How to get a Canadian visitor visa

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Were you expecting a 10-year Canadian visa? Most applicants still are, and that expectation is now out of date.

IRCC changed its officer guidance in November 2024, and a 10-year multiple-entry visa is no longer the standard outcome. Officers decide single or multiple entry and set the validity period case by case.

The visa costs $100 plus $85 for biometrics. Here’s what it actually is, how long you can stay, and why applications get refused.

What is a Canadian visitor visa?

A visitor visa, officially a temporary resident visa or TRV, is a document in your passport that lets you travel to Canada as a visitor. It doesn’t guarantee entry. A border services officer makes that decision when you arrive.

Which document you need depends on your nationality. Visa-required nationals, including citizens of most African countries, need a TRV. Citizens of visa-exempt countries flying to Canada need an electronic travel authorization instead, which is cheaper and faster. Check your own nationality before you start, because applying for the wrong one wastes the fee.

Is a 10-year multiple-entry visa still the default?

No, and this is the biggest change since most guides on this topic were written. IRCC updated its program delivery instructions in November 2024. A multiple-entry visa issued to maximum validity is no longer treated as the standard document.

What changed in practice:

• Officers decide whether to issue a single-entry or a multiple-entry visa, rather than defaulting to multiple.
• Where they do issue multiple entry, they may set a validity period shorter than the 10-year maximum.
• Grounds cited for a single-entry visa include immigration risk, a limited travel purpose, and insufficient ties to your home country.

Before the change, officers were guided to issue multiple-entry visas for as long a validity as possible. So if a friend or relative got a 10-year visa a few years ago, that outcome is no longer the baseline expectation. Plan your trip around the visa you receive, not the one you hoped for.

The fees, and what you lose on a refusal

$100 for the visa and $85 for biometrics, so $185 for one person. A family of two or more pays a capped $170 for biometrics. None of these fees have changed since 2023.

Fee	Amount (CAD)
Visitor visa, per person	$100
Visitor visa, family of 5 or more applying together	$500 maximum
Biometrics, one person	$85
Biometrics, family of 2 or more	$170

The fee is not refunded if you’re refused, which is worth knowing before you apply with a thin file.

How do you apply for a visitor visa?

Apply online through an IRCC secure account. Paper applications exist but are slower and offer no advantage.

1. Confirm whether you need a TRV or an electronic travel authorization based on your nationality.
2. Gather your passport, proof of funds, proof of employment or business, and evidence of ties at home.
3. Write a short letter explaining the purpose of the trip, how long you’ll stay, who is paying, and what brings you back.
4. Include an invitation letter if you’re visiting family, with your host’s status in Canada and their address.
5. Submit and pay both the $100 visa fee and the $85 biometrics fee at the same time.
6. Give biometrics within 30 days of the date on your instruction letter, at an official collection point.

Processing times vary by country and change every month, so check IRCC’s own tool on the day you apply rather than relying on a figure from a forum.

Visa validity is not the same as your stay

Usually up to six months per visit, but the border services officer decides on arrival and can authorize less. Look at the date stamped in your passport, because that is the date that governs your stay.

Two things people confuse. Your visa’s validity is how long you may travel to Canada. The stamp or document you get at the border is how long you may stay. A 10-year visa never meant a 10-year stay.

If you want to stay longer, apply to extend your stay from inside Canada. Do it at least 30 days before your authorized stay ends.

Should your parents apply for a super visa instead?

If you’re a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and want your parents or grandparents to visit, the super visa is usually the better instrument. It allows stays of up to five years at a time, with multiple entries for up to 10 years, which no ordinary visitor visa offers.

Two rule changes have made it more accessible, and both are recent enough that most guides miss them.

• Insurance no longer has to be Canadian. Applicants may now buy private health insurance from a company outside Canada. It must be valid for at least one year from the date of entry, and proof is required on every entry.
• From March 31, 2026 the income test changed. The host and any co-signer may meet the income requirement in either of the two tax years before applying. The visiting parent’s own income can also be added to cover any shortfall.

That second change matters if your income dipped in one year. Under the old calculation a single weak year could sink the application.

Why are Canadian visitor visas refused?

Almost always because the officer isn’t satisfied you’ll leave at the end of your visit. Refusal letters name the grounds, so read yours rather than reapplying with the same file.

• Weak ties at home. Employment, property, dependants, and business interests are what officers weigh.
• Funds that don’t match the trip. A two-week visit costed at a level your bank history doesn’t support reads as unrealistic.
• No clear purpose. “Tourism” alone is thinner than a dated itinerary with bookings and a reason for the timing.
• Travel history. A record of complying with other countries’ visas helps. No travel history isn’t fatal, but it raises the bar on everything else.
• Missed biometrics inside the 30-day window.

Frequently asked questions

These are the questions visitors ask most often about the Canadian visitor visa, including what changed about visa length.

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