Canada visitor visa
Dummy ticket for a Canada visitor visa.
Three requirements. A flight is not one of them.
What the requirements say.
Quoted from the eligibility page, which lists them plainly.
“convince an immigration officer that you have ties—such as a job, home, financial assets or family—that will take you back to your home country”
“convince an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit”
“have enough money for your stay”
The full list also names a valid travel document, good health, and no criminal or immigration-related convictions. There is no flight requirement on it.
Where a reservation fits.
Under the second requirement, and only as support for it.
An officer has to be convinced you will leave at the end of your visit. That is a judgement about your life at home, and it is made on your ties: work, family, property, and what you are going back to. A flight document does not establish any of that.
What it does is make your stated plan concrete. Your application says why you are coming and for how long, and a document naming those flights says the same thing in a form that can be read at a glance. That is a supporting role and it is worth having, as long as you are clear that is what it is.
If your submission asks for a booking rather than a plan, that is the verifiable flight reservation. For showing an intended route, the flight itinerary is the cheaper document and it holds nothing with an airline.
Nothing here guarantees visa approval, entry, or acceptance by an embassy, airline or border authority. Requirements are set by the authority assessing your application and can change, so check yours with them directly. Read the product disclaimer.
What goes wrong.
Four things, and two of them cost money.
Reading funds as a paid flight
The requirement is enough money for your stay. That is bank statements and income, not a receipt for a fare you have already spent it on.
Travel dates that do not match the purpose
You are asked why you are coming and for how long. The document should describe the same visit your application does.
Buying before a decision
Processing times move. A ticket bought to strengthen an application is a fare at risk for no requirement that was actually stated.
Ordering it too far ahead
A held reservation lasts as long as the airline allows, from about 48 hours to about two weeks. If your biometrics or your submission slip, a short hold can lapse before anyone opens the file.