Canada is a country in the North American continent located right above the United States and is known as a highly developed country. The demand for people to travel to Canada has been steadily increasing in the last few years, but most people wonder how they can get to Canada.
People from countries that do not have a visa exemption or Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) agreement with Canada will need a visa to enter the country. More specifically, people from around 148 countries need a visa to visit, work, or immigrate to Canada.
Before you apply for a Canadian visa, you must first know which visa you want to apply for. Here are the types of Canada visas:
The permanent Canada visas are visas which allow the holder to permanently settle in the country. These are otherwise known as immigrant visas and can be of different types, as follows:
The Canada Express Entry Program is an electronic immigration program designed by the Government of Canada. It allows people from all over the world to apply for immigration to Canada based on their specific skills. The following are part of this program:
The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) visa is given to people who are qualified tradespeople in occupations such as:
The visa under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is given to people who have professions which are required in Canada. You must check what kind of occupations Canada needs at the point you are planning to apply and obtain the necessary points.
This visa under the Provincial Nominee Program is given to semi or low-skilled workers who can contribute to the Canadian economy though their work. The workers are placed in different provinces of Canada where the demand for their work is higher.
The Canadian Experience Class permanent visa is given to those who have a temporary student visa or a temporary workers visa and want to switch to a permanent resident status. They either have a Canadian education or work experience and have settled into Canadian society.
The Canada visa application process depends mostly on the visa type you need to apply for. To apply for a Canada visa, you need to go through these simple steps:
Once you have your visa, you can travel to Canada. At the point of entry, you will be asked to show your passport and documents. The officials will check them and ask a few questions about why you are going to Canada.
After you answer, they will make the decision whether to let you inside the country or not. The officials at the point of entry have the authority to not allow you inside Canada if they believe that you will commit crimes or not respect your visa restrictions. Having a Canadian visa does not guarantee that you will go to Canada, only the border officials are allowed to do that.
The Canada visa processing time varies for each specific case. It can take anywhere between two to four weeks, or even longer.
Your Canadian visa begins to process only after the Canadian authorities have received your complete application.
If they need you to get them additional documents, the processing time will be delayed.
If you have a family member or friend who is living abroad, and you want to bring them to visit Canada, you can write them a Letter of Invitation.
However, the Letter of Invitation does not guarantee that they will get a Canada visa. The visa will be processed on its own merit, but the letter may help. If you want to sponsor a family member to join you in Canada permanently or long-term, you can do so through the Canada Family Sponsorship Program.
If your Canada visitor visa is about to expire, and you want to stay longer, you have to apply for a visa extension. This is called a Canada Visitor Record.
You have to apply for a visa extension for Canada (visitor record) at least 30 days before your visitor visa expires.
Other than extending a tourist visa, you can change your study or work permit to a Visitor Record as well. However, a visitor record is only available while you are inside Canada. If you want to leave Canada and enter again, you will not be allowed entry with a visitor record.
The Canada visa fee depends on the type of visa you are applying for. There are also different types of fees you must pay, such as a processing fee and a biometrics fee.
A normal Visitor Visa fee, however, is $CAN100.
If your Canada visa application is rejected, you can re-apply again at anytime, provided that your rejection letter does not forbid you from re-applying. However, you can re-apply only if your situation has changed or you have additional information that may help you get a Canada visa approval.
As for appeals, there is no formal process to appeal a Canada tourist visa decision. Appeals are only available for refugee and permanent residency applications. They are processed by the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD).
Yes, most visa applicants have to give their biometrics (fingerprints and picture) when applying for a Canada visa, regardless of the type of visa being applied for.