Tourist Visas for Non directly related family members

[agarand8]

Hello. A friend and I were talking and she told me that Canada will not approve tourist visas for relatives who are not a direct relation to a Canadian or Permanent Resident. Example: I was telling her how my neice from Costa Rica would like to come here for her 15th birthday, and she told me that it's not possible. If she were a direct relation to my husband or me...sister brother parent or child.... she could come on a tourist visa but otherwise if she wanted to come she would have to come with an organized tour group through a travel agency.

Is this true, do they really not allow family members such as uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews to visit relatives within Canada?

I looked on CICs website but was unable to find information on this specific situation.

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hello. A friend and I were talking and she told me that Canada will not approve tourist visas for relatives who are not a direct relation to a Canadian or Permanent Resident. Example: I was telling her how my neice from Costa Rica would like to come here for her 15th birthday, and she told me that it's not possible. If she were a direct relation to my husband or me...sister brother parent or child.... she could come on a tourist visa but otherwise if she wanted to come she would have to come with an organized tour group through a travel agency.

Is this true, do they really not allow family members such as uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews to visit relatives within Canada?

I looked on CICs website but was unable to find information on this specific situation.

1. You friend hasn't a clue about Immigration.
2. Do you really believe that the only persons who visit Canada are persons with Immediate relatives in Canada?
3. 1,179,974 persons were issued Visitor visas for Canada from Aug/12 to Sept/13 they all weren't "immediate relatives"

3.

 

[agarand8]

She said that people who aren't immediate relatives can come as tourists with tour groups and things like that, but if I wrote my neice a letter of invitation and said she could stay with us for accommodation, food and everything, she would be denied regardless of ties to home country.

 

[Jalex23]

She said that people who aren't immediate relatives can come as tourists with tour groups and things like that, but if I wrote my neice a letter of invitation and said she could stay with us for accommodation, food and everything, she would be denied regardless of ties to home country.

Spectacularly incorrect.