Millions of people visit Canada every year, whether to see friends or family or see if it’s the appropriate spot for a permanent move. A visit visa for Canada allows visitors to stay in the country for up to six months.
A tourist visa in Canada is also known as a visitor visa. Find out more about Canada tourist visas and Canada visitor visas in the sections below:
Initiative by Government
The Canadian government wants to attract young, skilled individuals to make Canada their home in the future years. While economic immigration to Canada grows more effectively and speedily, now may be the best time to visit and see what Canada has to offer!
You will need a visiting visa (also known as a Temporary Resident Visa or TRV) to enter the nation unless you are from a visa-exempt country. The TRV will be included in your application if you’re asking for a study permit or a work permit.
Visa-exempt nations are those with which Canada has agreements allowing their citizens and permanent residents to visit without requiring a visitor visa.
Canada – Visitors Visa
A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is commonly known as a visitor visa or a Canada tourist visa. It is a document provided by a Canadian visa office and placed in your passport verifying that you have met the requirements for temporary residency in Canada. (Either as a visitor, a student, or a worker).
Requirements for a Visitor Visa
Obtaining avisit visa for Canada requires applications to have the following things in check:
- Having a valid travel document is required (passport)
- You must be in good health and have no immigration-related convictions or criminal records to be eligible.
- Demonstrate that you have a job, a home, financial assets, or relatives in your native country and that you intend to return.
- Demonstrate that you plan to depart Canada at the end of your trip and that you have enough money to cover your expenses. This will vary depending on where you go and how long you stay.
What Should You Do if You’re from a Visa-exempt Country?
Visitors from visa-exempt nations are not required to get a visit visa for Canada to enter. Applicants who do not need a visa can stay in Canada for up to six months.
If you are flying to Canada by plane from a visa-exempt nation, you must have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) from the Canadian government. An eTA is not required for visa-exempt visitors entering Canada by land or sea. It’s worth noting that US nationals can travel in and out of Canada with their valid passport and no eTA!
Fortunately, applying for an eTA is inexpensive and straightforward. You can get an eTA by going to the Canadian government’s website, filling out the needed information, and paying CAD 7. eTA applications processing occurs in a matter of minutes. Still, it can take several days in some circumstances, so apply well ahead of time. An eTA is valid until your passport expires or for five years.
The Canadian government will automatically give you an eTA with your study or work permit if you are a temporary worker or student from a visa-exempt country.
Also Read: All You Need To Know About Visiting Canada On A Business Visa
Who Can Apply?
Visitors are individuals who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents and are lawfully permitted to enter Canada to visit Canada for a vacation, see relatives, do business, etc. In addition, visitors are limited in their stay and are subject to several limitations.
How to Extend Your Visa?
You must apply to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) while your visitor visa, commonly known as a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), is still valid. The TRV is a government-issued document that is entered into the foreign national’s passport by a Canadian visa office. This document verifies that you have met the requirements for temporary residency in Canada.
You must apply for a visitor record to extend your stay in Canada as a visitor. This document will have an expiration date after which you must either leave Canada or request another extension to stay lawfully in Canada. It’s crucial to remember that having a visitor record does not ensure that you’ll be able to return to Canada if you decide to leave.
You can stay in Canada until your current visiting visa expires while your request for an extension is being processed. This is known as “maintained status,” which used to be referred to as “implied status.”
During this time, your visitor status will be extended beyond its expiration date, and you will only be permitted to stay in Canada as a visitor.
If your visitor status has expired already, you may be able to reinstate it if you match the basic requirements and circumstances.
What Can I do to Assist a Family Member or Friend in Obtaining a Visa to Visit Canada?
Anyone planning a trip to Canada must first apply from outside the country. What your friend or family member requires is determined by the following factors:
- The type of travel document they will use; the country that issued their travel document.
- Their nationality; and the mode of transportation they will use to get to Canada.
Find out what documents they require before applying for a parent’s visa in Canada.
If your family member or acquaintance needs a guest visa, you can give them a letter of invitation to assist with their visa application. A letter of invitation may be helpful, but it does not guarantee that the individual will be granted a visa.
Sponsor Parents Visa Canada
You can sponsor your grandparents and parents to become permanent residents of Canada if you submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 and were invited to apply for the 2021 intake.
If you are to apply, you must submit and assess two applications for the parents visa Canada programme.
A sponsorship application, as well as the permanent residency application, are required.
If both applications are accepted, you’ll sign an undertaking that goes into effect the day the person you’re sponsoring becomes a PR of Canada.
As long as you have all your official reports in place, getting a visitor’s visa to Canada will be a hassle-free process.
