Visitor Visa

Visitor Visa is a Temporary Resident Visa. Visitor Visas are issued for applicants who need visa to travel to Canada as a visitor. Some of the most common reasons to visit Canada is being a tourist, visit a family member or relatives, attend conferences and congresses, or take short-term courses (6 months or less). This visa is issued as a single or multiple entry. All candidates need to have a Canadian visa of a sort to enter Canada except Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Since 2014, mostly all applications are processed as multiple entry visas automatically which does not require any separate application or visa fee. The Visa Officer is the final decision maker on the type and duration of the candidate’s visa. If a person is a citizen or permanent resident of Canada and his/her friend or family plans to visit him/her, that person must arrange and send them an invitation. Providing an invitation may be considered as a positive point for a family visit, however, it will not guarantee the visa decision.

Types of Visitor Visa

There are different types of Visitor Visa that you can apply for, depending on your travel reason.

The main difference between the types of Visitor Visa is their validity period and length of allowed stay in Canada.

Visitor visa – Single Entry

This visa is just valid for one entry. It means that after the candidates leave Canada, they do not have permission to enter Canada again and must apply again to obtain a new visa.

Visitor visa – Multiple Entry

This visa is issued as multiple entries and is normally valid until the passport expiry date.

According to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, after obtaining the visa, the candidate can stay in Canada for up to six months in each entry. The candidates can extend their visa if a convincing reason is provided to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada.

Super visa

This multi- entry visa is only issued to parents and grandparents to visit their children or grandchildren in Canada. Parents and grandparents can stay in Canada for up to 2 years in each entry with super visa.

The applicant must be at least 18 years old and the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. To be eligible for a super visa, the child or grandchild of the applicant must provide financial support and medical insurance of at least $100,000 coverage along with other supporting documents.

Transit visa

If the applicant is required to apply for a visa to enter Canada and they do not have a visitor visa, they are required to apply for a transit visa to transit through Canada (on their way to another country when the flight stops at a Canadian airport).

Requirements to apply for a Visitor Visa

One of the most important requirements for a Canadian Visitor Visa is that the candidates have family, financial or any other ties to their country of residence and can provide related evidence with their visa application.

By providing these documents, you will show the officer that you do not intend to stay in Canada permanently and you will leave Canada after your visit.

How to apply for a Visitor Visa?

The candidate can apply online or in-person which depends on the candidate’s circumstances. If you apply online, you will be provided a file number as soon as you submit the application and you can check the application status anytime.

Applicants from some countries need to provide their biometrics after submitting their applications. Providing fingerprints must be done in one of the VAC offices outside Canada.

Important points to consider for visitor visa

The candidate should gather all required supporting documents and provide accurate information/ documents to Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada.
The documents which are not in English or French should be translated accurately to one of these languages.
Biometrics must be completed within 30 days from the date of the Biometric Instruction Letter.
When a decision is made on the application, a passport request letter will be sent to the applicant. The candidate’s passport should be sent to the visa office within 30 days.

General Required Documents for visitor visa

Identity documents
Financial documents
Property Title deeds
Work experience documents
Travel history
Invitation letter
Educational documents (if applicable)
Translated documents

Visitor Visa Fee

The cost of applying for a Canada Visitor Visa is $100 CAD. Biometric fee if required is also $85 CAD.

Change Visitor Visa to Work Permit

The candidates should know that Visitor Visa does not change to Work Permit, but if the candidate enters Canada by Visitor Visa, and he/she can get a job offer from a Canadian employer, he/she can apply for a Work Permit.

After the candidate gets a job offer, he/she must leave Canada and after obtaining a Work Permit, he/she can enter Canada by Work Permit.

In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada announced that applicants who holds a valid visitor visa and are in Canada and has a job offer from a Canadian employer, do not need to leave Canada to apply for a work permit. This was a temporary decision for applicants who meets all the mentioned requirements and is not applicable to any other visitor visa holders.

Change Visitor Visa to Study Permit

According to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, if a candidate enters Canada as a visitor and gets admitted to one of the Designated Learning Institutions, he/she will be able to extend their status as a student and remain in Canada if they meet the requirements for a study permit.

It should be noted that a Visitor Visa cannot be changed to Student Visa. If the candidate obtains a Student Visa, his/her Visitor Visa is still valid until the expiry date of the visa.

Validity of Visitor Visa

Single Entry: six months
Multiple Entry: Depends on the validity of candidates’ passport.
Super Visa: Depends on the validity of candidates’ passport.

Visitor Visa Refusal

In some cases, the candidates’ visa application may be refused. The most important grounds can be mentioned as following:

The officer may not be satisfied that the candidate will leave Canada at the end of their stay
The officer may not be satisfied with the candidate’s purpose of travel.
Lack of sufficient travel history
Lack of adequate financial documents
Lack of strong family or financial ties to the candidate country of origin