A visitor visa has no sponsor. The "sponsorship letter" people are asked for is a letter of invitation, sometimes with a sworn declaration of financial support beside it. What each one says, who signs, and which one an Ontario notary can do online.
Sponsorship Letter for a Canadian Visitor Visa: What It Really Is, and What to Notarize
Quick answer: A Canadian visitor visa has no sponsor. When a visa office or a relative asks for a "sponsorship letter", they mean a letter of invitation from the host in Canada, with the contents IRCC lists, and, where the host is paying for the trip, evidence of that: bank statements, a Notice of Assessment, an employment letter, or a sworn statutory declaration of financial support. IRCC does not require either document to be notarized. If the visa office asks for a notarized letter, an Ontario notary can witness the host's signature in person, or commission the declaration of financial support online by video, at a flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST.
Ready now? Request the invitation letter appointment, or check below which document the visa office actually wants.
"Sponsor letter for a visitor visa" is one of the most searched phrases in this area and one of the least precise. In Canadian immigration, sponsorship is a formal undertaking in a family class permanent residence application. A visitor visa, the temporary resident visa most travellers need, has no sponsor at all. What a visa office is asking for, when it uses the word, is a letter from the person in Canada who invited the traveller, and proof of how the trip will be paid for.
This guide untangles the three documents that get called a sponsorship letter, tells you who signs each one, and explains which of them an Ontario notary can handle online. It sits beside our detailed guide to the notarized letter of invitation for a Canadian visitor visa; if your relative is a parent or grandparent applying for a super visa, read the super visa invitation letter guide instead.
Key Takeaways
| Decision point | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| No sponsor | A visitor visa is not a sponsorship | Nobody in Canada is legally bound by an invitation. |
| What is meant | Letter of invitation, plus proof of funds or a declaration of support | Give the office the document it described, not the word it used. |
| Who signs | The host in Canada | The applicant abroad cannot invite themselves. |
| Notarization | Not required by IRCC | Optional; some visa offices ask for it. |
| Online or in person | Declaration of support online; witnessed signature in person | Ontario's remote rules cover declarations, not witnessing. |
| Price | Flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST | Same online or in person. |
What a Notary Can and Cannot Do
What a notary can and cannot do: A notary public witnesses the host's signature on a letter, or commissions a statutory declaration of financial support. A notary does not decide whether the traveller will get a visa, judge whether the host's funds are enough, or advise on the application. Those are the visa officer's decisions; for advice, see an immigration lawyer or a regulated immigration consultant (RCIC).
Minute Notary witnesses signatures and commissions declarations as an Ontario notary public, including online by video for declarations under O. Reg. 431/20.
Three Documents That Get Called a Sponsorship Letter
1. The letter of invitation. A letter from the host in Canada to the traveller, which the traveller includes in the visa application. IRCC lists what it should contain: the traveller's full name, date of birth, address and phone number, the relationship, the purpose and length of the visit, where the traveller will stay, and who pays; and the host's full name, date of birth, address and phone number, job title, status in Canada, and family details, with a copy of the host's status document. This is what most visa offices mean by a sponsor letter.
2. Proof of financial support. Where the host is paying for the trip, the office wants to see that the host can. That is usually bank statements, a recent Notice of Assessment, pay stubs, or an employment letter, attached to the invitation. Some offices, and some countries' local practice, ask for the promise to be sworn: a statutory declaration of financial support, in which the host declares under oath that they will cover the named traveller's costs for the visit. Our free statutory declaration of financial support template drafts it in the usual form.
3. A family class sponsorship undertaking. This is the real thing the word "sponsorship" means in Canadian law: a binding undertaking, signed by a citizen or permanent resident, to support a spouse, child, parent, or grandparent who is applying for permanent residence. It lasts for years, it is enforceable, and it is never part of a visitor visa. If a form asks for an "undertaking" or an IMM 1344, you are in a permanent residence process and this guide is not the one you need.
Reading the visa office's request against this list usually settles it. "Sponsor letter" almost always means the first document, with the second where money is involved.
Who Signs, and From Where
The host signs. The traveller submits. A letter of invitation is written by the person in Canada and signed by them; the applicant abroad cannot write their own invitation, and a parent asking a notary in their home country to "notarize the sponsorship" has the wrong signer in front of the wrong notary.
If two people are hosting, a couple inviting one partner's mother for example, both can sign the letter, and both can swear a declaration of support if the office wants the promise from both. Each signature at the notary's desk is a separate seal.
Does It Need to Be Notarized?
IRCC's letter of invitation page does not require notarization, and a plain signed letter with the listed contents is what the instructions describe. Three situations make a notary appointment worthwhile:
- The visa office asked. Some offices, or the local practice in the traveller's country, expect a notarized letter or a sworn declaration of support. Do what the office asked. Arguing that IRCC's page does not require it will not move the file.
- The host wants the promise sworn. A statutory declaration is made under oath, with the penalties that attach to a false declaration, and some hosts prefer to give one so the officer sees the promise taken seriously.
- The letter will be reused. A traveller who visits several times can reuse a notarized copy of the letter rather than asking for a fresh signature each time.
Outside those cases, a signed letter with the funds evidence is enough. A notary seal does not make a weak application strong, and the officer's assessment is of the traveller's ties, funds, and purpose, not of the seal.
Notarized Letter or Sworn Declaration: Which One, and Where
Two notarial acts get called "notarizing the sponsorship letter", and in Ontario they are done differently.
A witnessed signature on the letter. The host signs the letter in front of the notary, who confirms identity and signs and seals as witness. Ontario's remote rules do not cover witnessing a signature, so this is an in-person appointment, at our Ottawa office or with a notary near you. Bring the letter unsigned and valid government photo identification.
A statutory declaration of financial support. The host swears or affirms a short declaration that they will support the named traveller for the visit, and signs it while the notary takes the declaration. A declaration can be commissioned online by secure video under O. Reg. 431/20, from anywhere in Ontario, in a few minutes.
If the visa office was specific, follow it. If it only said "notarized", the sworn declaration is usually the better document: it can be done online, and it states under oath what the letter promises.
How to Commission the Declaration Online, Step by Step
- Draft the declaration, unsigned. Use the office's wording if it gave any; otherwise fill in the template with the host's details, the traveller's full name and relationship, the dates of the visit, and what the host is covering.
- Book the online appointment. Use the contact page to request the invitation letter service and note that it is a declaration of financial support for a visitor visa.
- Join the video call with valid government photo ID. A passport, driver's licence, or PR card; the name should match the letter of invitation.
- Declare and sign on camera. The notary confirms your identity, takes your solemn declaration, watches you sign, and completes the jurat.
- Receive the sealed PDF. Send it to the traveller with the signed letter and the funds evidence.
What to Bring
- The letter of invitation, drafted with IRCC's listed contents, unsigned if the signature is to be witnessed.
- The declaration of financial support, drafted and unsigned, if a sworn declaration is wanted.
- Valid government photo identification for each host who is signing.
- The visa office's request, if the traveller was given one in writing, so the notary can match the document to it.
The bank statements, Notice of Assessment, and the traveller's forms stay with the application. The notary does not review them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating the letter as a legal sponsorship. It is not. Do not sign an undertaking, and do not promise things a visitor visa does not involve, such as guaranteeing the traveller's return.
- The traveller writes the letter. The invitation comes from the host in Canada.
- Saying the host pays without showing it. If the letter says the host covers the trip, attach the host's funds evidence, or the office will ask for it.
- Signing before the appointment. For a witnessed signature, the notary must see you sign.
- Booking video for a witnessed signature. A witnessed signature is in person in Ontario. Book online for the sworn declaration only.
- Mixing up the super visa. Parents and grandparents applying for a super visa have their own host letter, an income test, and an insurance requirement. See the super visa guide.
A Quick Scenario
A son in Brampton invites his brother from Nigeria for a three-week visit. The visa office's checklist asks for a "notarized sponsorship letter and proof of funds". He writes the letter of invitation with IRCC's contents, attaches his last Notice of Assessment and three months of bank statements, and, because the office said "notarized", swears a declaration of financial support in a weekday evening video appointment. He sends the sealed declaration, the signed letter, and the funds evidence to his brother, who files them with the application. The seal did not decide the visa; the brother's employment, funds, and travel history did. The seal answered the checklist.
Pricing and Booking
Minute Notary charges a flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST for a witnessed signature or a commissioned declaration, online or in person. Online appointments add HST plus a small card processing fee, shown before you pay. Each signer's declaration is a separate seal.
- Declaration of support, online: most appointments take 3 to 4 minutes once the draft and ID are ready, seven days a week.
- Witnessed signature on the letter, in person: at our Ottawa office, or a mobile visit in the Ottawa area for a travel fee shown at booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a sponsor for a Canadian visitor visa?
No. Sponsorship is a formal undertaking in family class permanent residence. A visitor visa has no sponsor; a host in Canada can write a letter of invitation and, where they pay for the trip, show the funds or swear a declaration of financial support.
What is the sponsorship letter the visa office asked for?
Almost always the letter of invitation with the contents IRCC lists, plus evidence of how the trip is paid for. Where the host is paying, some offices want a sworn declaration of financial support with the host's bank statements or Notice of Assessment.
Does a sponsorship letter need to be notarized?
IRCC does not require it. Some visa offices ask for a notarized letter or a sworn declaration. If yours does, an Ontario notary can witness the host's signature in person or commission the declaration online.
Can the declaration of financial support be done online?
Yes. An Ontario notary can commission a statutory declaration over secure video under O. Reg. 431/20 from anywhere in Ontario. A witnessed signature on the letter itself is in person.
Is this the same as sponsoring my spouse or parents?
No. Family class sponsorship is a permanent residence process with a binding undertaking. A super visa for parents and grandparents is a separate visitor category. This guide covers ordinary visitor visas.
How much does the notary step cost?
A flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST, online or in person. Online appointments add a small card processing fee, shown before payment. Each signer's declaration is a separate seal.
Final Recommendation
Give the visa office the document it described, not the word it used: a letter of invitation with IRCC's contents, and the host's funds evidence where the host is paying. Notarize only if the office asked or the host wants the promise sworn, and when it is a choice, choose the sworn declaration of financial support, which can be commissioned online in minutes.
Book Your Appointment
Need a visitor visa invitation letter witnessed, or a declaration of financial support commissioned? Minute Notary does both, at a flat $24.95 per stamp plus HST.
- Request an appointment: Contact us
- Call: (613) 434-5555
- Service page: Immigration Documents
- Free templates: Invitation letter and statutory declaration of financial support
- Related guide: Notarized letter of invitation for a visitor visa
- Hours: Every day, Saturday and Sunday included, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (Ottawa time)
Sources
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Online & Virtual Notary
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Commissioning and witnessing documents for visa applications, sponsorship forms, and immigration paperwork.
About the author
Kai Mai
Content Editor, Minute Notary
Kai Mai writes and edits the Minute Notary guides, working from the published federal and Ontario guidance each article links, and from what Ottawa clients actually run into with certified copies, affidavits, statutory declarations, travel consent letters, and immigration paperwork. These guides are general information written by our editorial team — not legal advice, and not a professional opinion on your document. The receiving authority always has the final say.