When you are applying for a visa, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) might require you to provide an invitation letter from someone who lives in Canada. The letter demonstrates that the person is inviting you to Canada for a short-term visit. The person who writes the letter must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

This letter might be asked when you are applying for a visitor visa/ tourist visa/ temporary resident visa. Apart from this, an invitation letter may also be required when a person is visiting the country for business activities or to visit their children or grandchildren.

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Invitation Letter for a Visitor

Below is the information required in the invitation letter about the person writing the letter and the visa applicant.

About The Person Writing	About The Visa Applicant
Whole name	Whole name
Date of birth	Date of birth
A photocopy of any of the below-mentioned documents that proves their Canadian status: a. PR Card (or IMM 1000 Proof of Landing)- if they are a permanent resident b. Citizenship card- if they are a naturalized citizen c. Birth certificate- if they were born in Canada	Their address as well as telephone number
Their Canadian telephone number	Their relationship to the person writing the letter
Job title	Why they will be visiting Canada
Names of spouse and dependents	Where they will stay
Date of birth of their spouse and dependents	For how long will the person stay and when will they be leave
Other relevant detail of their family	How the person will support themselves financially
A photocopy of any of the below-mentioned documents that prove their Canadian status: a. PR Card (or IMM 1000 Proof of Landing)- if they are a permanent resident b. Citizenship card- if they are a naturalized citizen c. Birth certificate- if they were born in Canada	How the person will support themselves financially

Writing a letter of invitation does not mean that you are going to be responsible for the person when they arrive in Canada. A letter just shows that you are inviting them to Canada and making some promises, which you should still fulfill.

Invitation Letter for Super Visa

When your parents or grandparents are applying for a super visa, they might need to attach an invitation letter with their visa application. Their invitation letter is a bit different as it includes the following information as well:

Their child or grandchild promises that they will financially support their parent or grandparent while they are in Canada
The number of members in the child’s or grandchild’s family

Invitation Letter for Business Visitors

A Canadian invitation letter is not just written for a visitor visa or a super visa, but can also be a requirement for those on a business visit.

A Canadian company inviting someone from outside of Canada needs to write an invitation letter. These people coming to Canada can be a/an:

investor
potential buyer
existing buyer
partner
employee
individual coming to train
visitor coming to participate in a trade show or a conference

The visitor needs 2 letters, one will be submitted with the visa and the other is required when they arrive in Canada. The letter will include the following information:

About The Person Writing the Letter	About The Canadian Company	About The Visitor
Whole name	Company’s name	Complete name
Their job title and position in the Canadian company	Company’s headquarters address	Date of birth (if the person writing the letter knows it)
Work email address	All address of company facilities	All addresses of company facilities
Their Canadian address	Their website address (if there is a website)	Their job position
Their Canadian telephone number	The type of business described briefly	Their home address and telephone number
	Date of the registration of the company	Their work address and telephone number
		Company’s relationship with the person being invited
		Company and the person’s work history together
		If the person writing the letter knows the invited person personally or not, and if they are related
		Why they are visiting
		If they are visiting for a longer-term project, the person must give context about the same in the letter
		Length of time they will be visiting the company
		Living expenditure and accommodation that the company will be covering
		Date when the person will leave Canada (if the person writing the letter knows it)

What to do with the invitation letter?

Once the applicant has the invitation letter, they can attach it to their visa application and submit it to IRCC. Though the letter does not mean that the visa application will be approved, it still helps the application. If the application is approved, the person might need to show this invitation letter at the port of entry.

Do I need to notarize a Canadian invitation letter?

Though it’s not a requirement and largely depends on the visa office from where you are applying, some offices might need you to notarize the invitation letter.