Do not book or pay for flights or hotels. The Canadian government specifies not to book flights and accommodations because a TRV is not guaranteed. How can you suddenly find another 20k unless you borrow it? A sudden increase in funds like this that has not been in your bank account for over 6 months will raise concerns that they are not actually your funds. You should be able to prove where such a significant amount of funds have come from. For example proof of an inheritance (will, death certificate and transfer from the estate account would be proof) or if you sold a property there should be documents that confirm the sale and transfer of ownership to the new owner. Does that amount of savings make sense based on your salary? You are apparently about to go on leave how would it be possible to suddenly gain 20k? What is your education and work history? Your best chances of being approved to attend a conference would be to have attended other conferences before and to have travelled to other countries (especially places like the US, UK, Australia, etc) and to have returned home. To be a presenter at the conference not just attend a conference would also be helpful when trying to seek approval. To have your employer or the conference cover all your expenses to attend the conference would also help and is fairly typical especially to attend a conference so far away. Are you in academia? Being able to take a leave of 6 months is very uncommon in most professions but especially if your work contract expires in the 2026 as you mentioned previously.