Seeking Guidance on Strengthening Visitor Visa Reapplication for Web Summit 2026

[sabir.ali562]

Hello,
I applied for a Canadian visitor visa in June 2024, but it was refused on the grounds of "insufficient ties" to my home country, Pakistan. The visa officer wasn’t convinced that I would return after my visit.
I’m now planning to reapply in June 2025 to attend the Web Summit in Vancouver, scheduled for May 2026. The event organizers will issue an invitation letter in support of my application. I’ll be traveling with my wife (who will also attend the summit) and our preschool-aged son.
I’m concerned that the previous refusal might impact my upcoming application. This time, I plan to include a detailed travel itinerary, proof of ticket bookings, and an invitation letter from my wife’s brother, who resides in Toronto.
Given the significant costs involved in attending the summit, I want to reduce the chances of another refusal. I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to strengthen my application and improve my chances of approval.

Thank you in advance for your support and guidance.

 

[canuck78]

Hello,
I applied for a Canadian visitor visa in June 2024, but it was refused on the grounds of "insufficient ties" to my home country, Pakistan. The visa officer wasn’t convinced that I would return after my visit.
I’m now planning to reapply in June 2025 to attend the Web Summit in Vancouver, scheduled for May 2026. The event organizers will issue an invitation letter in support of my application. I’ll be traveling with my wife (who will also attend the summit) and our preschool-aged son.
I’m concerned that the previous refusal might impact my upcoming application. This time, I plan to include a detailed travel itinerary, proof of ticket bookings, and an invitation letter from my wife’s brother, who resides in Toronto.
Given the significant costs involved in attending the summit, I want to reduce the chances of another refusal. I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to strengthen my application and improve my chances of approval.

Thank you in advance for your support and guidance.

The reason for travel doesn’t make sense for your family. It may make sense for just you if you can show you have attended similar conferences in other countries, you can show that your employer or the conferences is covering your costs to attend the conference, etc. You would also need to show proof of sufficient funds to afford to travel, assume you are also suggesting you will be visiting Toronto as well or else an invitation letter from family in Toronto does not make sense. You will also need to show ties to your home country like job with approved leave, family (preferably your spouse and dependent child who will remain at home), property, etc. Assume you are also aware of that it is no longer possible to secure a WP as a visitor in Canada.

 

[sabir.ali562]

The reason for travel doesn’t make sense for your family. It may make sense for just you if you can show you have attended similar conferences in other countries, you can show that your employer or the conferences is covering your costs to attend the conference, etc. You would also need to show proof of sufficient funds to afford to travel, assume you are also suggesting you will be visiting Toronto as well or else an invitation letter from family in Toronto does not make sense. You will also need to show ties to your home country like job with approved leave, family (preferably your spouse and dependent child who will remain at home), property, etc. Assume you are also aware of that it is no longer possible to secure a WP as a visitor in Canada.

Thank you for your detailed response and valuable guidance.

I currently hold a stable full-time position as a software engineer, with over 15 years of professional experience. My wife is also engaged in part-time remote work. We both plan to return home after our trip, and we will include documentation such as property ownership papers, approved leave letters, and evidence of strong family ties to demonstrate our clear intention to return.

My wife will be attending the Web Summit alongside me. Additionally, since her brother resides in Toronto and there is a planned family gathering during that period, we intend to visit them as part of the trip. This is why I mentioned the family invitation letter. I was seeking advice on whether it would strengthen or dilute the application to include both the Web Summit invitation and the family visit letter, or if it’s preferable to submit only the conference invitation.
I have previously held business visas through my former Swedish employer and returned on time after each trip. My prior Canadian visitor visa application was rejected due to insufficient evidence of ties to my home country, which I now understand more clearly. This time, the purpose is professional is to attend an international conference, so I want to ensure my application is appropriately positioned and complete.
I appreciate your time and advice on how best to structure the application.

 

[Copingwithlife]

Hello,
I applied for a Canadian visitor visa in June 2024, but it was refused on the grounds of "insufficient ties" to my home country, Pakistan. The visa officer wasn’t convinced that I would return after my visit.
I’m now planning to reapply in June 2025 to attend the Web Summit in Vancouver, scheduled for May 2026. The event organizers will issue an invitation letter in support of my application. I’ll be traveling with my wife (who will also attend the summit) and our preschool-aged son.
I’m concerned that the previous refusal might impact my upcoming application. This time, I plan to include a detailed travel itinerary, proof of ticket bookings, and an invitation letter from my wife’s brother, who resides in Toronto.
Given the significant costs involved in attending the summit, I want to reduce the chances of another refusal. I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to strengthen my application and improve my chances of approval.

Thank you in advance for your support and guidance.

If you and your spouse are both going to this summit , why bring along the child ?

Why does your spouse have to go to it ?
Did she receive an invitation ? Employer paying for it ? Past attendance at other conferences ?

Ditch the wife & child , make a tie to go back

 

[sabir.ali562]

If you and your spouse are both going to this summit , why bring along the child ?

Why does your spouse have to go to it ?
Did she receive an invitation ? Employer paying for it ? Past attendance at other conferences ?

Ditch the wife & child , make a tie to go back

Thank you for your questions. My spouse and I are both attending this summit because she is also a professional in the field and received a formal invitation from the summit organizers. She runs her own company for freelance work while also holding a full-time job in the other company. She will receive a formal invitation from the summit organizers after we purchase our tickets. We are covering all expenses ourselves, as this is our first time attending such an event. We will be covering all expenses ourselves, as this is our first time attending such an event.

Since we have a 5-year-old child and no one back home to provide care, bringing our child along is necessary, and my parents are old and will not be able to take care of the child. However, I understand the concern that applying as a solo traveler might improve visa approval chances.

If there are alternative approaches such as submitting additional documentation (proof of employment, property ownership, sponsorship letters, or other supporting evidence) that could help demonstrate our strong ties to our home country while still allowing my family to accompany me, I’d greatly appreciate any advice. Would emphasizing these factors or adjusting the application in another way make a difference? Open to suggestions.

 

[canuck78]

Thank you for your questions. My spouse and I are both attending this summit because she is also a professional in the field and received a formal invitation from the summit organizers. She runs her own company for freelance work while also holding a full-time job in the other company. She will receive a formal invitation from the summit organizers after we purchase our tickets. We are covering all expenses ourselves, as this is our first time attending such an event. We will be covering all expenses ourselves, as this is our first time attending such an event.

Since we have a 5-year-old child and no one back home to provide care, bringing our child along is necessary, and my parents are old and will not be able to take care of the child. However, I understand the concern that applying as a solo traveler might improve visa approval chances.

If there are alternative approaches such as submitting additional documentation (proof of employment, property ownership, sponsorship letters, or other supporting evidence) that could help demonstrate our strong ties to our home country while still allowing my family to accompany me, I’d greatly appreciate any advice. Would emphasizing these factors or adjusting the application in another way make a difference? Open to suggestions.

What you are considering as formal invitation is essentially confirmation that you have paid to register and attend the conference. IRCC would only value letters from conference coordinator if you had been invited to present at the conference not just attend. It is highly unusual for you to attend what seems like a pretty general conference across the world in Canada and not have attended a conference much closer to home first. Also a red flag thatyou are covering your own costs to attend a conference and the costs are not covered by your employer. This is especially true given the cost of traveling to Canada. Many are under the false assumption that a conference makes securing a visa easier than general tourism. You still have to show that attending a conference in Canada makes sense based on your previous attendance at other conferences, that you must attend the conference in Canada and there aren’t similar conferences close to your home country, there is a strong reason to justify the cost of your attendance at this conference which usually involves employers, etc.