Canada Visitor Visa Checklist — What to Prepare
Exactly what a Canadian visitor visa (TRV) application needs: the passport scan and digital photo you upload online, proof of funds and home ties, the CAD $100 fee plus CAD $85 biometrics, and what changed in November 2024 when automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas stopped being the default. Verified against IRCC's visitor visa guidance, September 2026.
Yes, a photo is required — uploaded, plus live biometrics
Canada wants two kinds of your face: a digital photo uploaded with the online application, and biometrics (fingerprints plus a live photo) taken at a Visa Application Centre after you submit. They are not interchangeable — a missing upload stalls the file, and so does missing the biometrics appointment. Build an upload-ready photo in ten minutes with our free Canada visa photo tool → and check the digital file requirements before you export.
The five things everyone needs
- A valid passport (bio page scan) — TRV applications go through the IRCC online portal, so you upload scans rather than surrender originals. If your passport is close to expiry, renew it first: a visa cannot outlive the passport it's issued into.
- A compliant digital photo — see above.
- Proof you can fund the trip — bank statements, pay slips, an employment letter. There is no published minimum balance; officers judge sufficiency against your trip and circumstances, not a magic number.
- Proof of ties to home — steady job, business, property, family. This is what actually wins approvals: the officer has to believe you'll leave Canada when the visa says so.
- The fees, paid online — CAD $100 visa fee + CAD $85 biometrics per adult (family caps in the table below).
Fees at a glance
| Item | Fee | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor visa (TRV) | CAD $100 per person | Same fee for single- or multiple-entry |
| Family of 5+ applying together | CAD $500 maximum | Visa fee capped for the whole family |
| Biometrics | CAD $85 per person | Under 14s and over-79s are exempt |
| Biometrics, family maximum | CAD $170 | Capped regardless of family size |
| Typical adult total | CAD $185 | Plus any Visa Application Centre service charge |
Biometrics are reused for up to 10 years — if you gave fingerprints for a Canadian application within the last decade, you may not pay or go again. Visa Application Centres (mostly run by VFS Global) add their own service charge on top, just like the outsourced Schengen centres; the IRCC fees above are the official ones.
The November 2024 change: no more automatic 10-year multiple-entry
Until late 2024, most applicants simply received a multiple-entry visa valid to the maximum. IRCC now instructs officers to decide between single- and multiple-entry based on your circumstances, and maximum validity is explicitly no longer the standard document. Whatever is granted is capped by the earliest of: the officer's decision, your passport's expiry, or your biometrics' expiry. Practical upshot: a fresh passport before applying gives any granted visa the longest possible runway — see our Canadian passport photo spec if you're renewing first.
Supporting documents by traveller type
| Your trip | Prepare |
|---|---|
| Tourism | A plausible itinerary — reservations, not bought tickets (don't pay for flights before approval) — plus accommodation plans and proof of funds. |
| Visiting family or friends | Invitation letter from your host; their status in Canada (PR card, citizenship certificate, or visa) and proof they can host you. |
| Business | Invitation from the Canadian company stating purpose and duration, who covers costs, plus your employer's letter confirming the trip and your job. |
| Minors | Birth certificate; consent from any non-travelling parent (notarised if possible). Remember: under-14s skip biometrics but still pay (or count toward the family cap) and still need a photo. |
After you submit: biometrics, then (usually) silence
- Biometric instruction letter — you get it after submitting; you then have 30 days to give fingerprints and a photo at a Visa Application Centre. Book early: appointment slots, not paperwork, are the bottleneck.
- Most files are decided on paper — there's normally no interview, unlike the US consular process (see the US visa checklist for that contrast).
- Approved? You'll be asked to send your passport in so the visa sticker can be affixed.
Rules people miss
- Processing times are per-country and move around — IRCC publishes them; check yours before booking anything non-refundable.
- A visa in an old passport can stay usable — carry both passports when travelling, unless the old one was reported lost/stolen or cancelled by the issuer.
- Apply from where you legally live — not wherever queues look shorter.
- Refusals don't refund fees — $100 + $85 are spent on processing, not on a promise. A thin ties story is the classic refusal; fix that before you apply, not after.
- Compare neighbours before you pick a trip — the Schengen checklist needs a 35 × 45 paper photo and €30,000 insurance; Canada needs an upload and fingerprints. Pack for the right rulebook.
Before you hit submit — 60-second check
- ✅ Passport valid with runway to spare (or renewed first)
- ✅ Digital photo meets IRCC spec, exported to the upload requirements
- ✅ Funds evidence: statements + pay slips + employment letter (no fixed minimum exists)
- ✅ Ties evidence: job, property, family, return plans
- ✅ Purpose documents: itinerary / invitation letter / business invitation
- ✅ Fees budgeted: $100 + $85 per adult, $500 + $170 family caps, VAC service charge on top
- ✅ Ready to book biometrics within 30 days of the instruction letter
- ✅ Minors: birth certificate + absent-parent consent
IRCC's own document list for your situation always wins over any checklist — including this one. Fees, family caps, and the 2024 multiple-entry change verified against IRCC's published visitor visa guidance, September 2026. Also on this site: the background colour rules, the photo validity rules, and the print-sheet tool if you also need printed copies for other paperwork.