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CANADA VISITOR VISA GUIDE

Visitors are persons who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada, and are legally authorized to enter Canada to:

  1. visit Canada on holiday (vacation),

  2. visit family,

  3. conduct business, etc.

Visitors are restricted in length of stay and subject to various conditions.

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Do I need a Temporary Resident Visa?

Persons who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada may require a visa to enter Canada. The requirement for a visa also applies to temporary residents who are transiting in Canada. Find out if you need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or a visitor visa. If you do not require a visa to enter Canada, you may require an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). Find out if you need an eTA.
 

What are the requirements you must meet for a TRV?

You must show the officer that you meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and that you will be in Canada for a temporary stay.

You must also:

  • satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your stay,

  • show that you have enough money to maintain yourself and your family members in Canada and to return home,

  • not intend to work or study in Canada unless authorized to do so,

  • be law abiding and have no record of criminal activity,

  • not be a risk to the security of Canada,

  • provide any additional document requested by the officer to establish your admissibility, and

  • be in good health (may need to complete a medical examination).

What is a Visitor Record ?

On arriving in Canada as a visitor, you need to have at least one of these documents to enter:

  1. A visitor visa (also known as a temporary visa)

  2. An electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

  3. A valid passport or a travel document

 

Suppose you want to extend the length of your stay in Canada. Maybe it’s because you want to spend more time with your family, or fell sick, or simply because of a border lockdown due to a pandemic situation.

 

In such cases, you need to apply for a visitor record. A visitor record is not a visa; rather, it is a temporary document that has the details and conditions of your stay in Canada.

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What Are the Contents of a Visitor Record Document?

A copy of your visitor record document shall contain the following information:

  1. A document number for identification of the person

  2. An imposed condition stating what he/she can and cannot do while temporarily staying in Canada

  3. An important notice is saying that a visitor document is by no means a document for re-entry in the country, and it surely does not replace a TRV.

 

For clarity, you can look at a sample visitor record document from the IRCC website.

How Can I Receive a Visitor Record?

When you decided to travel to Canada, a Boarding Services Officer (BSO) decides the official timeline of your stay in the country. But you will not receive a visitor record if the BSO grants six months for your visit. However, there is an exception to this case, and you will get a visitor record under the following circumstances:

  1. The timeline of your visit is far less than six months

  2. Imposing a condition that prevents you from working while you stay in Canada

  3. Preventing the visitor from any educational activity as it is out of the conditions of the paperwork to reside in Canada on a TRV

  4. Asking your report back about your departure from Canada to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA)

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Contact us to apply / extend your a visitor record in Canada

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