Inviting Family Or Friends To Visit Canada

Inviting Family Or Friends To Visit Canada
Note: This is not a legal document and information may change without notice. Always refer to www.cic.gc.ca for the
most updated information.
When you invite someone in your family to visit Canada, you are often asked to
provide a letter of invitation in order for them to apply for a visitor’s visa.
You may write an invitation letter and send it to your family members/friends
along with other documents (see below) for them to include in their visa
application.
Documents you need
1. An officicial letter from UBC
A: If you are a current student at UBC:

An official UBC Enrolment letter
a) If you are an undergraduate student between year 1 and 4: You may download this letter
from SSC (www.students.ubc.ca/ssc)
b)
If you are an undergraduate student who may need more than 4 years to complete your
degree requirements, or if you are in a diploma or certificate program (for example DAP,
DAH, etc.): You may ask for a letter from your faculty advisor or program office. This
letter must confirm your current enrolment in the program and expected date of
completion.
c)
If you are a graduate student: You may ask for a letter from your department (graduate
secretary). This letter must confirm your current enrolment in the program and expected
date of completion. The letter may also include information about a scholarship, Teaching
Assistantship, Research Assistantship or any other source of income you may have as
part of proof of financial support.
B: If you have recently completed your degree/diploma requirements:
 A photocopy of your Post Graduation Work Permit (if applicable) or a photocopy of your
study permit along with an official letter of completion from your department/ faculty. This
letter should also include your expected convocation ceremony date.
2. A letter of invitation written by you (see template below)
3. A photocopy of your valid Canadian immigration document (study permit or postgraduation work permit)
4. A photocopy of your passport (including your photo page and personal information)
5. A copy of your marriage certificate, if applicable
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Note: You must have a valid immigration document (study permit or post-graduation work permit)
which is valid for the length of your family members’ stay in Canada.
In addition to the above-listed documents, your friends/ family will have to provide proof of
economic and social ties to their home country as part of their application. The stronger these ties
are, the higher the chance they could successfully prove that they will return to their home country
after visiting Canada.

Examples of economic ties include: Bank statements, proof of financial investments,
letter of employment and/or proof of property ownership.

Examples of social ties include: Evidence that family members back home depend on
them for financial or other support, and that they must return home after their visit to
Canada in order to meet their social obligations to the family members.
Letter of Invitation
You may write the letter of invitation yourself. Some visa offices may require that your letter be
notarized by a Notary Public. Check with the visa office that is processing the application to find
out if you need to do this.
Send your 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 visa.
Because each Canadian visa office may have different requirements, check the website of the
visa office your family will be applying to in order to confirm the specific documents needed and
the application procedures. Websites of Canadian visa offices can be found online:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/information/offices/missions.asp
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Sample Letter of Invitation
The Canadian Embassy, Immigration Section
22 Kenyatta Drive
Nairobi
Kenya
Jan 23, 2013
-
Dear Visa Officer,
Re: Letter of invitation for my parents (Jumanne and Miriam Muindi)
-
Invitees’ complete
names
Their dates of birth
Relationship to you
Current address and
telephone number
I am writing this letter to support the Temporary Resident Visa application of my parents, Jumanne
Kafaka Muindi (father) and Miriam Jumanne Muindi (mother). My father and mother’s dates of
birth are March 2nd, 1953 and Jan 12th, 1956 respectively. My parents currently reside in Nairobi,
Kenya at Plot Number 44 Moi Avenue. Their phone number is +254 752 455786.
I am an international student in my fourth year in the Faculty of Science at the University of British
Columbia (copy of study permit and UBC enrolment letter attached). My date of birth is February
11th, 1989 and I currently reside at 2204 Halifax Street, Burnaby, B.C., V3J1A4. My telephone
number is +16047789922 and my email address is lolus.muindi@gmail.com.
-
Purpose of visit
Duration of visit
Date leaving Canada
Details of
Accommodation/
Living expenses
-
Your complete name
Your date of birth
Your status in Canada (Permanant Resident,
International Student, Citizen, etc.)
Occupation
Current address and telephone number/
email address
My convocation ceremony will be taking place on June 23rd, 2013. I wish to invite my parents to
Canada to celebrate this important milestone of success in my life with me. My parents intend to
stay in Canada for three weeks from June 16th to July 7th and will leave Canada on July 8th. While
in Canada, my parents will stay with me at my current residence and I will cover all their living
costs (housing and food) during this period; flight costs will be covered by them.
Should you require any further information about me or my parents, please feel free to contact
me. Thank you in advance for considering my parents’ application.
Yours truly,
Lolus Jumanne Muindi
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