Do I NEED a Letter of Invitation?

[BTSinHamilton]

Hi everyone,

I am an international student in the US. I have tickets to see my favorite band perform in Hamilton, ON. Those were only tickets that were available. The tickets to all venues within the US sold out in a matter of minutes, so I bought the Hamilton tickets in haste. Anyways, my sister is a Canadian PR and lives in Toronto. I will be staying with her in Canada. My question is: Does she NEED to write me a Letter of Invitation, especially considering my main purpose for the trip is not necessarily to visit her but instead to attend the concert. Do note that she will not be covering my personal expenses during my stay in Canada (only 2 days- a saturday and a sunday), other than helping me save money that would have otherwise been spent on a hotel room.

 

[scylla]

An invitation letter is not mandatory. So no - she does not need to write you a Letter of Invitation.

You haven't said when the concert is scheduled. However you should apply for the TRV soon. Processing can take anywhere from a few days to several months.

 

[BTSinHamilton]

An invitation letter is not mandatory. So no - she does not need to write you a Letter of Invitation.

You haven't said when the concert is scheduled. However you should apply for the TRV soon. Processing can take anywhere from a few days to several months.

Hi scylla,
The concert is in late September of this year. Will a Letter on Invitation from my sister boost my visa application and increase the likelihood of getting a visitor's visa?

 

[Bryanna]

Hi scylla,
The concert is in late September of this year. Will a Letter on Invitation from my sister boost my visa application and increase the likelihood of getting a visitor's visa?

An invitation letter from your sister won't boost the chances of a visa approval. A TRV approval would depend on the strength of your ties to your country of residence + your personal financial situation + your previous travel history to visa-required countries + the purpose of your visit.

That said, an invitation letter/documents from your sister could help to get you a longer TRV validity i.e. the visa officer might determine that you will want to visit your sister in the future too (because she is a PR), as compared to attending this concert as a tourist.

I recommend you go through this forum for suggestions on preparing a stronger application