Canada visit visa for Pakistan passport holders

Canada has no eTA or visa on arrival for Pakistani passport holders. Pakistan is not on the visa-exempt list in Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, so a holiday, a family visit or a short business trip all start with a visitor visa, officially called a temporary resident visa (TRV). The application is made online through an IRCC secure account, and IRCC officers make the decision. The visa centre in Pakistan only collects biometrics and passports.

IRCC's eligibility page lists what you have to show an officer. You need a valid passport, good health and no criminal or immigration-related convictions. You also need ties to home, such as a job, a house, financial assets or family, that show you will leave Canada at the end of your visit, and enough money for your stay. IRCC says the amount depends on how long you stay and whether you use a hotel or stay with friends or relatives, so there is no fixed bank balance to reach. Steady funds that you can explain matter more than one large deposit.

Start with your passport. IRCC asks for a digital copy of a valid passport and says it should be valid for at least six months from the date you plan to travel, so renew it first if it is close to expiry. After you answer the online questions, the portal builds a personalised document checklist, and you should upload every item on it. For most Pakistani visitors that means bank statements or other proof of funds, the purpose of the trip (an invitation letter from family in Canada or a travel plan) and proof of ties, such as an employment letter, business registration or property papers. Copies of earlier visas help show your travel history.

You pay online when you submit. IRCC's fee list shows CAD 100 for the visitor visa and CAD 85 for biometrics per person, with family maximums. IRCC then sends a biometric instruction letter (BIL). In Pakistan, biometrics are taken at VFS Global's Canada visa application centres in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. IRCC says booking a biometrics appointment is free and advises booking as soon as the letter arrives. VFS Global's Pakistan site says that from 7 March 2026 applicants must upload their BIL when booking. Bring that letter and your valid passport. IRCC warns that using a letter from an earlier application can delay your current one or even lead to a refusal.

IRCC says it processes most visitor visa applications in a few weeks or less. The time depends on the visa office and on any extra steps: IRCC may ask you to attend an interview, send more information, have a medical exam or provide a police certificate. Check the live estimate for Pakistan on IRCC's processing-times tool before you plan dates. IRCC also says an incomplete application may be refused, so a missing checklist item is one of the most avoidable mistakes. If you are approved, IRCC sends a passport request, and VFS Global handles passport submission and return through its centres. Your visa does not fix your length of stay. That is set on arrival by the Canadian border officer, and IRCC puts the usual maximum at six months. If you are refused, IRCC explains why. Only reapply once you can answer those reasons with stronger evidence.