Canada Visitor Visa from Vietnam (2026): Fees, Biometrics & Proof of Ties

A Canada visitor visa (Temporary Resident Visa, or TRV) is one of the harder tourist visas for Vietnamese applicants to get right on a first try, not because the paperwork is unusual, but because the entire decision turns on one question officers must answer under Canadian immigration law: will you actually leave at the end of your stay. This page covers what’s specific to applying from Vietnam; the mechanics of the TRV itself are in our Canada visitor visa guide.

The legal test behind every question

Under Canada’s immigration regulations, an officer must be satisfied a visitor will leave Canada by the end of their authorised stay. In practice this means every document you submit is being read for one of two things: can you afford this trip, and do you have enough keeping you in Vietnam that you’re not trying to stay. Framing your whole application around answering both, explicitly, is more useful than treating the checklist as a box-ticking exercise.

Fees (confirm current amounts before paying)

Per IRCC’s official fee schedule (Canada.ca):

• Visitor visa processing fee: CAD 100 per applicant (CAD 500 for a family of 5+).
• Biometrics fee: CAD 85 per applicant (up to CAD 170 for a family).
• Fees are paid online in CAD when you submit through your IRCC secure account; some applicants may be fee-exempt — check your category before paying twice.

Where biometrics happen

Vietnamese applicants submit online, then are issued a letter to give biometrics (fingerprints and photo) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by VFS Global, with centres serving Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Book your appointment only after IRCC actually issues the biometrics instruction letter — book too early and you may need to reschedule. Confirm the current VAC address and appointment system on VFS Global’s Vietnam page before travelling to a centre, since locations and hours do change.

Documents IRCC asks for

Per IRCC’s own application guidance (Canada.ca):

• Passport, valid at least 6 months beyond your planned travel date, with the biographical page and any pages carrying prior visas or stamps.
• Proof of funds — a bank statement showing at least 6 months of account activity and balance, carrying the bank’s name/contact and your name/address. A single recent deposit with no history behind it is a common refusal trigger.
• Purpose and ties evidence, which differs by reason for travel:
  • Tourism/family visit: a letter of invitation from the person or business in Canada, plus proof of your relationship to them (marriage/birth certificate, or a statutory declaration for common-law relationships).
  • If travelling for work-adjacent reasons: an employer letter on letterhead, dated within 3 months of applying, confirming your job, salary and that your employer supports the trip and your return.
  • Itinerary evidence (recommended, not mandatory): flights, accommodation, or event registration showing a real, time-bound plan.
  • Travel history (recommended): copies of prior visas or passport stamps showing you’ve travelled abroad and returned home before.

IRCC does not publish a single official processing time for the Vietnam office on this page; third-party trackers cite ranges roughly between 3 and 8 weeks, but these are not IRCC figures — check current processing times on IRCC’s own tracker before planning travel dates, and never book non-refundable flights before a decision.

What actually moves the needle for Vietnamese applicants

• Show, don’t just state, ties to Vietnam. Property, a registered business, a stable job with a return date agreed with your employer, or family responsibilities (minor children, dependent parents) all count as ties. Weak or thin ties are the single biggest reason this corridor sees refusals.
• Reconcile your bank story. If a relative or employer is funding the trip, include their bank statements and a clear letter explaining the relationship — officers can and do question unexplained lump sums.
• Match your stated purpose to your evidence. A “tourism” application with a business-conference-shaped itinerary (or vice versa) invites scrutiny; pick the category that’s actually true and document it fully.
• Don’t let a refusal history go unaddressed. If you’ve been refused before, a fresh application should visibly fix the specific gap the refusal letter named, not just resubmit the same file.

See our proof of funds guide for how to present financial evidence (the same logic applies to visitor applications), and the ties to home country glossary entry for how officers weigh this factor. The Canada visitor visa refusal reasons guide is worth reading before you apply, not after a refusal.

This is preparation guidance, not legal advice — IRCC’s own site and, for complex cases, a licensed Canadian immigration consultant should confirm your specific situation. VisaMet is building AI-assisted document review to flag thin ties or unexplained funds before you submit; join the waitlist.

Sources: IRCC — Visitor visa application guidance, IRCC — Visitor visa fees.