You will need a visa to Canada by invitation if you are visiting family, relatives or friends. The person inviting you must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a student or temporary employee.
In order to have a reason to travel to visit someone in Canada, you must prove a connection to that person. This can be a kinship, relationship or simply friendship. Keep in mind that proof will be required. If providing them will not be a problem, then feel free to request an invitation.

Who can be the inviting person

As we have already written earlier, to apply for a visitor visa to Canada, Russians will need an invitation. There is a list of persons who can provide you with it:

Relatives.

Including brothers / sisters, grandparents, parents.
To get an invitation from any of your family members, you will need to provide birth certificates proving kinship.
For example, to obtain a visa to Canada by invitation, parents will need to provide their child's birth certificate and copies of their passports.

Friends and acquaintances.

To obtain a visa by invitation from friends, it is necessary to show the immigration officer that you really know each other and socialize.
In this case, it is possible that the visa officer will contact the inviting person. He will check the facts of your acquaintance and communication with the information provided in your motivation letter.

Business Partner / Business Event.

Some people refer to this sub-type of visitor visa as a business visa to Canada. In reality, it all refers to the Visitor visa. The main thing to remember is that the business partner or organizers of the business event must also provide an invitation.
If there is something that is sponsored or provided by the inviting party - specify in the invitation.

Documents for a visa to Canada by invitation

You need to apply for a visitor visa to Canada online on the website of the immigration service. The list of documents for a visitor visa is below.

Passport.
Must have at least 2 pages for visa and stamps.

Digital photo.

Copies of the passport.
All pages with stamps + page with photo.

Copies of canceled passports.
All pages with stamps + photo page.

Copy of national passport.
Photo spread + registration.

Certificate of employment.

This document is necessary to prove that you are actually working in your country of residence, it also shows your income and increases your credibility in the eyes of the visa officer.
Bank statement and bank statement.

These are similar documents and differ in the fact that the statement contains expenses and income for a period (for a visa to Canada you need to take 4 months). Both documents contain information about the owner of the bank account and the balance.

If you have any other documents for a visitor visa to Canada, which confirm additional income - feel free to attach them.

Invitation and documents of the inviting person:

• afree-form invitation in English or French. Read more about the invitation for a visa to Canada;
• copy of pr-card / visa (Work Permit or Study Permit) / Canadian passport;
• documents from the bank, if the invitee is paying for the trip;
• documents of communication with the invitee (if relevant).

Documentation of ties to your country of residence.
Canada is cautious about those who have "nothing to lose", so your task is to prove otherwise.
Attach everything: real estate certificates, birth certificates of minor children, marriage certificate, etc.

Motivation letter.
Try to describe in it those aspects of your biography, which are not clear from the documents, and also tell about your desire to visit Canada on a visitor visa in the most loyal form. Follow the rules of business correspondence and be polite. Convince the officer that this is something you really want to do.

For individual entrepreneurs.

TIN and OGRN will be required, as well as statements for the last period.

For minors:

• birth certificate;
• financial documents. Since a minor cannot pay his/her own expenses, they must be covered either by the inviting person or by one or both parents;
• letter of sponsorship;
• consent for the child to travel to Canada on a visitor's visa from one or both parents, depending on whether the child is traveling alone or with one of them;
• copies of the parents' passports.

For citizens of other states.
A copy of the document confirming legal residence, as well as a copy of temporary registration.

For citizens who cannot pay for the trip themselves.
A sponsorship letter containing the details of the sponsor and the sponsored person, as well as the dates of travel and the country of travel will be required.

Temporary Resident Visa Application (IMM 5257).

Family information (IMM 5645 or IMM 5707).

Cost of visitor visa

A visa to Canada by invitation costs the same as a tourist visa. The cost will consist of:

• consular fee - 100 CAD (Canadian dollars);
• biometric fee - 85 CAD.

Transportation and courier costs depend on the region where you are located.

Visa processing time and validity

Now because of the world situation, the processing time is much longer and ranges from 3 to 12 months. Less often faster or longer.

You can get a visa either for the dates of travel, for one month, for six months, or until the end of the passport, as is very often the case. Try to attach as many documents as possible to maximize your chances.

Stages of processing a visitor visa to Canada

The procedure for applying for such a visa is as follows:

1. Request an invitation from the inviting person, as well as related documents.
2. Prepare all other documents for submission.
3. Translate all documents.
4. Register in the personal cabinet.
5. Upload ready documents.
6. Download, fill in and upload the application forms.
7. Pay consular fees.
8. In 24 hours you will receive an invitation to submit biometrics - take biometrics in the nearest city.
9. If the answer is positive, you need to send your passport for visa pasting.
10. Pick up the passport with visa.

Reasons for refusals and what to do

If you have been denied a visitor visa to Canada, you should not give up, perhaps not all is lost.
Let's analyze the main reasons for refusals, which will also help you to eliminate the deficiencies and submit the documents again.

• incomplete package of documents. Despite the fact that the official website has a fairly narrow list of documents, in practice it is better to attach the maximum amount of information;
• false information in the application form and forged documents;
• insufficiently reliable work (small length of service, low salary);
• insufficient amount of funds on the account. It is recommended to have at least 5 times the amount of expenses in Canada;
• insufficient justification of the connection with the inviting person.