The Canadian Visitor Visa, officially known as the Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), allows foreign nationals to enter Canada for temporary visits such as tourism, family visits, or business purposes.
What is a Canadian Visitor Visa?
The Canada Visitor Visa is a Temporary Resident Visa for Canada which allows the bearer to go to Canada for purposes such as:
- Tourism or holidays in Canada.
- Visiting family.
The Canada Tourist Visa permits you to go to a Canadian port of entry and ask for authorization to enter the country. The Border Patrol Officers are the ones who are allowed to permit or deny you admission based on your documentation and your situation.
If you have been awarded a visa Visitor visa to Canada and the authorities establish that you do not have any criminal intentions, you will be allowed to pass the port of entry and begin your holiday or family visit in Canada.
Types of Canadian visitor visas
There are two forms of Canadian visitor visas: single-entry visas and multiple-entry visas.
- A single-entry visa permits foreign nationals to enter Canada only once. In contrast, a multiple-entry visa lets holders to enter and exit Canada as often as they desire, providing the visa is valid. Applicants are automatically considered for multiple-entry visas, and single-entry visas are awarded only under particular conditions.
- Multiple-entry visitor visas allowing holders to stay in Canada for up to six months at a time, with the option to return as many times as they like, as long as the visa is valid.
These visas can be valid for up to 10 years, but the actual period is set by the immigration officer who gives the visa. If you have another status document, such as a study permit or work permit, and are not visa-exempt, you will generally receive a visiting visa that allows you to enter Canada to gain your authorization. This is generally a multiple-entry visa. If you leave Canada briefly while studying or working temporarily, you won’t need to apply for a new visitor visa to re-enter, as long as your authorization and visa are still active.
Who Needs a Visitor Visa
Anyone wishing to enter Canada who is not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or otherwise visa-exempt must obtain a visitor visa. Canadian permanent residents cannot apply for a visitor visa, even if their permanent resident card has expired; instead, they must apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD). Similarly, Canadian citizens, including those with dual citizenship, are not eligible to apply for a visitor visa and must travel using a valid Canadian passport. Additionally, if you are transiting through Canada or visiting for business purposes, but not as a temporary foreign worker, you may need a business visitor visa.
Visa-Exempt Countries
The only people, other than Canadian citizens and permanent residents, who do not require a visitor visa to enter Canada are individuals who are visa-exempt. Canada has agreements with many countries that exempt nationals of those nations from requiring a visa to visit Canada for a duration of up to six months. If foreign nationals from visa-exempt nations intend to enter Canada by air, they require a valid electronic travel authorization (eTA).
If they prefer to visit by land or by water, they only require their valid passport issued by a visa-exempt nation. The lone exception is citizens of the United States. The Canada-U.S. border is the longest undefended land border in the world, and thousands of Canadian and U.S. residents cross that border every day. U.S. citizens are free to go to Canada on a valid U.S. passport, and do not require a visiting visa or eTA, providing they are not remaining for a period longer than six months. U.S. permanent residents, or Green Card holders, are visa-exempt regardless of their nation of citizenship. They require an eTA to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport, and must exhibit a valid Green Card and a valid passport to enter Canada.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply in person at a Visa Application Center (VAC), online, or on paper if they require a visiting visa in order to enter Canada. Each family member, including dependent children, must complete their own application if you are traveling as a group. You may, nonetheless, submit each application individually. Depending on their citizenship, applicants may be asked to provide biometric data with their application. Should biometrics be necessary, the candidate must present their picture and fingerprints at a biometric collecting service location. When asked to do so, biometrics can be obtained after completing the visiting visa application online, or simultaneously if submitting in person at a Visa Application Center (VAC).
Extending a Visitor Visa
Foreign people are permitted to reside lawfully in Canada for a maximum of six months at a time on visitor visas, whether they be single entry or multiple entry. Your legal status will expire at the conclusion of this term, and you will have to depart Canada. If a foreign national wants to stay longer than six months, they have to apply while they are still considered temporary residents. At least thirty days before to the expiration of your status, you should submit an extension request. You may stay in Canada while you wait for a decision if your existing visa expires while your application for an extension is still being processed. We refer to this as inferred status. If you are qualified for one of Canada’s immigration schemes, you can also apply for the status of permanent resident.
Why Visitor Visas Get Denied
Visitor visas are frequently denied for a variety of reasons, including insufficient paperwork, unstable finances, criminal histories, health difficulties, hazy travel intentions, tenuous links to the nation of origin, fraud, overstaying records, or unlawful status. Please read our in-depth article, “Top Reasons Behind Canada Visitor Visa Refusals,” for a thorough explanation of these explanations as well as helpful advice on how to strengthen your visa application. You may get the advice you require there to improve your chances of getting your visa approved.
Canada Tourist Visa Requirements
- Application Form for Tourist Visa to Canada.
- Your bank statement or other financial records attesting to your ability to pay for the travel to Canada.
- A detailed schedule of your planned activities once in Canada, or a travel itinerary if you have already purchased your airline tickets.
- a letter of invitation from relatives or friends, if you are visiting them, for a Canada visa.
- Evidence of the connection if you are spending time with your relatives.
- the immigration status of your friends or relatives, if you are paying them a visit.
- statements from your friends’ or relatives’ banks, or other financial records, if you are paying them a visit.
- a declaration letter from you to the Canadian government outlining your justification for being granted a tourist visa.
- Two images that satisfy the requirements for the Canada Photo.
- Provide proof of your work or educational background in the form of a CV or diplomas, along with a letter from your employer indicating that you have work-related duties to complete and that you must return home.
- Evidence such as a lease or property deed attesting to the fact that your presence is just temporary and that you will return home once it expires.
- Evidence that you intend not to work or pursue studies in Canada.
- court records attesting to your spotless criminal record.
How to Apply for the Canadian Visitor Visa?
You, the applicant, must go through a number of documents and procedures in order to begin the Canada Visitor Visa application process. The following outlines the procedures for requesting a visiting visa to Canada:
- Verify if you qualify for a visitor’s visa to Canada.
- Finish the paperwork needed to obtain a tourist visa to Canada.
- Fill out the application for a tourist visa to Canada.
- Await processing before answering any more information queries.
- Send your passport for stamping.
What are the Canada Visitor Visa fees?
The application fee per person for a Canada Visitor Visa is CAD$100. If you also have to submit the biometrics, that will cost you an additional CAD$85. So together, the whole cost of just applying for this visa is CAD$185. In addition to this, you will also have to pay for the passport processing which will cost around CAD$45.
How long does it take to process a visitor visa to Canada?
The processing period for a visiting visa to Canada might vary from 8 to 40 days. Nevertheless, the duration of processing varies according on the nation in which you reside. As a result, the processing of your visitor visa will take around a month.
For what duration is a tourist visa to Canada valid?
Depending on the circumstances, the Canadian Consulate will determine how long to grant you a tourist visa to Canada. In certain situations, they grant you a visa solely for the period of time you wish to visit Canada; in other situations, they provide you a visa that lasts until the expiration of your passport. All of this is dependent on their perception of your likelihood of going back to your own nation.
You are not permitted to stay in Canada for longer than six months at a time, even during the period that your tourist visa is valid. Therefore, you have to go back to your native country after six months, remain there for a while, and then you may come back to Canada for another six months.
What Can I Do With a Tourist Visa to Canada?
If you are in excellent financial condition, you can travel throughout Canada for less than six months with a Canadian tourist visa. Obtaining Canadian documentation and residing there indefinitely are prohibited. In addition, you are not permitted to work or pursue further education, nor are you permitted to apply for government benefits like health insurance.
I have a tourist visa; may I bring my family with me to Canada?
You can enter Canada with your dependents, including your spouse and small children, if they have a tourist visa. They all need to submit separate applications, though, and pay different costs. To be processed as a family, you must submit all of your applications at once, either online or at the Visa Application Center.
Extension of Visitor Visa for Canada
You will require a visitor visa extension if you want to stay in Canada for more than six months while on a tourist visa. We refer to this extension as a Visitor Record.
At least 30 days before to the expiration of your visitor visa, you must file for a visa extension for Canada (visitor record).
