Canada visit visa from Pakistan

Pakistani citizens need a visitor visa (also called a temporary resident visa, or TRV) to visit Canada for tourism, family visits or short business trips. It is not a work permit, and job offers that promise a "Canada visit visa with work" are a warning sign.

Fees

• Visitor visa processing fee: CAD 100 per person, or CAD 500 for a family of 5 or more applying together.
• Biometrics fee: CAD 85 per person, with a family maximum of CAD 170 for eligible family members applying at the same time.
• Fees are paid online by card when you submit. The visa centre may charge separately for optional services.

How to apply

1. Create an account on the official IRCC website and complete the online application. Upload your documents there.
2. Pay the visa and biometrics fees and submit.
3. Wait for the Biometric Instruction Letter, then book an appointment at a Canada visa application centre in Pakistan (run by VFS Global) to give fingerprints and a photo.
4. If approved, IRCC asks for your passport, which you submit through the visa centre.

Processing times change often and depend on the country. Check the current time on the IRCC processing-times page rather than relying on what someone says in a group.

What to upload

• Passport pages and old passports with previous visas. Travel to the UK, USA, Schengen, Turkey, Malaysia or the Gulf, used properly, helps.
• Proof of funds: bank statements, usually for at least 6 months, plus a maintenance certificate. See our bank statement guide.
• Employment or business: employer letter with leave dates and salary slips, or business registration, NTN and FBR tax returns.
• Purpose of travel: a short letter explaining the trip. For a family visit, an invitation letter from your relative in Canada with a copy of their status document.
• Ties to Pakistan: family, property, job or business that you will return to.
• Family information and any other form the online checklist asks for based on your answers.

Common reasons Canada refuses visitor visas

• The officer is not satisfied you will leave Canada at the end of your stay, based on family ties, finances or the purpose of the visit.
• Bank statements with sudden large deposits or balances that do not match declared income.
• A vague purpose of travel or a long stay that does not fit your job or leave.
• Missing documents, or a previous refusal not declared.

The refusal letter gives the reasons. Answer each one with real documents before reapplying. Read visa refusal reasons and how to reapply.

How Meridian helps

For Canada we give a fixed quote in PKR after a free case review. We go through the online application with you, organise your uploads, draft the purpose-of-travel letter and check the consistency of your finances and dates. We work online with clients across Pakistan, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad and Karachi. Only IRCC decides the visa.

Information checked 1 November 2026. Rules change, so always confirm on the official embassy or visa-centre website before you apply.