Canada Visitor Visa Approval Rate by Country
IRCC publishes visitor visa counts by country, not approval rates. It approved 1,757,430 visitor visas in 2023, 1,458,045 in 2024 and 1,048,125 in 2025 (IRCC data as of September 1, 2026). Your own result turns on one test under IRPR s.179(b): will you leave Canada at the end of your stay?
1,757,430
Visitor visas IRCC approved in 2023, all countries
1,458,045
Visitor visas IRCC approved in 2024, all countries
1,048,125
Visitor visas IRCC approved in 2025, all countries
About 5 weeks
The median of IRCC’s country figures for a visitor visa applied for outside Canada
The counts are IRCC data as of September 1, 2026. The wait is IRCC data updated November 4, 2026.
Does IRCC publish a visitor visa approval rate by country?
No. IRCC publishes counts rather than rates, and it publishes no count of visitor visa refusals, so no official approval rate by country exists. A percentage on another site is that site’s own calculation.
IRCC’s monthly open data (the “Operational Processing: Monthly IRCC Updates” dataset) counts visitor visas (V-1 visas) approved by source country and month. Its files covering all temporary resident streams count applications processed (approved, refused and withdrawn together) and applications approved.
A true rate requires dividing approvals by total decisions over the same window. IRCC publishes no refusal count for visitor visas alone, so any visitor visa rate is an outside calculation, and two sources can report different percentages for the same country and year.
What would a country approval rate tell you?
An approval rate is the share of decided applications that were approved in a given period for a given group, such as a country of citizenship. It is a backward-looking average of many different files, not a prediction for any one person.
Two applicants from the same country can get opposite results, because the rate blends together different travel purposes, different personal circumstances, and stronger and weaker files. Your own result depends on your individual file, not your nationality.
What decides a visitor visa, whatever the country?
Under paragraph 179(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, an officer must be satisfied that the applicant will leave Canada by the end of the authorized stay. This flows from the obligation in paragraph 20(1)(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The officer asks the same question on every file, and the officer makes the final decision.
IRCC says what an applicant must show:
- a valid travel document, such as a passport;
- good health;
- no criminal or immigration-related convictions;
- ties, such as a job, home, financial assets or family, that will take them back to their home country;
- that they will leave Canada at the end of the visit;
- enough money for the stay.
The rule
An officer must be satisfied that the applicant will leave Canada by the end of the authorized stay.
Does wanting to immigrate later lead to a refusal?
Not on its own. Subsection 22(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that an intention to become a permanent resident does not, on its own, prevent someone from becoming a temporary resident, as long as the officer is satisfied they will leave at the end of their authorized stay if they do not obtain permanent status.
The officer still applies the same s.179 test. IRCC’s instructions give each applicant an individual assessment, and an officer who refuses should record why they were not satisfied, on a balance of probabilities, that the applicant would leave Canada at the end of the authorized stay.
Where can you check the official numbers?
IRCC publishes temporary resident statistics, including the count of visitor visas approved by source country, in the “Operational Processing: Monthly IRCC Updates” dataset on Canada’s Open Government portal, and updates them regularly. IRCC marks the data as operational and subject to change.
When you read any figure, note the exact period and source, because IRCC’s counts can change in a later release. The published counts describe what happened to other people; your result turns on your own evidence measured against the s.179 test.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Visa CheckerVisa or eTA, by passport and how you travel
- Processing TimesIRCC wait times by program
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
What is the Canada visitor visa approval rate for my country?
No single reliable number exists. IRCC publishes counts of visitor visas approved by source country on the Open Government portal, not rates, and it publishes no visitor visa refusal count, so no official approval rate by country exists. Across all countries it approved 1,757,430 visitor visas in 2023, 1,458,045 in 2024 and 1,048,125 in 2025 (IRCC data as of September 1, 2026). The section on finding the real numbers above shows where to check.
What is the Canada visitor visa approval rate now?
IRCC publishes none. It publishes counts: it approved 1,757,430 visitor visas in 2023, 1,458,045 in 2024 and 1,048,125 in 2025 (IRCC data as of September 1, 2026). It publishes no count of visitor visa refusals, so no official rate can be worked out, and a rate on another site is that site’s own calculation. Our Visitor Visa Refused guide explains what to do after a refusal.
How long does a Canada visitor visa take?
About 5 weeks is the median of IRCC's country figures for an application made outside Canada, in IRCC data updated November 4, 2026. The wait depends on the country you apply from, and some countries run far longer. Our Processing Times page shows IRCC's current figure for each country, and IRCC's own processing-times tool is the source of record.
Do Canada visitor visa results differ between countries?
Officers apply the same test everywhere: under IRPR s.179(b) they must be satisfied the applicant will leave Canada at the end of the authorized stay. IRCC publishes counts of approved visitor visas that differ by source country, but it does not publish the reasons by country. The strength of each file decides the result. The section above on what decides a visitor visa walks through each factor.
Does the country approval rate predict my chances?
No. An approval rate is a backward-looking average of many different applications, and it predicts nothing for one person. Two applicants from the same country can get opposite results based on their evidence and circumstances. Treat any rate you read as background, knowing the officer decides your case on its own facts under IRPR s.179. Our Visitor Visa Canada guide explains what a strong file contains.
Will wanting to immigrate later cause my visitor visa to be refused?
It does not, by itself. IRPA s.22(2) recognizes dual intent: an intention to become a permanent resident does not prevent you from being a temporary resident, as long as the officer is satisfied you will leave at the end of your authorized stay if you do not obtain permanent status. Being truthful and consistent about your plans matters most. Our Dual Intent in Canada Explained guide covers the rule in depth.
What is the most common reason visitor visas are refused?
The test the officer applies is IRPR s.179(b): the officer must be satisfied the applicant will leave Canada at the end of the authorized stay. IRCC says an applicant must convince the officer of ties, such as a job, home, financial assets or family, that will take them back to their home country, and that they will leave at the end of the visit. The officer weighs the whole application against that one point, drawn from IRPR s.179 and IRPA s.20(1)(b). Our Study Permit Refusal Reasons guide shows how the same test reads in refusal letters.
How can I strengthen my visitor visa application?
Answer the officer’s core question: will you leave? Document genuine ties to your home country, show clear and consistent travel plans, prove the trip is affordable, and keep the application truthful and complete. If you were refused before, address the specific reason given before you reapply. An officer makes the final decision. Our Proof of Funds for a Visitor Visa guide shows what financial evidence officers look for.
Part of:Visiting Canada
- Can I Enter Canada with a Mental Health or Psychiatric History?
- eTA vs Visitor Visa (TRV): Which Do You Need for Canada?
- Do I Need a Visa to Visit Canada? By Country
The textbook on this subject
Volume 1: Entering Canada $79
Six IRPA inadmissibility grounds (s.36 and s.38 to s.42), explained with the official text cited.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.