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Visit · Letter of invitation

The invitation letter is a promise, not a form.

There is no IRCC form for it and no fee. It is a signed statement from you — the person in Canada — that an officer reads for one thing: whether the plan is real and you intend to keep it. It does not guarantee a visa. Check your draft against the official list before anyone signs.

Check my letter See the outline
  • 2 minutes to check a draft
  • Nothing leaves your device
  • Extra content required for the super visa
A blank sheet of paper beside a closed passport, a red pen and two plain envelopes on a bright desk by a window

Letter checker

Is your letter complete? Check it before anyone signs.

IRCC lists exactly what the letter must say — about the person you are inviting, and about you. Tick what your draft already covers. The most common failure is not weak wording; it is a missing item an officer expects to find.

01Which application is this letter for?

The super visa is for parents and grandparents only, and its letter carries extra mandatory content.

02Your status in Canada

Your letter states your status, and a photocopy of the document proving it travels with the application.

03Tick what your draft already includes

A planning check, not a decision — an officer decides each case.

About the person you are inviting

About you, the writer

Guidance only. The letter is your statement, in your words — this tool checks structure, it does not write prose. Confirm requirements on canada.ca and, for parents and grandparents, the super visa instructions. Book a review.

The outline

Write it in your own words. Here is the order.

We deliberately do not generate the letter. Officers read thousands of template letters and recognize them on sight — a letter in your own voice, covering the right things in a sensible order, does more for the application than polished boilerplate ever will.

  1. Who you are

    Your full name, date of birth, address and telephone number in Canada, your job, and your status — citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian. Enclose a photocopy of the document that proves the status.

  2. Who you are inviting

    Their full name, date of birth, address and telephone number, and how you know each other — the exact relationship, in plain words. For a super visa, the relationship must be parent or grandparent through a biological or adopted child.

  3. The plan

    Why they are coming, when, and for how long. A purpose that fits the length — "my mother is coming for the birth of our first child in November and will stay four months" reads as a plan; a vague long stay does not.

  4. Where they stay and who pays

    The address they will live at, and who covers travel, living costs and — for the super visa — everything, in writing: the promise of financial support for the length of the authorized stays is mandatory content, not courtesy.

  5. The household

    Names and dates of birth of your spouse or partner and dependants. For the super visa, list every person in the family-size count, everyone whose income is relied on, and the income documents attached for each.

  6. The undertaking and signature

    That they will leave by the end of the authorized stay, that everything in the letter is true, and your signature and date. You must tell the truth and plan to keep the promises you make — IRCC's words, and the standard an officer reads the letter against.

Three facts

What the letter is — and is not.

It is not

A guarantee, or a form

  • It is not a guaranteeIRCC is explicit: a letter of invitation does not guarantee a visa. The applicant is still assessed on ties, funds, purpose and history — the letter is evidence, not permission.
  • There is no form and no feeIt is an ordinary signed letter. You write it, you send it to the applicant, and they include it with their application. Anyone selling you an "official invitation form" is selling paper.

It is

Your signed statement

  • Written by the person in CanadaThe person receiving the visitor writes it in their own words, signs it, sends it to the applicant, and the applicant includes it with the visa application.
  • Notarization is sometimes requestedNot required by default — but IRCC notes a visa office may ask for a notarized letter. Check the local visa office instructions for the applicant's country before sending it.

Super visa

Super visa letters are a different animal

Since March 31, 2026 the Ministerial Instructions make specific content mandatory: the promise of financial support, the full family-size list with dates of birth, everyone providing income proof, and the documents for each. The income side has its own arithmetic — run your family size and income through the super visa checker before the letter is drafted, because the letter must list the same people the income test counts.

Next steps

The letter is one document. Here is the application around it.

  1. Ties
  2. Funds
  3. Purpose
  4. History
  5. The letter

The four things an officer weighs — the letter supports them, it does not replace them.

Before it is signed

An invitation letter cannot rescue a weak application — but a bad one can sink a strong one.

Send us the draft and the family details. We will tell you what is missing, what reads as a formality, and whether the application it supports is ready.

Book a consultation Check the letter first

Questions

What people ask about the letter.

Does a letter of invitation guarantee a Canadian visa?
No. IRCC is explicit that a letter of invitation does not guarantee a visa. The officer still assesses the applicant against every visitor requirement — the letter supports the application by showing who is receiving them, where they will stay and who pays for what.
Does the invitation letter need to be notarized?
Not by default. IRCC says a visa office may ask for a notarized letter, so check the instructions of the visa office serving the applicant's country. If nothing asks for notarization, a signed letter is sufficient.
Is there an IRCC form or fee for a letter of invitation?
No form and no fee. It is an ordinary letter, written and signed by the person in Canada, sent to the applicant, who includes it with their visa application.
What extra content does a super visa invitation letter need?
Under the Ministerial Instructions in force since March 31, 2026, a super visa letter must also include a promise of financial support for the length of the authorized stays, a list of every person in the family-size count with names and dates of birth, a list of everyone providing proof of income, the income documents relied on, and the co-signing spouse or common-law partner where there is one.
Who should write the letter of invitation?
The person in Canada who is receiving the visitor — in their own words. For the super visa the writer must be the host child or grandchild: a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered under the Indian Act, at least 18, living in Canada, and only a spouse or common-law partner may co-sign.

General information only, not legal advice, and no consultant–client relationship is created by reading this page. Requirements change; confirm on canada.ca before filing. IRCC makes all final decisions.

eligibility review

Find out where you actually stand.

Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.

  1. 01Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant
  2. 02A written shortlist of the programs you qualify for
  3. 03Fee-based; the fee and times come by reply

CHK Immigration Services, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.