Can I Bring My Parents to Canada? What You Need to Know About the Invitation Letter
One of the most common questions we hear at Dodo Notary is - "I want to bring my parents to Canada, what do I need?" If your parents live in another country and you want them to visit you in Ontario, one of the most important documents you will need to prepare is an invitation letter.
Hanshah
4/16/20263 min read
A lot of people underestimate this step. They write a few sentences, print it out, and attach it to the visa application and then the visa gets refused. The invitation letter is not just a formality. When it is done properly, it can genuinely strengthen a visitor visa application. When it is done poorly, it gives the visa officer a reason to say no.
What Is an Invitation Letter for a Canadian Visitor Visa?
When someone applies for a Canadian visitor visa, officially called a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), they need to show Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that they have a genuine reason to visit and that they plan to return home after their trip.
An invitation letter is written by the person in Canada: that is you inviting your parents to come and visit. It is submitted as part of your parents' visa application to support their case.
It is not a guarantee of a visa. But a properly written, notarized invitation letter tells the visa officer who you are, what your status is in Canada, what your relationship is to the visitor, and that you are taking responsibility for their visit. That context matters when a visa officer is reviewing an application.
Do I Need to Notarize the Invitation Letter?
IRCC does not always formally require a notarized invitation letter, but notarizing it significantly strengthens it. A notarized letter carries more weight than a regular printed letter because a licensed notary public has verified your identity and witnessed your signature, confirming that the contents are genuine.
In competitive or borderline applications and for countries where visa refusal rates are higher - a notarized invitation letter is often the difference between an approved and a refused application. We always recommend having it notarized.
Why Do Visitor Visa Applications for Parents Get Refused?
Visa refusals for parents visiting Canada are more common than most people expect — especially for applicants coming from countries like India, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Jamaica where refusal rates can be high.
Some of the most common reasons a visitor visa application gets refused include:
The invitation letter is too vague - it does not give the visa officer enough specific information about the visit
No mention of financial responsibility - the officer cannot tell who is paying for the trip or whether the visitor can support themselves
No confirmation of ties to the home country - the officer is not convinced the visitor will leave Canada after the visit
The relationship between the host and visitor is not clearly established - missing full names, no mention of how you are related
The letter reads like a personal note rather than a formal document - tone and format matter more than most people realize
We regularly see clients who come to us after a refusal. In many of those cases, the invitation letter was missing key information that gave the visa officer grounds to refuse. A refusal is not just disappointing - it creates a record on your parents' immigration history that they will need to address in every future application.
Can I Just Write the Invitation Letter Myself?
You can but it needs to contain everything listed above, in clear and formal language. The challenge is that most people write invitation letters the way they would write a personal letter to a friend. That is not what a visa officer is looking for.
A visa officer reads hundreds of applications. They are looking for specific information in a clear, organized format. If they have to search for it or if it is missing entirely, the application is weaker for it.
A professionally drafted invitation letter is organized, complete, uses the right tone, and covers every point the visa officer needs to see. It does not guarantee an approval, no document can but it removes one of the most common and avoidable reasons for refusal.
What If My Parents Were Already Refused Once?
A previous refusal makes the next application harder, but not impossible. If your parents were refused before, the next application needs to directly address whatever concerns led to the refusal. A stronger, more detailed invitation letter is one part of that.
When clients come to us after a refusal, we take extra care with the invitation letter, making sure every detail is covered and nothing is left open to interpretation.
