A Canada visitor visa (temporary resident visa, TRV) for an Indian passport holder costs CAD 100 plus CAD 85 for biometrics, is usually issued as a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 10 years, and took about 29 days to decide for applications from India at IRCC's late-October 2026 update. The same estimate was 106 days in November 2025 and 71 days in February 2026, so the number on the day you file matters more than any average. This guide covers who qualifies, what to put in the file, how the weeks run, and what the refusal letter means if it comes.
The short version of the rules is on the Canada visitor visa route page; this article is the long version with the reasoning behind each document.
Who needs a Canada visitor visa in 2026?
Every Indian citizen entering Canada, including a connection through Toronto or Vancouver, unless they qualify for the electronic travel authorisation expansion. Since 2023 Indian citizens flying to Canada who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa, or who held a Canadian visa in the previous 10 years, may apply for the CAD 7 authorisation instead of the CAD 100 visa. Check IRCC's eligibility tool before paying; if you arrive by land or sea, or do not meet either condition, you need the TRV.
A visitor visa covers tourism, visiting children or parents, attending a wedding or conference, and short business meetings where you are not paid in Canada. It does not allow work or a course longer than six months.
What does the officer actually decide?
IRCC's refusal guidance lists the questions the officer answers: will you leave at the end of the authorised stay, can you pay for the trip without working, is the purpose genuine, and are you admissible. The refusal letter ticks the same boxes: purpose of visit, family ties in Canada and in India, personal assets and financial status, travel history, current employment, immigration status. A strong file answers each question with a dated document rather than a statement.
Dual intent is permitted. IRCC's operational manual says an applicant who has also applied for permanent residence can be issued a visitor visa if the officer is satisfied they will leave when the stay ends. Declare any permanent residence application on the form. Hiding it is misrepresentation under section 40 and carries a five-year ban.
How much does it cost?
| Item | CAD | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor visa, per person | 100 | Same fee for single and multiple entry |
| Visitor visa, family of 5 or more | 500 maximum | All applying at the same time and place |
| Biometrics, per person | 85 | Ages 14 to 79 |
| Biometrics, family | 170 maximum | Spouse and dependent children together |
| Extend your stay | 100 | Apply inside Canada before the stay ends |
| Restore status | 246.25 | Within 90 days of losing status |
The fees are paid by card in the IRCC account when you submit and are not refunded on refusal. VFS Global charges its own service fee in India when you book biometrics. Vistolane charges the government fees at the official rate and shows them separately on the Canada destination page.
What documents go in the file?
Identity and forms. A passport valid for the trip (the visa is issued only up to one month before the passport expires, so renew first if under a year remains), a digital photo to IRCC's specification, the application form IMM 5257 and the family information form IMM 5707 completed in the online account, and scans of previous passports showing US, UK, Schengen or Australian visas.
Purpose. A day-by-day itinerary with hotel reservations, or an invitation letter from the host stating the relationship, dates, address and who pays, with a copy of the host's PR card, citizenship certificate or Canadian passport. A return flight reservation is enough; do not buy a non-refundable ticket before the decision.
Funds. Bank statements for the last four to six months with salary credits visible, two years of income tax returns (ITR-V or Form 16, or audited accounts for business owners), and, if someone else pays, their statements, employment proof and a signed letter. IRCC publishes no minimum figure for visitors; a working rule is CAD 150 to 200 a day plus flights, held for months rather than weeks.
Ties to India. An employment letter on letterhead with designation, salary, start date and approved leave dates; a GST certificate or business registration for the self-employed; property documents, fixed deposit statements and marriage or birth certificates of dependants staying in India.
How long does the Canada visitor visa take from India?
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Gathering documents | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Submission to biometrics appointment | 3 to 14 days |
| Biometrics to decision | About 29 days (late October 2026); 29 to 106 days over the past year |
| Approval to passport returned | 7 to 14 days |
Processing starts only when IRCC receives your biometrics, and the biometric instruction letter gives you 30 days to attend a VAC. VFS Global runs centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jalandhar, Kochi and Trivandrum. Summer (May to August) and the weeks before Diwali and Christmas run slower. Eight to ten weeks before travel is a safe filing window; twelve or more if you want time to reapply after a refusal. Use the travel document checklist to tick items off before you upload.
What happens at the border?
A multiple-entry visa lets you enter repeatedly while it is valid, each time for up to six months unless the officer writes a shorter date. Carry what you filed: return ticket, funds, host details. If you need longer, apply for a visitor record online (CAD 100) before the stay ends. Parents and grandparents of citizens and permanent residents can use the super visa instead: five years per entry, with the host meeting an income cut-off and the visitor holding Canadian medical insurance of at least CAD 100,000.
Why are Canada visitor visas refused, and what fixes each reason?
Purpose of visit. A thin itinerary, no invitation or an invitation whose dates do not match the flights. Rebuild the file around one purpose with dated evidence.
Funds. A balance that appeared in the last few weeks, or a trip cost the declared salary cannot support. Show four to six months of statements and document the source of every large credit: sale deed, deposit maturity, gift letter with the giver's statements.
Ties. No employer letter, a short job history, no property or dependants. Add the approved-leave letter, tax returns, property or deposit proof and a short factual note on what you return to.
Travel history and previous refusals. Limited travel or an undeclared refusal. Declare every refusal, attach the letters and explain what changed.
Misrepresentation. A document the officer could not verify. Never submit anything you cannot stand behind; if an agent prepared an earlier file, order the GCMS notes (about six weeks) and read what was recorded before reapplying.
There is no appeal for a refused visitor visa. You can reapply immediately, and the new file should answer the ticked boxes on the refusal letter point by point.
How Vistolane files it
Vistolane prepares the TRV application, checks every document against the list above, files it in the IRCC account and books the VAC biometrics appointment with a guaranteed filing date. Start with the free eligibility check to see your band before paying a non-refundable fee, or open the Canada visitor visa route page for the checklist and the price card.
