What is a Visitor’s Visa?
Formally known as a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is a document issued by the Case Processing Centre – Ottawa (CPC-O) to persons wishing to enter Canada such as visitors (tourists), students, and workers; the document is stamped into the individual’s respective passport and entitles the bearer entry into Canada and stay for the duration as allotted in the TRV (the number of entries into the country might be limited depending on the passport). Persons of different nationalities will require different documents to enter Canada such as an eTA or visitor’s visa.
Who needs eTA and who needs a Visitor Visa?
Persons of different nationalities are required to present different documents in order to enter Canada. Citizens of the United States are exempt from applying for an eTA or a visitor’s visa or even bringing a passport to the border crossing – though it is highly recommended you do so as to facilitate a streamlined and hassle free movement. Citizens of most other nationalities that are Green Card holders of the United States only require an eTA to enter Canada; however, citizens of most other nationalities that are not Green Card Holder of the United States do require a visa to enter Canada. British citizens also require an eTA to enter Canada, with the exception of Queen Elizabeth II.
Permanent Resident Card (PR) holders cannot be issued a TRV. If you a PR holder outside Canada with an expired PR card, you will need to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document and see if you meet the requirements. If you do not meet the requirements or no longer wish to be Permanent Resident of Canada, you can volunteer to renounce your PR status and apply for a TRV in its place.
Applying for an eTA
Applying for an eTA is an online process that requires a valid passport in hand. This can be done by logging onto the Immigration Canada website, navigate to the eTA link, and launch the tool plug in. The eTA application process will usually take about 20 minutes for each passenger. If you are parent or guardian and are applying for a minor on his/her behalf use the same eTA application package/tool.
Applying for a Temporary Resident Visa (visitor’s visa)
Apart from the physical documents required to obtain a visitor’s visa, there are other criteria which also need to be fulfilled. These will be mainly checked by the immigration officer that will interview you upon entry across the Canadian Border. Such aspects include (but not always limited too):
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Have a valid travel document in hand with you and readily available when asked for
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Passports and travel documents issued by the following States are not recognized by the Canadian Government and cannot be used as valid travel document for use into Canada:
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Passports issued by Somalia
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Non-machine readable passports issued by the Czech Republic
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Temporary passports issued by the South African Republic
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Provisional passports issued by Venezuela
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Be in sound health
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Have no criminal charges on record. If you do so, you will need to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
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Be able to convince an immigration officer that you have ties back to where you came from and you will return back at the end of your stay. This is often the hardest part of applying for a TRV and it is strongly suggested you take the help of law firm for this process
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State where you will reside during your stay and have enough financial capabilities to support yourself during your stay
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A medical exam, such as checking for TB, may be required for entry into Canada
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A letter of invitation may be required as well
What do I need to Apply for to Enter Canada as a Visitor?
You will be asked to present entry documents at the border crossing. Entry documents for visiting Canada can either be an eTA or a visitor visa. A visa can be of two types, a Single entry Visa which entitles you entry to Canada only ONCE, after which exit from the country will render the visa useless. Second is the Multiple Entries Visa, which allows you to enter Canada usually six months at a time for 10 years, after which the visa will expire. The term of your stay is determined by the border service officers or the immigration officers at the port of entry. The term will be specified on your passport and visa.
If you are a Permanent Resident of Canada, you must travel with your PR Card when you travel using a commercial vehicle; this includes aircraft, marine vehicles, or land transport.
Physically applying for a visitor’s visa will require you to mail to CPC Ottawa. Contact us for a consultation on what to send with application package to give you the best successful results.
Travel and Transit through Canada
If you are foreign national and require a visa to visit Canada, then you need a Transit Visa to travel through Canada without stopping or visiting – regardless of how short your stopover or stay in Canada is. Transit visa are free, contact us to find out if you require a transit visa and/or are a foreign national of a non-exempt visa country.
If you are a foreign national and require an eTA to enter Canada then you also need an eTA to transit through Canada without stopping or visiting. The cost of an eTA is $7 (Canadian)
You may not be required to have an eTA or transit visa if you are travelling to and from the United States. The TWOV and CTP programs offer certain exceptions. Contact Akrami & Associates to discuss if you are eligible for this exception the Transit without the Visa Program (TWOV) or the China Transit Program (CTP).
Final Stages for eTA or Visitor Visa
Upon approval of your eTA, you will be notified through your email address. From that point, your eTA is valid for 5 years and can be used to enter Canada (if you are a foreign national of a visa exempt country), you are allowed to stay in Canada after any one entry for a period of six months or unless specified by the border services officer upon your arrival into Canada.
You might be required to perform a medical exam, and present a police certificate for members of you passenger group who are above 18 years of age. An interview might also be required should the visa office thinks it is necessary – although you should always treat it as good possibility and keep yourself mentally prepared, the visa office will notify you well in advance if any of the above are required for your visa application process.
If your application was successful, there will a Canadian visa stamped inside your passports when you receive them back from the visa office.
Contact Akrami & Associates
If your application was refused, you will receive a letter of explanation of why your application was refused along with your retuned original documents and passports. You may re-apply if you believe your situation has changed substantially enough to yield a positive result this time. Continuous negative results can lead to difficulty when applying for a Permanent Resident Status in Canada. Therefore, it is recommended to get the assistance of a Law Firm to have a higher rate of success with either temporary or permanent matters to Canada.
Contacts us at Akrami and Associates to determine the best route to take that is best fitted for your situation.
With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!