How I Got My Canada Visitor Visa from Nigeria: Real Guide 2025
Getting a Canadian visitor visa from Nigeria isn’t impossible but it can feel overwhelming. Between fees, documents, and the waiting period, it’s easy to get confused. If you’re planning to visit Canada for vacation, events, or to see family, this guide walks you through the actual steps I took to get my visitor visa no fluff, no vague advice, just real talk.
How I Got My Canada Visitor Visa from Nigeria: Real Step-by-Step Experience
Getting a Canadian visitor visa from Nigeria takes time, effort, and patience. Here’s the actual process I followed no shortcuts, no fluff. Just practical steps that led to approval.
Travel Experience Boosted My Case
I already had multiple travel stamps in my passport:
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UK, South Africa, Qatar, South Korea
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France, Germany, Sweden
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Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, India
Solid travel history gives IRCC confidence that you return home.
The IRCC Portal: Start Right
Canada switched to a new IRCC portal that’s mobile-friendly and easier to use than the old system. I ran through the eligibility check questions like age, residence, solo travel, and application purpose.
Once I passed, I entered my email and got an invite link. That’s how IRCC lets you create your account.
Creating Your Portal Account
The invite link opened a form for:
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Name, email, and password
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Security questions (childhood memories, favorite food, parents’ meeting city)
Once verified via email code, my IRCC account was ready to go.
Filling the Visitor Visa Application
In the portal, I uploaded:
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Nigerian passport with past visas
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Purpose of travel: tourism
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Financial statements
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Work and education info
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Family info, medical history, criminal background
I completed the form over two sessions, although, it’s slow, but proofreading your uploads saves delays later.
Payment and Biometrics
- Next, IRCC charged CA $100 for the visa and CA $85 for biometrics.
- I paid inside the portal with my debit card and downloaded both the application and receipt.
- Then I booked a biometric appointment with VFS in Lagos and completed it on September 30, 2024.
Waiting & Passport Request
- IRCC doesn’t issue instant decisions
- On January 28, 2025, I got a message that review had started
- A few days later, Passport Request arrived
- I dropped off my passport at VFS then two days later visa approved.
Picking Up the Visa
- I skipped the ₦40,000 delivery fee and collected the passport myself.
- Getting the sticker in hand after months of waiting felt real.
What Needed Most
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Solid travel history helps
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Use the new IRCC portal, not the old GCKey
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Upload clear, labeled documents
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Book biometrics early
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Be ready to wait up to 3–4 months