A Canadian visitor visa, explained properly
Canada is the most document-driven of the big four. Unlike the USA there is no interview, and unlike the UK there is no single caseworker you have to convince in person — an officer reads your file and decides. That makes it the destination where preparation most reliably changes the outcome.
It is also the one where families overpay most often, because the fee is published in three pieces and almost everyone adds them up wrong.
What it really costs — and the cap nobody claims
| Charge | Per person | Family maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor visa (TRV) | CAD 100 | CAD 500 for 5 or more applying together |
| Biometrics | CAD 85 | CAD 170 for 2 or more applying together |
| Extend your stay inside Canada | CAD 100 | — |
| Restore status after it expires | CAD 246.25 | — |
The family cap is real money
A family of five applying together pays CAD 500 + CAD 170 = CAD 670, not five lots of CAD 185. That is a saving of CAD 255 — and it only applies if everyone applies at the same time and place, with the children qualifying as dependants.
We have seen families submit separately on an agent's advice and pay the full amount for no reason. If you are travelling as a family, this alone is worth getting right before anyone pays.
Two more things on cost. A single-entry and a multiple-entry visa cost the same, so there is no saving in asking for less. And separately from IRCC, the visa application centre charges its own fee to courier your passport once it is requested — around CAD 23, roughly PKR 4,700. That is the centre's charge, not the government's, and it is not in the table above.
Source and date. Fees from IRCC's published fee list and the visitor visa application page, read 11 October 2026. All fees are in Canadian dollars, are not refundable, and can change without notice. Our own charge is quoted separately.
Processing time, and why we are not printing a number
IRCC publishes a live processing-time tool, by country and application type, and it updates weekly. Any figure we typed here would be wrong within days — which is exactly the failing we point out on other agencies' pages.
So instead: open IRCC's processing times tool, choose Temporary residence, then Visitor visa (from outside Canada), then Pakistan. That is the only number worth trusting, and it is free to check.
Three things to understand about whatever it tells you:
- It is a projection, not a promise. IRCC's own words: it is how long they expect to take on an application received today, based on current staffing and backlog.
- IRCC's pages disagree with each other about whether the estimate includes the time you take to give biometrics. Treat it as if it does not, and book your biometrics the day you are asked.
- The clock effectively starts when your file is complete. A missing document resets your place in the queue, which is why the preparation matters more than the submission.
How to apply
Online, and from Pakistan there is effectively no alternative: IRCC says plainly that you must apply online, with paper allowed only if a disability prevents it or you travel on a refugee or stateless person's document.
The portal people use by mistake
New visitor and Super Visa applications go through the IRCC Portal. There is also an older "IRCC secure account", still linked from several IRCC pages, which is not where these applications are made. Starting in the wrong one wastes an afternoon and some people give up there.
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Gather the documents first
Including a scan of the passport bio page and every page carrying a stamp, visa or marking — not just the pages you think matter. Your passport should have at least six months' validity from when you plan to travel.
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Answer the questionnaire
The Portal builds a personalised checklist from your answers. This is the only authoritative list of what you must upload, and it differs from applicant to applicant — which is why no honest page can print one checklist for everyone.
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Pay, with the family cap applied correctly
CAD 100 per person or CAD 500 for a family of five or more, plus CAD 85 or CAD 170 for biometrics. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and UnionPay are accepted. Keep the receipt.
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Give biometrics once instructed
You will receive a Biometric Instruction Letter. Book the appointment immediately — this is the step most within your control and the one most commonly left late.
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Send the passport when asked
Only when IRCC requests it. You take it to the visa application centre with their letter and consent form, and pay the centre's courier charge.
Biometrics
Given at a Canada Visa Application Centre, run by VFS Global, in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. The appointment itself is free — IRCC is explicit that booking a biometrics appointment costs nothing, which is worth knowing if anyone offers to sell you one.
Your biometrics are then valid for ten years and reused automatically on any application in that window. Two consequences people miss:
- IRCC cannot issue a visa that runs past your biometrics' expiry date. If your fingerprints expire in two years, your visa will not be issued for ten.
- You can refresh them voluntarily when you apply, even while still valid — but not after a visa has been issued. For someone planning long-term travel to Canada, the timing of that is worth a conversation.
Children under 14 and applicants over 79 are exempt.
Documents — including the Pakistan-only checklist
Almost every page written about a Canadian visitor visa quotes IMM 5484, the national document checklist. For an applicant in Pakistan that is half the list. There is a second form — IMM 5869, the Additional Document Checklist for the Islamabad visa office, which is the office that serves Pakistan. IRCC’s own instruction is to complete it and place it on top of your application. It does not replace the national checklist; it is added to it.
Three places the Pakistan checklist is stricter than the general advice
Twelve months of bank statements, not six. IRCC’s main apply page suggests six months of account details. The Islamabad checklist asks for statements covering the twelve months before your application, showing the balance. Build to twelve.
The family form is IMM 5645. Two IRCC forms carry the identical title “Family Information Form” and nothing in the national index tells you which one applies. The Islamabad checklist names IMM 5645, and it is required from every applicant aged 18 or over — not only whoever leads the application.
Certified translation is not optional. The national checklist says to ask the visa office whether documents need translating. The Islamabad checklist simply requires a certified translation of anything not in English or French — and IRCC’s guide adds that you may not translate your own documents, and neither may a member of your family. For a nikah nama, a pension book, property papers or an Urdu business registration, that is a real step with a real lead time.
The authoritative list for your own file is still the personalised checklist the Portal builds after you answer its questions. What is below is what the two published checklists ask for — the part that is the same for everyone, and the part that changes with what you do for a living.
Asked of every applicant
Identity
On both checklists- A passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel date
- All cancelled and expired passports, not only the current one
- A copy of your CNIC — the Islamabad checklist names it
- IMM 5645, the Family Information form, from every applicant aged 18 or over
- Two photographs to specification — though if you are giving biometrics, IRCC does not ask for paper photos
Money
No minimum exists- Twelve months of bank statements showing the balance
- Pay slips, property titles, pension proof or investment records alongside them
- If someone else is paying, their documents and a plain account of how the trip is funded
- No minimum amount or balance is published anywhere official. The test is whether the money fits the trip, not whether it clears a figure
The trip
Purpose, in IRCC’s words- A clear explanation of why you are going
- Your itinerary in Canada
- Provisional airline or hotel bookings
- A letter of invitation if you are visiting a friend or relative
- Receipts for both the visa fee and the biometrics fee
What changes with what you do
If you are salaried
The Islamabad checklist asks for one letter, and is precise about it- A letter from your employer granting leave of absence
- Carrying your name, your position and your current salary
- And your employer’s name, address, telephone and fax number — the form still asks for a fax, so give one if the company has it
- If the trip is for business, the same letter should state the purpose and list the names and addresses of the companies you will visit
- IRCC’s guidance elsewhere adds that the letter should be dated no earlier than three months before you apply, on company letterhead
If you own a business
Two different lists, depending on how the business is held- Self-employed: evidence of the business — registration, licence and financial documents
- A registered company or business: the checklist asks for originals, not copies
- Commercial registration and a tax certificate
- Corporate bank statements for at least the last six months — separate from your own twelve
- “As much evidence as possible of ongoing business and volume of activity”. For a trading firm IRCC gives the example of an import or export licence, shipment invoices and customs clearance documents
If you are retired
The honest answer: there is no retired category- Neither checklist has a retiree heading. Pension appears only as an example of acceptable proof of funds — so anyone showing you a “retired person’s list for Canada” wrote it themselves
- The file is built from what is there: pension book or payment order, and the twelve months of statements showing the pension actually arriving
- Property titles and investment records, which the checklist does name as acceptable support
- If you are visiting a child or grandchild in Canada, the Super Visa is usually the stronger route — five years a visit instead of six months
If you are a student or dependent
One line about your studies, and a longer one about whoever pays- “An official document confirming your registration as a student at an academic institution” — that is the whole of what the checklist asks about your studies
- The weight sits on your funder: their bank statements, their employer letter, and a plain account of how the trip is paid for
- If the person paying is your host in Canada: their employment letter, pay slips, T4 or Notice of Assessment and bank statements
- A concession worth knowing. A host who would rather not hand their personal financial information to the applicant may send it with a note saying so. It can slow the file, but it is permitted
The Super Visa — for parents and grandparents
This is the most important section on the page for a great many Pakistani families, and the one where out-of-date advice does the most damage.
A Super Visa lets the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident stay for five years at a time, on a visa valid for up to ten years. An ordinary visitor visa gives six months a visit. The difference is enormous, and it is why the requirements are heavier.
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Who can host you | Your biological or adopted child or grandchild, aged 18 or over, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian and lives in Canada. Not a sibling, not a cousin, not a nephew. |
| Medical insurance | At least CAD 100,000 emergency coverage, valid for one year from entry, covering healthcare, hospitalisation and repatriation. Paid for, not a quote. |
| Host's income | Must meet the minimum necessary income for the household size — see below. Proved by CRA notice of assessment. |
| Medical exam | Always required, for every Super Visa applicant, regardless of anything else. |
| Where you apply from | You must be outside Canada when you apply. |
| Fee | CAD 100, the same as an ordinary visitor visa, plus biometrics. |
The insurance rule changed — and most pages still have it wrong
Until January 2025 the policy had to come from a Canadian insurer. Since then, a policy from an insurer outside Canada is accepted — but only if that insurer is authorised by Canada's financial regulator, OSFI, appears on its public list, and issued the policy while doing insurance business in Canada.
So both of the things you will read online are wrong. "It must be a Canadian insurer" is out of date. "Any foreign insurer is fine now" is simply false, and a policy from an ordinary Pakistani travel insurer will be rejected. In practice the acceptable pool is narrow. Check the specific insurer before you pay a year's premium.
What the host must earn
The income threshold is based on Canada's low income cut-off, and it rises with household size. The figures below are IRCC's published table, which carried an update date of July 2025 when we read it on 11 October 2026 — confirm the current figures before relying on them.
| People in the household | Minimum income the host needs (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30,526 |
| 2 | 38,002 |
| 3 | 46,720 |
| 4 | 56,724 |
| 5 | 64,336 |
| 6 | 72,560 |
| 7 | 80,784 |
| Each additional person | + 8,224 |
Count carefully: the household includes your host, their spouse or partner, their dependent children regardless of custody arrangements, anyone they have previously sponsored whose undertaking still runs, any previously approved Super Visa applicant still covered by their invitation — and you.
If the host falls short, there is a second route: their income may be 75% of the minimum with the applicant's own income making up the rest, provided that income will continue while you are in Canada. It is more paperwork and it is frequently the difference between an application being possible and not.
The medical exam
Two separate triggers, and Pakistani applicants hit both more often than most:
- Any Super Visa applicant needs an immigration medical exam. No exceptions.
- Any visitor staying more than six months needs one if they have lived in or visited a designated country for six months or more in the year before travelling. Pakistan is on that list. So for a Pakistani resident, a stay over six months means a medical.
For a normal visit of under six months, no medical is needed unless you will work in a job where public health must be protected. The exam must be done by an IRCC-approved panel physician; results from any other doctor are not accepted.
If you are refused
There is no appeal against a visitor visa or Super Visa refusal. IRCC has studied introducing one and has not. What exists is three things:
- Reapplying, which IRCC's own report calls "the most efficient mechanism available to clients to overcome refusals". You may reapply at any time.
- Reconsideration, an informal request with no fee — but IRCC states plainly that disagreeing with the decision is not by itself a reason to reconsider. It works only where something was genuinely overlooked.
- Judicial review at the Federal Court, which must be filed within 15 to 60 days of the refusal depending on the circumstances. This is a court case about the lawfulness of the decision, needs a Canadian lawyer, and is rarely proportionate for a visit visa.
Reading the officer's own notes — free, from Pakistan
Canada is the only one of the big four where you can obtain the officer's internal reasoning. It is called the GCMS notes, and it is the single most useful thing a refused applicant can get.
What almost every Pakistani page gets wrong about this
You will be told that GCMS notes cost CAD 5 and that you need a friend or a consultant in Canada to request them. That is the wrong law.
The CAD 5 fee and the "must be in Canada" rule belong to the Access to Information Act. Your own file is covered by the Privacy Act, which gives foreign nationals the right to their own personal information regardless of where they are, and under which there are no fees. You can request your own notes yourself, from Pakistan, for nothing.
The legal response time is 30 days, though IRCC acknowledges it often misses it because of volume. People do get charged for this by agents. They should not be.
What the notes contain is the officer's recorded rationale — which of your documents they doubted, what they concluded about your ties, what triggered the refusal. Without them, a second application is guesswork. With them, it is a repair job. Bring them to us with the original file and we will tell you whether the repair is realistic.
How long you can stay
Usually up to six months, but the border services officer decides and may give you less or more. If they stamp your passport or issue a visitor record, that date governs. If there is no stamp at all, you may stay until whichever comes first: six months from entry, your passport's expiry, or your biometrics' expiry.
The visa's own expiry date is not your leave-by date — IRCC is explicit that it is the last date you may travel to Canada, not the date you must leave.
To stay longer, apply for a visitor record at least 30 days before your permitted stay ends, for CAD 100. A visitor record is not a visa and will not let you re-enter if you leave. Letting status lapse and then restoring it costs CAD 246.25 and is avoidable.
How we prepare your file
Canada rewards preparation more than any other destination on this site, because there is no interview to rescue a thin file and no appeal to correct a refusal. On a Canadian application our work is: building the file against the Portal's personalised checklist rather than a generic list, making sure the family cap is claimed where it applies, checking a Super Visa host's income against the correct household count before anyone pays for insurance, and verifying that a Super Visa insurer is actually one IRCC will accept.
If you have been refused, we start with the GCMS notes, because anything before that is guesswork. Breeze Travels & Tours has worked on visa files from Davis Road, Garhi Shahu, since 2003. Flights are issued by the same desk on our own IATA accreditation once the visa is in hand — see air ticketing.