info@pacificnotary.ca
(604) 773-7730

Letter of Invitation

If you would like to invite a citizen of one of the countries that are required by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to apply for and obtain a temporary resident visa in order to be admitted to Canada, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to assist you with drafting and notarizing your Letter of Invitation

Pursuant to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its Regulations citizens of specified countries applying for a Temporary Resident are required to provide a letter of invitation from their host in Canada. Please note that a letter of invitation does not guarantee that a visa will be issued. You may write the letter of invitation yourself, however, it is recommended and some visa offices may require that your letter be notarized by a Notary Public. Check with the visa office that will be processing the application to find out the requirements.

You should provide the letter in good faith. You must give truthful information and intend to keep the promises you made in the letter. Send your notarized letter to the person you are inviting to Canada. They must then submit this letter to the Canadian Embassy or Consulate outside of Canada when they apply for their Temporary Resident Visa.

Your letter must include the following information about the foreign national:

  • Full name.
  • Date of birth.
  • The person’s address and telephone number.
  • Your relationship to the person being invited.
  • The purpose of the trip.
  • How long the person you are inviting intends to stay in Canada.
  • Details on accommodation and living expenses.
  • The date the person you are inviting intends to arrive and to leave Canada.

Your letter must also include the following information about yourself:

  • Full name.
  • Date of birth.
  • Address and telephone number in Canada.
  • Occupation.
  • Whether you are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident
  • A photocopy of a document proving your status in Canada. For instance, a Canadian birth certificate if you were born in Canada or a Canadian citizenship card if you are a naturalized citizen. If you are Permanent Resident, you must send proof of your permanent resident status (a copy of your PR card or your IMM 1000 proof of landing).

Citizens of the following countries and territories require a Visa to visit or transit Canada:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

Y

Z

  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan

  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Belarus
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi

  • Cambodia
  • Republic of Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China, People’s Republic of
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  • Congo, Republic of the
  • Costa Rica
  • Cuba
  • Czech Republic

  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic

  • East Timor
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia

  • Fiji

  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Ghana
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana

  • Haiti
  • Honduras
 

  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel (only Israeli citizens holding valid Israeli “Travel Document in lieu of National Passport”)
  • Ivory Coast

  • Jamaica
  • Jordan
 

  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Korea, North
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan

  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Lithuania (holders of non-biometric passports only)

  • Macao S.A.R.
  • Macedonia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives Islands
  • Mali
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Micronesia, Fed. States
  • Moldova
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar (Burma)

  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria

  • Oman
 
 

  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Palestinian Authority
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland (holders of non-biometric passports only)

  • Qatar

  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Rwanda

  • Sao Tomé e Principe
  • Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Surinam
  • Syria

  • Taiwan (except holders of the ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes their personal identification number)
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tuvalu

  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan

  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam

  • Yemen

  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
 

Visitor Visa Exemptions

The following persons do not require a visa to visit Canada:

  • citizens of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia (Republic of), Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa;
  • persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;
  • British citizens and British Overseas Citizens who are re-admissible to the United Kingdom;
  • citizens of British dependent territories who derive their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands;
  • persons holding a British National (Overseas) Passport issued by the Government of the United Kingdom to persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong;
  • persons holding a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China;
  • persons holding passports or travel documents issued by the Holy See;
  • persons holding an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes their personal identification number.

Please note that Citizens of Poland and Lithuania require e-passport for visa-free travel to Canada – effective January 1, 2009.

Please also note that a visa exemption does not guarantee a person automatic entry to Canada. All visitors to Canada must satisfy a Canada Border Services Officer at the time of their arrival in Canada that they meet Canadian entry requirements. Some people, including those who have been previously deported from Canada or who have criminal records, may not be admissible to Canada.