Temporary Resident Visa of Canada (Visit Visa) Process

Obtaining a visitor’s visa or temporary resident visa (TRV) to Canada is not very difficult. A visitor visa (also known as a temporary resident visa) is an official document that is affixed to your passport. These documents meet the requirements for your entry into Canada.

Most travelers need a visitor’s visa to travel to Canada. You may also need to pass through a Canadian airport on your way to your destination. You can apply for a visitor visa online or on paper. To be eligible for the visa, you need to prove visa officer many things such as:

• financial means to support your stay in Canada,
• criminal record,
• travel purpose,
• sponsor letters from the host,
• you need to show that you have a strong and appropriate relationship with your own country to convince an officer that you will leave Canada after your visa expires.

Basic requirements for a Temporary Visitor’s visa

For Canadian TRV, you will need:

• A valid passport or a legitimate travel document
• Letter of invitation from your host in Canada and your medical test(if required)
• You are in good health (medically fit)
• Enough financial support to bear your expenses in Canada. It depends on your conditions such as: how long you will stay and if you will stay in a hotel, or with relatives or friends
• You should be able to convince the immigration service officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your trip, Convince the immigration officer that you have a relationship – such as a job, home, financial assets, or family that will take you back to your country
• The most important thing is that you have a clean history record and have no immigration-related convictions
• Some people are restricted from entering Canada such as those who are involved in criminal activities, people who participate in organized crimes, and people who violate human rights
• Details of hotel bookings if you are traveling for sightseeing

Category-wise Required Documents

Personal documents

• Personal passport with more than 6 months of expiry duration
• Visa application form (make sure which version to choose either online or on paper) Click here to download the visa form
• Passport sized photographs
• Family details if married and have children

Trip documents

• Cover letter mentioning your full details of the planned trip
• Accommodation proof for an intended stay in Canada
• Return ticket reservation proof
• Any reservations that you have made for your other visits during your stay in Canada

Financial documents

• Complete details of your personal or sponsored financial status
• Job confirmation letter in case you work full or part-time
• Salary slips of last six months (optional but extremely important)
• Bank bank statements
• Any traveler’s cheques or bonds
• Holidays approval letter from your employer
• Income tax returns of previous years (options but important)
• Business details if you are self-employed
• Business registration certificate
• Details of tax your company or business entity pays
• National tax number
• Any agreement details if the business is divided into partners
• Visiting card with details of business email and contact numbers
• In case you get the visa, who will bear your responsibilities in your absence
• Business and personal bank statements
• Other income sources

Ties documents

• You must present proper documents that show that you have ties with your country of origin
• For married people, marriage registration certificates and children’s birth certificates
• For single people, any property proofs, job, or study bonding 

Visitor visa length to stay in Canada

Usually, the TRV allows you to stay in Canada for six months. However, the border officer has the right to increase or decrease this duration range. If so, they will put the date you need to go in your passport. They can also provide you visitor’s record, which will show you the date of the notification. If you do not receive a stamp on your passport, you can stay for up to 6 months from the day you enter Canada or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. If you need a stamp, you can ask a Border Services officer for it. If you arrive at an airport that uses an essential inspection kiosk, ask the border officer after the kiosk is finished.

Visitor visa fee and application processing time

The temporary visitor’s visa fee in Canada is $100 (please always check before applying as it is subject to change prior notice). Depending on your situation, you may need to pay a third party such as VFS Global to submit your fingerprints and biometric photographs. Your clinical examination, police certificate, etc.

Who needs a temporary visitor visa?

You must make sure that you do need to have a temporary visitor’s visa to enter or visit Canada. Some may require an electronic travel authority eTA. This depends on the entry you need:

• The kind of journey documents you plan to travel with
• The country that issued your tour documents
• Your nationality

People in some countries do not need a visitor’s visa and they have to apply instead of an electronic travel authority. This can be applied online for a processing fee of CAD 7. To know if you need an electronic travel authority, click here. To apply for the eTA online, click here.

Application process

There are two ways to apply for a temporary visitor’s visa. You can apply it online from your computer at home. The second way is to go to the nearest Visa Application Center in your submit it.

Who can’t apply for a visitor’s visa online?

If you are using one of the following travel documents from a visa-exempt country, you must apply on paper.

• alien’s passport for stateless persons
• other refugee travel documents for non-citizens

Description if you are not applying online

• Get the application package (the visa and declaration forms).
• The application package consists of an instruction guide and all the forms you need to fill out.
• Please read the guide cautiously earlier than completing your application. Your application fee will not be refunded so think first and make sure you need a visitor visa before applying.
• Each applicant must submit a complete application form. Applicants under the age of 18 must have this form signed by a parent or guardian.
• Pay your application fee

In most cases, your fees include processing fees for you and everyone you include in your application. You must pay a biometrics fee when you apply. Otherwise, you may face delays.

Submit your application

Send your requests to the family in one package. Principal candidates must send this joint package to the place where their application will be processed. Select the country/region from which you are applying to find out where to submit your application. You can choose the country of your nationality or the country/territory where you are residing legally. If you need to provide biometrics (fingerprints and photographers), and you are applying on paper, submit your application in person. VAC staff will check that it has been completed and verify that you have paid the correct fee before giving your biometrics.

After your application submit

You may need to provide your biometrics (fingerprints and photographs) when applying for a visitor visa in Canada. If you need to provide your biometrics with your application, you will have to visit your nearest Visa Application Center (VAC) in person. After paying the biometrics fees and submitting the application online, you will receive a letter stating that you need to provide your biometrics. Your application will be checked to ensure you have all the necessary documents. If it is incomplete, it will be returned without processing. You may be asked to go for an interview with the officials in your country. You may also be asked to present more documents. In addition, the following items may be requested.

• Medical examination (if required)
• Police Certificate (if required)

Most requests are processed in a few weeks or less. The processing time relies upon the visa application center’s destination. Your passport and other original documents are returned to you after your application has been processed. If the original bank statement or any documents turn out to be fake, you will not be returned. If your application is approved, the visa will be stamped in your passport. If your request is denied, an explanation will be sent to you stating why your application has been turned down.

You arrive in Canada

A legitimate visitor visa and journey document does not guarantee that you will be capable of entering Canada. Consent of the immigration clearance officer is a must for you to enter the country.

If you pass an identification check and meet entry requirements, the Border Services Officer can stamp your passport or tell you how long you can stay in Canada. You are usually allowed to stay in Canada for 6 months.

Children under the age of 18

Children under the age of 18 must travel with legitimate documents and meet the same entry requirements as adults. The Border Services Officer may have to show other documents to minors depending on whether the child is traveling alone or with someone.

Step by step information for applying the visit visa online and on paper

It is up to you which visa application method you choose for submitting your documents to the Canadian embassy or mission in your country of origin. Currently, there are two ways you can apply for a temporary resident visa (visit/tourist visa):

1- Paper-based application

This is not that hard to understand that a paper-based visa application simply means that you apply for a visa by first downloading and filling in the visa application form and then submitting it to the embassy. These steps will help you to understand the process better:

Step 1. Download the visa application form here. Fill it in with your laptop or computer. Print the form with its bar-code pages on a white clean and good quality paper (ideally on A4/100gm). Sign the visa form and place the bar code page on the top.

Step 2. Gather all the above-mentioned documents. Be sure to follow the instructions mentioned above in case you are self-employed or employed. You may have to bring an extra photocopy of all of your attached documents for the embassy. All documents must be original.

Step 3. All hotel and return air ticket bookings must be reservations and the embassy never says that you have to apply for them. It’s your onus to choose the right and authenticated types of services for you.

Step 4. You will also have to give your biometrics (fingerprints and biometric photos). So must get an appointment first to submit your bio-metric at the visa application centers. Check here if you also need to give biometrics.

Step 5. Once gathered all these documents, you can visit the visa application center in your country of origin to submit the visit visa application for Canada. Here is a list of all Canadian embassies, consulates, and high commissions all over the world.

Step 6. Pay the visa application fees at the visa application center. Currently, the visa application fee is C$100. It also changes with the passage of time. So always check here the latest rates.

Important note: In case you face difficulty in filling in the visa application form, you can get help from the designated visa application centers where you are going to submit your visa application. The staff there can help you fill out the application by charging you hourly fees. Please do let them know in advance that you need this service from them. Visa application centers such as VFS Global charge an extra amount for their services. Be sure to carry enough local currency to avail of these services.

2- E-application/Online application

This simply means, you sit back home, apply online at the Canada IRCC website, pay the fees online, upload the documents, and then get the decision of approval or visa rejection. Step-by-step information is here:

Step 1. Fill in the online visa application form. But first, you will have to create an account online to proceed forward. Click here to access the online visa application portal. Fill in your all details and upload the required documents.

Step 2. Once your application has been submitted online, it shows within 5 days in your online account that you have created for this purpose. If it does not show, contact the relevant authority for online errors. After submitting the online application, you will receive a biometric instruction letter (BIL). You will have to get an appointment first to submit your biometrics first and then on the given day, reach there to submit your biometrics. Do not forget to take with you your passport and BIL.

Step 3. After having your biometrics submitted, you will wait for the further process. Once your application has been processed, you will receive an email and a letter to confirm that you can submit your passport to get the visa stamped on it. If you are not sure of having emails received by IRCC, regularly check out your MyCIC (your online account) for any emails or notifications. After receiving this letter, you can visit the embassy or visa application center with the original passport and the letter you have received.