Your Ticket to Canadian Visitor Visa: Proving Intent to Return and Financial Means

Your ticket to successfully obtaining a Canadian visitor visa lies in proving your intent to return and your financial means. With proper preparation and knowledge of the visa application requirements, you can assist your relatives in obtaining one in a smooth and hassle-free manner.

Northern Lights over the Yukon Territory of Canada [photo from Ines Goovaerts. 2023]

Are you planning to invite your relatives to Canada and wondering how to help them obtain a visitor visa? As someone who has gone through this process earlier, I can assure you that it’s not as daunting as it may seem.

With the right preparation and understanding of the requirements, you can help your relatives obtain a Canadian visitor visa with ease.

In this article, I will share my experience with the Canadian visitor visa application process, with a focus to prove two key factors which will decide the fate of your visitor visa application to any country, not just Canada:

1. Intent to return, and
2. Proof of financial means.

Intent To Return

When applying for a Canadian visitor visa, one of the crucial factors that the visa officer considers is the applicant’s intent to return to their home country. The visa officer needs to ensure that the applicant will leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay and not overstay their visa.

To prove your intent to return, the applicant needs to demonstrate strong ties to your home country, such as having a job, owning a business, having a property, or having family and social ties.

For instance, if you own a business or property, you can provide documentation to show your investments and how your ties to your home country are essential to you.

Additionally, if you have family and social ties, you can show that you have commitments in your home country, such as a spouse or children, that require you to return home after your trip to Canada.

Moreover, showing a history of past travels and compliance with immigration laws can also demonstrate your intent to return.

Consider providing one and/or more of these documents to prove your “Intent to Return”:

1. Provide documentation of any property or assets you own in your home country, such as a house or land.
2. Provide evidence of ownership or a long-term lease of a residence in your home country.
3. Provide documentation of any ongoing legal or financial obligations that require you to return to your home country, such as a mortgage or ongoing court proceedings.
4. Provide documentation of any upcoming events or commitments in your home country, such as weddings, family reunions, or doctor appointments.
5. If you have adult children or other family members living in your home country, you could provide evidence of their employment or education to demonstrate your continued connection to your home country.
6. Provide documentation of any recent travel plans you have made for “after your visit” to Canada. If you and your other children are living in a different city in your home country, then you can ask one of them to write an invitation letter inviting you to their place once you return from Canada.
7. You can provide a contract or agreement if you are managing your own or another’s property. For example, you can submit the rental contract of your property if you have leased it to someone.
8. If you have been living in your home country for a long time, you could provide documentation of your history in the community, such as awards or recognition you have received, or letters of recommendation from community leaders.

It’s important to note that the visa officer will assess your entire application, including your travel history, the purpose of travel, and your strong ties to your home country, to determine your intent to return.

Proof of Financial Means

When applying for a Canadian visitor visa, it’s important to provide proof of financial means to support the trip. This helps to demonstrate that the applicant can financially support themselves during their stay in Canada and will not become a liability to the Canadian taxpayers.

One of the most important financial documents to provide when applying for a Canadian visitor visa is a bank statement. The bank statement should show sufficient funds to cover the entire trip, including transportation, accommodation, food, and other expenses.

Other financial documents that can be provided to demonstrate financial means include proof of employment, income tax returns, pay stubs, and property ownership documents.

Consider providing one and/or more of these documents to prove that you are capable of financially supporting yourself during your stay in Canada:

1. Provide documentation of any retirement income, such as pensions or Social Security benefits.
2. If you own property or investments, provide documentation of their value: This means that if you own any property or investments in your home country, such as a house or stocks, you can provide documentation of their value to demonstrate that you have financial ties to your home country. For example, you can provide a property appraisal or a statement from your investment account.
3. If you have any savings or checking accounts, provide documentation of the balance in the accounts without disclosing personal financial information. For example, you could provide a bank statement with your name and account balance, with any sensitive information redacted.
4. Provide evidence of any valuable personal property you own or recently bought, such as jewellery or artwork.
5. Provide documentation of any valuable possessions you own that could be sold if necessary, such as vehicles or real estate.
6. If you have any insurance policies, such as health or life insurance, provide documentation of the coverage and its value.

If you want to read more articles related to landing and settling down in Canada, consider joining my publication: “All About Canadian Immigration”.

If you happen to enjoy reading my stories on Medium and are planning to join, consider using my referral link.