Family Visit Visa (TRV)
Canada Family Visit Visa for Indian citizens visiting family who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, temporary residents, or persons registered under the Indian Act. Up to 6 months.
No visa is ever guaranteed — the final decision always rests with the Canada visa authority. We make sure your file is presented at its strongest.
Processing
Varies
Stay Duration
Up to 6 months per visit
Starting Fee
CAD $100
Apply At
10 VFS centres
Your whole Canada Family Visit Visa,
handled for one honest price.
A strong Canada file clearly explains your travel purpose, funds, and ties to India. We structure and submit everything properly — so your case is presented clearly and professionally.
All-in · 18% GST included · no hidden charges
File-ready in 3–5 working days after documents
5★ · 100+ reviews · reply in 5 min
Everything below — included, nothing extra
- Document checklist
- Application form guidance
- Document review
- Cover letter
- Purpose of travel structure
- Financial proof review
- Sponsor document guidance
- Submission & appointment support
- Post-submission guidance
Not sure you qualify? Start with a refundable ₹499 possibility report — an honest Yes / Maybe / No, credited to this fee.
Price is for our consultancy service only and includes 18% GST. No agency can guarantee a visa — the final decision rests with the visa authority.
Your fee, in one glance
What the ₹16,999 fee covers for a Canada file
- We work out what your case actually is, before touching a form
- We build the checklist around your profile, not a template
- We read your documents against each other, not against a list
- Financial proof review
- Purpose of travel structuring
- Cover letter / explanation support
- Return ties review
- Sponsor / invitation guidance
- Application form guidance
- Submission & appointment support
- Biometrics guidance
- Post-submission support
Government, VFS, insurance, ticket and hotel costs are separate and charged at cost. Read what each item means, in full.
Good to know before you apply
Rules that apply to every Canada visa type — worth a quick read so nothing trips up your file.
- 1Your passport must be valid for the entire duration of your intended stay in Canada.
- 2Biometrics (fingerprints + digital photo) are required for most applicants — valid for 10 years.
- 3Do NOT submit your passport to VAC until you receive the Passport Request Letter from IRCC.
- 4Effective Feb 24, 2026: Biometric appointments require you to upload the BIL via the new AMS system.
- 5Effective Oct 9, 2023: Only the applicant, parents (for minors), or 1 appointed family member can submit passports at VAC — not unauthorized third parties.
- 6Not accepted as identity documents: passports from Somalia, non-machine-readable Czech passports, temporary South African passports, provisional Venezuelan passports.
- 7VFS online tracking shows passport LOCATION only. For application processing status, check your IRCC online account directly.
Who Can Apply
- Visiting immediate family (parents, siblings, children, spouse) in Canada
- Visiting extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins)
- Attending family weddings, funerals, reunions, anniversaries
- Short family trips combining Canada and other destinations
Not eligible under this visa:
- Spouses sponsored for PR — use the dedicated Spousal Visit Visa instead
- Compassionate emergencies (death, critical illness) — use Compassionate Visit Visa
- Stays longer than 6 months — different visa category required
What it costs
Government & VFS fees
Paid directly to Canada / VFS — these are not our service fee, and we never mark them up.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Visitor Visa (TRV) — individual | CAD $100 |
| Biometrics fee — individual | CAD $85 |
| Biometrics fee — family (2+ people applying together) | CAD $170 |
| VFS service charge — per package | ₹603 |
| Two-Way Courier Service | ₹1,716 |
| Premium Lounge service | ₹4,767 |
| SMS Tracking Service | ₹179 |
All IRCC government fees are in Canadian Dollars (CAD) and paid directly to IRCC online. VFS service charges are paid in INR at the VAC. Fees are subject to change — verify on IRCC (canada.ca/immigration) and VFS Global (vfsglobal.com/ind/en/can) before applying. Third-party costs (medical exam, police clearance, translation) may also apply.
Flights · Hotels · Insurance · Itinerary
What Canada actually requires — and what it does not.
Canada decides on your ties and your funds; bookings support the story but never carry it.
0 of 4 are compulsory for Canada
Flight reservation
IRCC does not require a purchased ticket. A held reservation matching your stated dates is enough, and costs you nothing if the answer is no.
Where people slip: Reservation dates that contradict the dates on your application form. Officers cross-check, and the GCMS notes record what they found.
How to hold a flight without payingHotel booking
Show accommodation for the stay, or an invitation naming the host's status in Canada. Free-cancellation bookings are accepted.
Where people slip: An invitation from a relative with no proof they are lawfully in Canada. The invitation is only as strong as the host's status document.
Refundable hotel booking, explainedTravel insurance
Not required for a visitor visa. It IS required for a Super Visa as a parent or grandparent — minimum CAD 100,000 of cover, valid one year.
Where people slip: Confusing the visitor visa with the Super Visa. Only one carries an insurance rule, and it is a large one.
What the cover must actually sayTravel itinerary
A short, specific plan. Canada refuses far more often on "purpose of visit not established" than on missing paperwork.
Where people slip: A three-week itinerary from an applicant whose employer approved ten days of leave.
The letter your itinerary attaches toWe arrange all four for your Canada file.
We are a B2B travel agency as well as a visa consultancy, working with partners including Riya Travel — so the flight, the hotel and the policy all come from us, issued the same day, and you deal with one team instead of four. Every booking is a real one under your own name.
What to gather
Documents required
Having a document isn't the same as presenting it right — that's the part we handle.
Required — Common Documents
5 items- Valid passportRequired
- Family Information Form (IMM 5645)Required
- Biometrics fee paymentRequired
- Bank account statements — 6 monthsRequired
- Proof of ties to India (employment, property, family)Required
Required — Family-Specific Documents
6 items- Identify family member's status in CanadaRequired
Canadian citizen / Permanent Resident / Temporary Resident / Person registered under Indian Act — different docs needed for each
- Invitation letter from family member in CanadaRequired
Signed letter stating relationship, purpose of visit, exact dates, whether host is providing accommodation / funding
- Proof of family member's Canadian statusRequired
Copy of their Canadian passport / PR card / temporary permit / Indian Act registration
- Proof of relationship with your Canadian family memberRequired
Birth certificate (parent/sibling), marriage certificate (spouse), or similar
- Host's proof of accommodation in Canada
Rental agreement, property deed, or declaration of accommodation
- Host's financial documents
If sponsoring the visit — salary slips, tax returns, bank statements
Required · optional / if applicable
The journey.
9 steps from intake to approval. Curved spine on the right shows the natural pace — never as linear as government sites pretend.
- 01
Identify your visa type
Use IRCC's 'Come to Canada' online tool (canada.ca/immigration) to confirm the right visa category, required documents, processing times, and fees for your situation.
- 02
Gather documents and submit online via IRCC Portal
Complete your visa application on the IRCC Portal, upload all supporting documents, and pay the IRCC application fee + biometrics fee (if first time).
- 03
Wait for the Biometric Instruction Letter (BIL)
After submission, IRCC emails you a BIL — this confirms your biometric requirement. You must use THIS BIL for THIS application.
- 04
Book VAC appointment via AMS
As of Feb 21, 2026, appointments are booked through the Appointment Management System (AMS). From Feb 24, 2026 you must upload your BIL to schedule. Each family member needs their own appointment.
- 05
Visit the VAC for biometrics
Attend your VAC appointment. Staff capture fingerprints + digital photo. Submit any documents not uploaded online. Pay VFS service charges. Collect your receipt with tracking number.
- 06
Track your application
Use the tracking ID from the VAC receipt on VFS website, web chat, email, or helpline (1800-266-8858). VFS tracking shows passport LOCATION only, not processing stage. Online applications: check status on IRCC.
- 07
Wait for the Passport Request Letter from IRCC
DO NOT submit your passport until you receive this letter from IRCC. Each family member receives their own letter.
- 08
Submit passport through VAC
Submit original passport + IRCC passport request letter + biometrics sticker copy + VFS consent form. Effective Oct 9, 2023: Only applicant, parents (for minors), or 1 appointed family member can submit.
- 09
Collect your passport and decision
VAC emails you when passport is ready. Collect in person or by courier. Check visa details immediately: validity dates, entries, purpose.
What works
5 levers that flip a borderline case.
- The invitation letter from your Canadian family member is the most important document — detailed, dated, and signed.
- Include proof of relationship clearly — birth certificate for parents/siblings, marriage certificate for spouse.
- If your family member is funding the visit, include their financial documents; otherwise show your own funds.
- If your host is a Canadian citizen / PR, attach a copy of their Canadian passport or PR card.
What kills cases
Top 3 refusal triggers we see.
- 1Weak or generic invitation letter
- 2Host's Canadian status not clearly documented
- 3Insufficient proof of relationship
Download official forms
Each link opens the official Canada page on VFS Global (we never host third-party forms): pick your visa category there and use its "Download Form" section for the current version.
Visitor Visa Application Form (IMM 5257)
Download latest version from IRCC. Required for all visitor/tourist visa applications.
Family Information Form (IMM 5645)
Mandatory for all applicants 18 years and older. Lists all family members.
Use of Representative Form (IMM 5476)
Only if using a representative to submit your application.
Authority to Release Information (IMM 5475)
Optional — authorizes someone else to receive updates about your application.
VFS application centres
Quiz not yet available for this visa type
We're actively building per-visa quizzes. For now, the best way to assess your eligibility for Family Visit Visa (TRV) is a 1-on-1 consultation with our team.
Frequently asked
Questions, answered straight
Both are Temporary Resident Visas. Tourist Visa is for general leisure/tourism. Family Visit is when your main purpose is to visit family in Canada — you need an invitation letter from them plus proof of their Canadian status.
Yes. They write the invitation letter, provide a copy of their Canadian status document (passport/PR card/etc.), and optionally provide accommodation proof + financial sponsorship documents.
Yes. Age is not a barrier — minors need parental consent documents and elderly parents follow the same process as other visitors.
Yes. We coordinate with your Canadian family member on the invitation letter format, review all your documentation, manage the IRCC application + VAC submission. Book a consultation.
Reviewed by Narinder Chahal, SureshotVisa — a government-licensed consultancy (Licence 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024). Verify us.
How we get it done
Your Canada Family Visit Visa, from your first message to your passport back.
5 questions about this visa specifically. The first two are open — tap any other to read it.
Refused? Our full service fee comes back.Government and visa-centre fees are the one part nobody can refund.
+My relative in Canada is inviting and sponsoring me. What do they need to send?
An invitation naming you and the relationship, proof of their own status in Canada (residence permit, passport or citizenship), proof of address, and — if they are paying — their income evidence and a formal undertaking. Several countries have a specific sponsorship form; using a plain letter where a prescribed form exists gets the file bounced. Send us their documents together with yours: the two sides have to agree with each other, and mismatched addresses or dates between sponsor and applicant are one of the quietest refusal causes.
+Does having close family settled abroad make my visa harder?
It is the question officers probe hardest on a family visit, because a visitor visa turns on whether you will come back. It is not a bar — thousands of these are approved every month — but it has to be answered rather than ignored. The answer is your own life here: your job or business, your dependants, your property, your bookings. A file that names the relative and then says nothing about your ties invites the officer to assume the obvious.
+How long does a Canada Family Visit Visa take, start to finish?
Three things sit between today and your trip: preparing the file properly, waiting for an appointment, and the mission's own processing. Canada currently states Varies — typically several weeks to a few months for the decision itself. We control the first, which is usually days. The middle depends on slot releases. The third is entirely the mission's and no consultant can shorten it — anyone telling you otherwise is selling something they cannot deliver. Tell us your travel date and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic.
+How much of what I pay for the Canada visa is actually your fee?
Most of it is not ours. The Canada government fee (currently CAD $100) goes to the mission and the visa-centre fee goes to VFS — both charged to you at cost, never marked up, and shown as separate lines on one GST invoice in the registered company name. Our service fee is the only part we set, and it is published rather than quoted case by case.
+How does SureshotVisa handle my Canada Family Visit Visa, from first message to passport back?
You send what you have on WhatsApp and a licensed consultant says the same working day whether the case is ready. We build the file around your profile, check every document against the others, write the cover letter to match them, and hold the file complete so the first workable appointment can be taken the moment it appears. You attend biometrics; we track the file to the decision (Canada currently states Varies — typically several weeks to a few months). Government and visa-centre fees (CAD $100 for this visa) are charged at cost; our own fee is published, and if the visa is refused that fee comes back in full.
Before you file
A Canada Family Visit Visa goes one of two ways.
Filed on a guessed checklist, the government fee is gone on a refusal and the refusal follows every future application. Filed after a licensed consultant has read the papers against each other, the file answers the officer's questions before they are asked. Same Canada rules, different outcome. How we do that is written once, in full, on the method page rather than repeated here.
Other Canada Visa Types
Tourist Visa (Temporary Resident Visa)
Apply for a Canada Tourist Visa (TRV) from India. Complete guide on IRCC fees, documents, biometrics, application process through VFS Global, and 10 VAC centres across India.
View guideBusiness Visitor Visa (TRV)
Canada Business Visitor Visa for Indian professionals attending meetings, conferences, and business events in Canada. Stay less than 6 months. Not entering the Canadian labor market.
View guideStudy Permit
Canada Study Permit for Indian students enrolling at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). Complete guide on IRCC fees, documents, PAL requirements, and 2026 updates.
View guideWork Permit
Canada Work Permit — informational guide for Indian applicants. Once you hold your own offer, sponsorship or admission, SureshotVisa prepares and files the visa application for you — we are not a recruiting agent, so the offer itself has to be yours.
View guideSpousal Visit Visa (TRV — Spouse of PR Sponsor)
Canada Spousal Visit Visa for Indian spouses whose Canadian partner has sponsored them for Permanent Residence. Faster processing available while PR application is in progress.
View guideCompassionate Visit Visa (TRV — Urgent Family)
Canada Compassionate Visit Visa for urgent visits due to critical illness, death, or other humanitarian reasons. Priority processing available with strong supporting evidence.
View guideSeafarer / Marine Crew Visa (TRV)
Canada Seafarer / Marine Crew Visa for Indian seafarers joining a vessel as crew in Canadian ports. Temporary Resident Visa for duration of contract.
View guideElectronic Travel Authorization (eTA) — For Visa-Exempt Nationals
Canada eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) — important information for Indian citizens. Most Indians need a Tourist Visa (TRV), NOT an eTA. eTA is for visa-exempt nationals.
View guideSource & Disclaimer
Data on this page is sourced from the official VFS Global Canada website and Embassy of Canada. Last verified 2026-04-13. Always verify with the official embassy before applying — fees and requirements change without notice.
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