourism, family visits, or business activities for a limited time. This visa is also referred to as the Visitor Visa for Canada.

The visa is stamped in your passport by a Canadian immigration officer as an applicant for the tourist visa and indicates that you meet the necessary requirements to enter Canada. In this article, you will read a complete guide on how to apply for a Canadian tourist visa.

Canadian Visitor Visa at a Glance

Application Fee + Biometrics: $185

Validity Period: 5 years or less

Duration of Stay: 6 months on each entry

Financial Requirement: $12,000 per person (for 6 months of stay)

Latest News on the Canadian Tourist Visa

Iranians with a tourist visa in Canada can apply for the Open Work Permit for Iranians free of charge until February 28, 2025. The Open Work Permit allows you to work for any employer in Canada. In the latest update from the Canadian immigration office, tourist visas are no longer automatically issued as five-year multiple-entry visas. Now immigration officers can issue single-entry (one-time entry) or multiple-entry (multiple entries) tourist visas with varying durations based on the applicant's circumstances.

Types of Canadian Tourist Visas: Which One is Right for You?

The types of Canadian tourist visas include:

1. Single Visa (Single) or one-time entry

2. Multiple Visa (Multiple) or multiple-entry

Additionally, with the Super Visa for Canada, parents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents can travel to Canada.

Canadian Single Visa

One-time entry valid for up to 6 months

With the Canadian single visa, you are only allowed to enter the country once. For example, a single visa might be issued for official visits by officials from this country, attending a conference or a special event in the country, or for other reasons deemed appropriate by the officer. After leaving Canada, if you want to travel to the country again, you’ll need to reapply for a Canadian tourist visa.

 

Multi-Entry Visa for Canada

5-Year Multi-Entry Visa for Canada

The multi-entry visa for Canada can be issued for a duration of 5 years, 10 years, or as little as one month before the passport’s expiration date. As long as your multi-entry visa for Canada is valid—which is usually 5 years for Iranians—you are allowed to enter Canada multiple times, and each time you can stay for up to 6 months.

Super Visa

Visitor Visa for Parents

The Canadian Super Visa is a multiple-entry visa that is valid for up to 10 years and allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to stay in Canada for up to 5 years at a time without needing to extend their status, so they can live alongside their children and grandchildren.

Obtaining a Canadian tourist visa does not guarantee entry into the country and requires approval from an immigration officer.

Complete Review of the Conditions for a Canadian Tourist Visa

According to the IRCC website, the conditions for obtaining a Canadian tourist visa are as follows:

You must have a valid passport.

You should be in good physical and mental health.

You should not have any criminal conviction or immigration-related issues.

You need to show the immigration officer that you have ties to your home country like a stable job, a house, financial assets, or family, so the officer is convinced that you will return to your homeland.

Convince the immigration officer that you will go back to Iran after your trip.

You should have enough money for your trip and accommodation duration.

Additionally, you may need a medical examination or an invitation letter to get a visitor visa for Canada. Below, you will find the required documents for obtaining a Canadian visa.

Complete List of Required Documents for a Canadian Tourist Visa

The required documents for a Canadian tourist visa are:

1. General documents; Identity, Criminal Record Check, and Fingerprinting

Personal documents such as a valid passport, translated birth certificate, translated marriage certificate (if applicable), translated educational documents, translated military service completion card (if applicable)

Translation of the criminal record check

Fingerprinting at one of the VAC centers of the Canadian embassy in neighboring countries to Iran

Completed tourist visa forms

Providing a travel history and travel record through the stamps in your passport.

A letter stating the purpose of the trip with a detailed itinerary for visiting Canada.

One important factor to keep in mind when applying for a visitor visa to Canada is providing sufficient financial proof for the duration of your stay in the country. Additionally, a six-month bank statement is also a crucial document for obtaining a visitor visa.

Documents related to the inviting person, such as their citizenship card, permanent residency, university registration letter, study permit, student visa, or employment letter and work visa. Also, any documents that demonstrate the inviting person’s stable economic status in Canada, like property deeds, pay stubs, tax payment receipts, etc. While providing financial evidence from the inviter is not mandatory, it’s recommended to secure financial proof from them and include it in your documents to show that they are financially stable and capable of hosting you.

To apply for a tourist visa to Canada, you need to have an invitation letter from someone in Canada. This person can be a close relative, friend, or your kin. Writing an invitation letter does not mean that the inviter legally takes responsibility for you; rather, it indicates that they are your host and, if necessary, will cover your financial expenses in Canada.

The invitation letter must include both your information and the inviter’s details. We will detail this information separately below.

Information about the Inviter:

Full name

Date of birth

Address and phone number in Canada

Current status in Canada (citizen, permanent resident, student, etc.)

Job title (if employed)

Information about the Invitee:

Full name

Date of birth

Address and phone number in the home country

Relationship to the inviter

Purpose of the trip

Duration of stay in Canada

Details regarding accommodation in Canada and how expenses will be covered

Date of departure from Canada

The Canadian immigration office may ask you to have your invitation letter certified by official offices in Canada, or in other words, notarized. In this case, ask your inviter to send you the letter stamped with an official seal and notarized.

Providing an invitation letter is not mandatory for obtaining a Canadian tourist visa, and you can apply for this visa with documents related to hotel bookings and round-trip flight tickets. However, not having an invitation letter decreases your chances of getting the visa and puts your application at significant risk, unless you elaborate more on the purpose of your trip and describe your travel itinerary in great detail.

For instance, in your daily schedule, write about where you plan to go each day, which places or exhibitions you want to visit. If you’ve signed up for tourist tours in Canada, provide the relevant documents and outline the tour itinerary from day one to the last day.

Employment documents such as job letters, work contracts, retirement letters, recent six months’ pay slips, insurance records, and a leave of absence certificate (if possible). If you own a company or business in your home country, provide documents like the official newspaper, company charter, tax payment records, employee salary payment records, or a business license. (Sample work experience letter for Canada)

Documents related to your assets like home, apartment, land, shop, etc.

Steps for the Canadian tourist visa; from preparing documents to visa pickup

The steps for applying for a Canadian tourist visa are:

Preparing documents before applying

Renewing your passport and officially translating identity and financial documents

Preparing financial capability documents

Receiving the invitation letter and completing the required forms

Booking hotel accommodation and purchasing flight tickets

Completing the form, submitting documents, and paying fees

1. Completing temporary residence forms, family information, and Schedule 1

First, visit the Canadian immigration website and select English as your language.

On the opened page, choo