Canada Visitor Visa from Nigeria: Requirements and Documents 2026

If you hold a Nigerian passport, you need a visitor visa to visit Canada. You can't use the cheaper electronic travel authorization (eTA). The visa's official name is the temporary resident visa (TRV). Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issues it, and IRCC alone decides every application.

This article covers the documents on IRCC's Lagos visa office checklist, proof of funds, fees, biometrics and processing time. Every fact comes from official Government of Canada pages, checked on 22 October 2026. Requirements can change, so check the official links at the end before you apply.

Do Nigerians need a visa to visit Canada?

Yes. Nigeria is on IRCC's list of visa-required countries, so you need a visitor visa and a valid passport.

A visitor visa is an official document that IRCC places in your passport. Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months. At the airport, the border services officer may allow you to stay for less or more than 6 months. A visa officer decides whether you get a single-entry or a multiple-entry visa. A visitor visa can be issued for up to 10 years, or until your passport or biometrics expire, and the officer may set a different expiry date.

What the visa officer needs to see

IRCC lists the basic requirements for a visitor visa. You must:

• have a valid travel document, such as a passport
• be in good health
• have no criminal or immigration-related convictions
• show ties to Nigeria, such as a job, home, financial assets or family
• convince an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit
• have enough money for your stay

Every document you upload should help prove one of these points.

Documents checklist for Nigerian applicants

When you apply online, the IRCC portal gives you a personalised document checklist. Upload everything it lists. IRCC also says your visa office may require more documents. For Nigeria, IRCC publishes a Lagos Visa Office Additional Document Checklist (form IMM 5873, April 2026 version). The main items are below.

Everyone

• Passport. A copy of the bio-data page, plus every page with a visa, entry or exit stamp, from your current and previous passports. IRCC says your passport should be valid for at least 6 months from the date you plan to travel.
• Copies of all current and expired visas from any country.
• Purpose-of-travel letter explaining your trip: itinerary, places you will visit, contacts in Canada and length of stay.
• Provisional airline booking. The checklist says no purchased tickets are required or recommended. Don't make final travel arrangements until you have the visa.
• Family Information form (IMM 5707), fully completed, dated and signed.
• Consent to Verification of Documents form, completed and signed (it's at the end of the Lagos checklist).
• Schedule 1 (IMM 5257 SCH1), if you answered "yes" to any background question.
• Marriage certificate and birth certificates for each family member, whether or not they are travelling.

If you are employed

• Pay slips for the last 3 months.
• An employment letter from your current employer, dated within 2 months of your application. It must state your occupation, job description, position, salary, allowances, years of employment and authorised leave dates.

If you are self-employed or run a business

• Business registration, tax clearance certificates, trade certificates and business licence.
• Financial documents, for example a certified business bank statement for the past 6 months.

If you are visiting family or friends

• An invitation letter from your host, with the purpose of the visit, dates, length of stay and the host's contact details.
• A copy of your host's status in Canada, such as a Canadian passport bio-data page, citizenship certificate, permanent resident card or permit. The Lagos checklist lists this as optional.

If a child is travelling

A child travelling alone or with one parent needs a letter of consent signed and notarised by the parent(s) who are not travelling. Also include a copy of that parent's passport bio-data page showing their signature, the child's birth certificate and, if applicable, a school leave letter.

Translations

IRCC only accepts documents in English or French. Any document in another language needs a certified translation attached.

Proof of funds: how much money do you need?

IRCC doesn't set a fixed minimum balance for visitors. It says the money you need depends on how long you will stay, and whether you will stay in a hotel or with friends or relatives. If you are paying for your own trip, the Lagos checklist asks for bank statements for the past 6 months. You can add recent pay slips, pension statements, business registration, and investment or savings statements. IRCC's main visitor visa page says at least 6 months of account details, including balances, help it understand your financial situation.

If someone else is paying, upload:

• a signed letter of financial support from the person paying
• their bank statement showing enough funds
• proof of where their money comes from, such as an employment letter or business registration
• a copy of their passport or photo ID
• a description of how you are related

The sponsor's documents must be dated within 6 months of the date you submit.

Make the funds figure you give in your application match your bank statements and your purpose letter. If your statements show a large recent deposit, explain where the money came from.

Fees in 2026

IRCC charges in Canadian dollars (CAD). These figures were checked on IRCC's fee list on 22 October 2026 and can change.

For one adult, the total is CAD 185. If you are applying for the first time, pay the biometrics fee when you submit your application. IRCC doesn't refund the fees if the application is refused. IRCC fees for Canadian government services are paid to the Receiver General for Canada, not to any individual.

Biometrics in Lagos or Abuja

Most visitor visa applicants must give fingerprints and a photo (biometrics). Children under 14 and applicants over 79 on the day they apply don't need to. Temporary residence applicants only give biometrics once every 10 years. If yours are still valid, you may not need to give them again.

After you pay, you get a biometric instruction letter in your IRCC account. Book an appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) as soon as you can to avoid delays. IRCC lists two VACs in Nigeria: Lagos and Abuja. Use the instruction letter issued for this application.

IRCC says VACs play no role in decisions and are forbidden to give visa advice. Canadian migration officers at IRCC make all decisions.

How long does it take?

On 14 October 2026, IRCC published a processing time of 103 days for visitor visa applications from Nigeria. This figure can change from week to week. Check IRCC's processing-time tool, choosing "Visitor visa" and "Nigeria", before you plan your trip, and apply well ahead of your travel date.

While you wait, IRCC may ask for more documents, an interview, a medical exam or a police certificate. If approved, you'll be asked to submit your passport, and you can't travel until the visa is in it.

A warning about fraud and fake documents

IRCC's Lagos checklist warns that giving fraudulent documents or false information is a serious offence. IRCC says that if you do, your application will be refused, you could be banned from Canada for at least 5 years, and you could get a permanent record of fraud with IRCC.

Keep three IRCC statements in mind:

• No one can guarantee you a job or a visa to Canada.
• Only immigration officers can decide to issue a visa.
• IRCC staff will never ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account.

Be wary of anyone who promises a visa, sells invitation letters or offers to "arrange" bank statements. Upload only genuine documents, and declare any past refusal from any country.

If you have been refused before

Since 29 July 2025, IRCC has included the officer's decision notes with refusal letters for most temporary resident applications, including visitor visas. Read them carefully. IRCC says that applying again with the same information will likely not change the decision. Reapply only when you have new information or documents that answer the reasons for the refusal.

Get the full Nigeria edition guide

This article is an overview. The CanadaOneStep Visitor Visa Guide, Nigeria edition goes further, with:

• full document checklists by situation (employed, business owners, farmers, retirees, students, parents visiting children)
• ready-to-fill templates for the purpose letter, invitation letter, employer letter and financial support letter
• a worked example with a trip-cost worksheet and a step-by-step walk through the IRCC portal

The guide is general information to help you prepare your own application. IRCC makes every decision.