Visit

Visitor Visa

Every year, nearly 50 million people visit Canada. You can visit Canada as a tourist, to see family and friends, or to do business. Whether you plan on visiting Canada for a few days or several months, you must meet some important immigration requirements.

In order to enter Canada, most people will need a TRV.

A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), also referred to as an ‘visitor’s visa’ or ‘entry visa’, is a document that is placed in your passport and used to enter or re-enter Canada.

It can be a single or a multiple entry visa. A single entry visa will allow you to enter Canada once during the authorized time. For example, if your temporary resident visa (TRV) has been approved for a six month period and you decide to leave one month into your stay in Canada, you will not be able to enter again using the same visa.

A multiple entry visa provides you the opportunity to enter Canada as many times as you wish during the duration of your visa. Therefore, if you receive a temporary resident visa for several months or years, you are eligible to come and go from Canada during that time without having to make another application.

Effective February 6, 2014, all visa applications are automatically considered for a multiple entry visa. Therefore, even if you apply for a single entry visa, you may qualify for a multiple entry.

Please note that the validity date is NOT the suggested duration of the visit. At the port of entry, a CBSA officer will determine how long you are permitted to stay in Canada.

Do not forget that in any case you are applying for a temporary document and visa officer, as well as CBSA officer will wish to see the temporary nature of your stay in all aspects of your application.

Super Visa or Parents/Grandparents Visa

Launched in December 2011, Super visa is a multi-entry visa allowing two years stay in Canada, without the need to renew, and can be issued for up to ten years. It is issued for parents and grandparents who wish to visit their children and grandchildren in Canada who are Permanent residents or Canadian citizensNote: Applicants cannot include dependants in this application.

There are specific requirements that potential visitors  must meet to be able to get a super visa.

The applicants must show:

  • a letter of invitation from their child or grandchild
  • proof of their relationship to the child or grandchild such as : a copy of the child’s or grandchild’s birth certificate; a copy of the child’s or grandchild’s baptismal certificate, or other official document naming the applicant as the parent;
  • proof from their child or grandchild that he or she meets the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)
  • most recent copy of the notice of assessment , most recent copy of the child or grandchild’s T4 or T1, original letter from the child or grandchild’s employer stating their job title, job description and salary;
  • Child or grandchild’s employment insurance pay stubs.

Income Table
Effective from January 1 to December 31, 2018

Your child or grandchild may use the following income scale to assess their ability to meet the income requirements.

Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)

Size of Family Unit                                  Minimum necessary income

1 person (your child or grandchild)          $24,949

2 persons                                                   $31,061

3 persons                                                   $38,185

4 persons                                                   $46,362

5 persons                                                   $52,583

6 persons                                                   $59,304

7 persons                                                   $66,027

More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add
$6,723

  • proof of a medical examination and of being admissible on health grounds.
  • ties to their home country (e.g. job, property, finances, family or work related obligations etc.)
  • medical insurance

One of the very important and mandatory requirements is to purchase medical insurance  from a Canadian insurance company, that meets the minimum requirements and covers applicants for at least 1 year.

Applicants should purchase medical insurance before submitting their Super Visa application. The coverage must be for a minimum of $100,000.

At the port of entry visitors must be able to show to the officer their  proof of private medical insurance that covers health care, hospital costs and their return to their home country, and is valid for each entry into Canada.

The policy must have a minimum duration of one year. Applicants can choose the date of the insurance policy. However the date when parents or grandparents come  to Canada, should be the first day of insurance protection policy. The one year coverage should start from that day.

Publications

Biometrics

Starting from July 31, 2018 applicants for TRV will need to provide biometrics (fingerprints and photo) when entering Canada. Applicants will need to go in person to give their biometrics. Most will do this at a visa application centre (VAC) before they come to Canada.

Temporary resident visa, study and work permit applicants only need to give biometrics once every 10 years. However, permanent residence applicants will need to give biometrics with each application.

Travellers from visa exempt countries who are coming to Canada as tourists with a valid Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) will not be required to provide biometrics. For a full list of biometric exemptions, please see Citizenship and Immigration Canada website here

Extensions/Restorations

If you have been granted a Visitor Visa and would like to remain in Canada beyond the expiration date of the approved initial Visitor Visa, you must apply for an extension  (this is also referred to as a Visitor Record.)

It is important to do so in advance, as you might provide officers the time to consider your application before your legal status expires. You must apply 30 days before your status in Canada expires.

In addition to visitor visa extension, you may also apply for:

  • student permit extension
  • work permit extension
  • change your permit type (for example, from a work permit to a study permit)
  • change of your permit conditions (changing jobs, changing schools etc.)

If a visitor, worker or student has lost their status, they may apply to reinstate or restore their status in accordance with section 182 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

Note: This regulation only applies if the temporary resident has not been out of status for more than 90 days, and they have not failed to comply with the specified conditions

Inviting your family to visit you in Canada

If a family member (such as a parent) requires a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) and wants to come visit an international student in Canada temporarily – for example, to attend graduation ceremony – the student can provide documents to assist them with their TRV application.

It may be possible for an international student’s  family members to come live with them in Canada during the duration of their studies.

Your spouse or common-law partner may apply for a Work Permit if you are a full-time student and you have a valid Study Permit.  Your spouse/partner will not require a job offer to apply, and his/her permit will be valid for the same period as your study permit.

Eligibility

Your spouse or common-law partner may apply for a work permit if:

  • you are a full-time student at:
    -a public post-secondary institution, such as a college or university or collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) in Quebec
    -private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as a public institution, and receives at least 50 percent of its financing for its overall operations from government grants (currently, only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify) or
    -a Canadian private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees
  • you have a valid study permit or
  • you have a valid work permit
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