Canada Visitor Visas / Tourist Visas
A visitor means a person who is lawfully in Canada, or seeks to come into Canadafor a temporary purpose (such as work, study or visit) and who is not a Canadiancitizen, permanent resident or the holder of a minister’s permit.
Every visitor, unless exempted, must apply for and obtain a visa before appearingat a Port of Entry (POE). All visitors who are required to obtain a visa must bein possession of the visa when they appear at a POE.
The Canadian visitor visa application involves a two-step process:
First Step: The foreign national must first submit a visitvisa application to the responsible Canadian visa office in the country or regionwhere they reside. At this time, the applicant may need to attend an interview wherethe visa officer will verify the applicant’s reasons for visiting Canada, the applicant’sability or willingness to leave Canada within the visa validity date and the applicant’soverall admissibility to Canada.
Second Step: Once a visit visa has been issued, the applicantmay land in Canada. At the port of entry an immigration officer will question theapplicant to ensure admissibility.
A visitor visa may be for single entry or multiple entry use. Single entry visasmay be issued up to six months before the expected date of travel. The maximum validitydate for multiple entry visitor visas is up to five (5) years or one month priorto the expiry date on the passport/re-entry visa, whichever is earlier. POE officerswill routinely grant entry for a period of six months to a person requesting entryas a visitor.
A foreign national who has an immigrant visa already in process is not prohibitedfrom applying for a temporary resident visa.
Citizens of the following countries and territories require a Visa to VISIT or TRANSIT Canada
Additional requirements for citizens of certain countries
If you are a national of a country or territory listed below, you will need to appearin person to have your fingerprints and photograph (biometric information)taken when you apply for a:
- temporary resident visa,
- study permit, or
- work permit.
CIC will start to collect this information from people on a mandatory basis in September2013. By December 2013, biometric screening will be mandatory for all temporaryresident applicants who are a national of a country or territory listed below. Thefollowing are the proposed dates when mandatory collection of biometric informationwill begin:
September 2, 2013: October 15, 2013: - Albania
- Algeria
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Eritrea
- Libya
- Nigeria
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tunisia
December 7, 2013: - Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Cambodia
- Egypt
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Palestinian Authority
These dates are subject to change. Visit this website in spring 2013 to confirmwhen this will take effect for you.
Citizens of the following countries and territories are visa exempt
K L M N - Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
P S - St. Helena (conditons apply)
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Solomon Islands
- Spain
- Sweden
- Slovenia
- Switzerland
T U - United Kingdom: British citizens and British overseas citizens (Re-admissible to the UK)
- United States citizens and permanent residents (with evidence of permanent residence)
W Other exemptions:
Citizens of British dependent territories: You do not need a visa to visit or transitin Canada if you are a citizen of a British dependent territory who derives theircitizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of theBritish dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, CaymanIslands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turksand Caicos Islands.
British National (Overseas): You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canadaif you hold a British National (Overseas) passport issued by the United Kingdomto persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong.
British Subjects: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you holda British Subject passport issued by the United Kingdom which contains the observationthat the holder has the right of abode in the United Kingdom.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: You do not need a visa to visit or transitin Canada if you hold a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passportissued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic ofChina.
Holy See: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a passportor travel document issued by the Holy See.
Taiwan: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold an ordinarypassport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes yourpersonal identification number.
Israel: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a nationalIsraeli passport.
Lithuania: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a biometricpassport (e-passport) issued by Lithuania.
Poland: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a biometricpassport (e-passport) issued by Poland.
Contact Us
Please feel free to contact us to discuss your various immigration options, visa categories and study opportunities. We will be more than happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have. Read our
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