06/09/2022
Do I need a Visa to visit Canada?
You do not need a Visa to visit Canada on vacation or if you are a visa-exempt national, but if you intend to work, study, or stay in Canada for an extended period then you need to apply for a Visa. There are many types of visas you can apply for that fit into your specific needs as either a temporary resident, student, business visitor, fiance, refugee, or immigrant.
To find the right Canadian immigration option, you have to decide which of the four categories you fit into: individual, family, businessperson, or investor looking to immigrate. Learn more about the options available to you during this process.
What are the different types of Canadian Visas by number of entries?
When categorizing the different types of Canadian Visas by number of entries, it’s important to note that there are only two: single entry and multiple entry.
A single entry visa allows you to travel to Canada once during the validity period. Learn more about single entry visas.
A multiple entry visa can be issued for a maximum period of 10 years or 1 month before the expiry date on your passport (whichever is earlier) and allows you to re-enter Canada as many times as you want during the validity period. Learn more about multiple entry visas.
As these are both types of visitor visas, you should know that the maximum period of stay allowed for a visitor in Canada is 6 months from the date of arrival.
Single Entry Visa
A single entry visa allows you to travel to Canada once during the validity period. To learn more about single entry visas, click here.
Multiple Entry Visa
A multiple entry visa can be issued for a maximum period of 10 years or 1 month before the expiry date on your passport (whichever is earlier) and allows you to re-enter Canada as many times as you want during the validity period. Learn more about multiple entry visas.
What are the different types of Canadian Visas?
The different types of Canadian Visas for individuals, families, businesses, and investors include temporary residence and permanent residence. Within these two categories, there are the visa types of visitor visas, student visas, work visas, business immigrant visas, and visas part of the express entry program.
There are several types of visas depending on your familial situation, what you plan to do in Canada, and how long you plan to stay for.
What's in this guide?
Do I need a Visa to visit Canada?
You do not need a Visa to visit Canada on vacation or if you are a visa-exempt national, but if you intend to work, study, or stay in Canada for an extended period then you need to apply for a Visa. There are many types of visas you can apply for that fit into your specific needs as either a temporary resident, student, business visitor, fiance, refugee, or immigrant.
To find the right Canadian immigration option, you have to decide which of the four categories you fit into: individual, family, businessperson, or investor looking to immigrate. Learn more about the options available to you during this process.
What are the different types of Canadian Visas by number of entries?
When categorizing the different types of Canadian Visas by number of entries, it’s important to note that there are only two: single entry and multiple entry.
A single entry visa allows you to travel to Canada once during the validity period. Learn more about single entry visas.
A multiple entry visa can be issued for a maximum period of 10 years or 1 month before the expiry date on your passport (whichever is earlier) and allows you to re-enter Canada as many times as you want during the validity period. Learn more about multiple entry visas.
As these are both types of visitor visas, you should know that the maximum period of stay allowed for a visitor in Canada is 6 months from the date of arrival.
Single Entry Visa
A single entry visa allows you to travel to Canada once during the validity period. To learn more about single entry visas, click here.
Multiple Entry Visa
A multiple entry visa can be issued for a maximum period of 10 years or 1 month before the expiry date on your passport (whichever is earlier) and allows you to re-enter Canada as many times as you want during the validity period. Learn more about multiple entry visas.
What are the different types of Canadian Visas?
The different types of Canadian Visas for individuals, families, businesses, and investors include temporary residence and permanent residence. Within these two categories, there are the visa types of visitor visas, student visas, work visas, business immigrant visas, and visas part of the express entry program.
There are several types of visas depending on your familial situation, what you plan to do in Canada, and how long you plan to stay for. My Visa Source can help you figure out which visa is the best for you and your specific case.
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What are the different types of temporary visas in Canada?
Do you want to visit Canada? Travel to beautiful places, visit tourist sites, family members and friends? A visitor visa allows foreign nationals like yourself to enter Canada as a visitor.
Whether you are an international student looking to study, a temporary worker looking to work, or visiting for tourism, you are required to apply for a visitor visa for your temporary stay in Canada. Learn more here.
What is a temporary resident visa?
If you want to enter Canada and you are not a visa-exempt, then you must apply for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). A TRV is an official document issued by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that shows that you have fulfilled all the requirements to be eligible to become a temporary Canadian resident.
A TRV can be issued for a single entry or multiple-entry. The duration of stay allowed is determined on a case by case basis. For tourists, the maximum period of admittance is 6 months. For foreign workers and international students, the duration of stay is dependent on their case. You can apply for a visitor Visa extension from within Canada.
To be eligible for a TRV you must be 18 or older, hold a valid government-issued passport or travel document, have all documentation in either English or French, not be inadmissible for reasons such as criminality or medical, have required funds to cover your stay, attend an interview and provide biometric information if required, submit copies of your current immigration status, and demonstrate that your stay in Canada will be temporary and you will return at the end of your authorized stay.
Tourist Visa
A tourist visa, also known as a visitor visa, allows foreign nationals to enter Canada as a visitor. Whether you are an international student looking to study, a temporary worker looking to work, or visiting for tourism, you are required to apply for a visitor visa for your temporary stay in Canada.
Canada’s beauty and sights make it a wonderful tourist destination. Learn more tourist visas and the different types available.
What is a Super Visa?
The Super Visa is designed for visiting parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. The Super Visa is specially created for allowing parents and grandparents to visit and stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to 2 years without the need for any extensions. It is a multiple entry visa that remains valid for up to 10 years and allows reentry within that period.
To apply for a Super Visa, you need to be visiting a permanent resident or Canadian citizen as their parent or grandparent, have an invitation letter signed by and from your child or grandchild which lists assurance of financial support during your stay, the number of people living in the house, proof of their Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, and medical insurance valid for up to 1 year with a minimum coverage of $100,000 and proof that it is paid.
You must apply to the Super Visa from outside of Canada and the child or grandchild must provide proof that minimum necessary income requirements are met.
Business Visitor Visa
A business visitor visa is for business visitors to Canada who intend to stay for a period of 6 months or more, intend to work in the Canadian labour market, have a main place of work and source of income outside of Canada, have the required documents to support your application, have basic travel documents like a passport, have enough funds to stay in Canada, do not have a criminal record or pose a health risk, and cannot enter the Canadian workforce as a business visitor.
The main requirements for a visitor visa for business visitors includes proof of your activities to the border official at your arrival port of entry or airport, and an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if you are a business visitor from a visa-exempt country arriving by air.
You can travel anywhere within Canada if you are on a visitor visa, but if you are searching for Canadian employment, a work permit may be a better choice.
Student Visa
If you want to study at a Canadian institution as an international student, you are required to apply for a student visa, which can also be referred to as a study permit. Student visas authorize you to study at a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada.
You do not require a student visa is your study program is 6 months or less, you have children inside Canada, you are accompanying a foreign representative as a family member or staff, you are a member of the armed forces of a country designated for the purposes of the Visiting Forces Act, or you are a Registered Indian.
Diplomatic & Official Visa
Diplomatic visas can be granted to people entitled, under Canadian law, to diplomatic and consular privileges who intend to travel to Canada for an official purpose or to travel through Canada on the way to the US.
Diplomatic visas are granted to heads of state/members of organizations with head-of-state duties, heads of government, cabinet ministers of foreign governments, diplomatic agents traveling to or from their diplomatic missions (or on a temporary mission to Canada), career consular officers, delegates to the international organizations listed in the Temporary Foreign Worker Guidelines, senior officials, senior officers of the Secretariat of the ICAO, family members of diplomatic agents, foreign diplomatic couriers, and special cases on authorization from the Diplomatic Corps Services.
Official Visas are very similar to diplomatic visas and are granted to persons entitled under Canadian law to official privileges and immunities who intend to travel to or pass through Canada for an official (government) purpose.
Facilitation Visa
There are circumstances where a Canadian citizen with dual citizenship will be required to place a facilitation visa counterfoil into the passport of the Canadian’s other nationality. A facilitation visa is issued in cases where not facilitating the Canadian citizen’s travel would result in undue hardship.
A facilitation visa can be issued for Canadians in distress because of lost/stolen documents, for dual nationals coming to Canada for the first time or who did not obtain a Canadian passport prior to leaving Canada, for children born in Canada to foreign nationals who have returned to their country and do not wish to assert their Canadian citizenship at birth, for children who go through the citizenship adoption process overseas and their birth country only allows them to leave on that country’s passport, and for Canadians under 18 who are coming to Canada to reside with their Canadian parents or for humanitarian reasons as determined by the visa officer (the person must also be in possession of a valid foreign national passport or travel document).
Courtesy Visa
Courtesy Visas are for all other persons traveling to Canada for the purpose of an official visit who do not qualify for a diplomatic or official visa. If you are traveling to Canada for an international organization or on behalf of a foreign government you can be issued a courtesy visa.
Courtesy visas can be issued as multiple-entry visas, with a validity period of up to 3 years upon issue date.
Business Visa
The Canada business visa allows those who want to go to Canada with the purposes of doing business with a Canadian company to enter the country and attend meetings or participate in conferences and workshops.
A business visa is valid for 6 months. As a businessperson visiting Canada, you have many options: you can apply for a work permit, apply for temporary residence in Canada, be a business visitor, or apply for a visa dependent on the industry you’re in or the work you intend to conduct while in Canada.
Organ Donor Visa
Under the Organ Donor visa, foreigners can enter Canada for the purpose of donating a potentially lifesaving organ to a Canadian resident in need of medical assistance. Applicants must intend to come to Canada temporarily and refrain from engaging in work or study and respect the terms of their entry to Canada.
To be eligible for an organ donor visa, you need evidence of medical compatibility between the donor and the recipient, evidence that the sale of a human organ is not being transacted, and evidence of satisfactory financial arrangements.
Visa to give birth in Canada
The visa for women to give birth in Canada is a simple Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). There are no differences in the procedures or what is allowed, except for the fact that the woman might or will be giving birth in Canada. This visa is temporary, usually valid for 6 months or less.
To learn more about temporary resident visas, click here.
What is an eTA?
An Electronic Travel Authorization (e TA) is an entry requirement for visa-exempt foreign nationals traveling to Canada by air. An e TA is electronically linked to a traveler’s passport. It is valid for up to 5 years or until the passport expires. If you get a new passport, you need to get a new e TA.
With an e TA, you can travel to Canada as often as you want for short stays (normally up to 6 months at a time). You do not need an e TA to travel within Canada.
Travelers who require an e TA include visa-exempt foreign nationals and lawful permanent residents of the US. You are eligible for an e TA if you are from select visa-required countries and need to travel to Canada by air.
What is a temporary residence permit?
A Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) is a document that authorizes a person who is inadmissible or does not meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act or Regulations either as a temporary resident or as a permanent resident to enter or remain in Canada.
A temporary resident permit is usually issued for the length of your visit to Canada—for example, 1 week to attend a conference.
You cannot work while on a TRP. If you are a foreign national who wants to work while in Canada, check out the Temporary Work Permit.
What is a temporary work permit?
If you are looking to work in Canada, you’ll need a work permit from the government body of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before you come to Canada.
Temporary work permits authorize foreign nationals to work in Canada for a period of time. Work permits are issued based on grounds ranging from employment needs in Canada, work experience, education, bilateral agreements and pilot programs.
Depending on authorization, work permits can allow for full or part-time employment. A work permit may also enable you to apply for permanent residency. The different types of work permits include an open work permit, post-graduate work permit, work permit for IT workers, inland spousal sponsorship open work permit, and a bridging open work permit.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
With the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), Canadian employers can hire temporary foreign workers. The TFWP allows Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers for positions that couldn’t be filled by Canadian citizens or permanent residents. This program is jointly operated by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
If you wish to apply for a work permit through the TFWP, then you will require a valid job offer from a designated employer in Canada. You must also meet the admissibility requirements to enter Canada.
The TFWP helps Canadian employers to hire foreign workers and provides foreign workers all the necessary rights and protections to work in Canada.
Open Work Permit
An open work permit authorizes a foreign national to work in Canada for any employer and in any location.
If you are exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), then you are eligible to apply for an open work permit. If you want to extend or change your work permit, then you can apply 30 days before your current permit expires.
The two types of open work permits are unrestricted open work permits and restricted open work permits. You are eligible for a work permit if you are the spouse or common-law partner of a foreign skilled worker or international student, an international student that graduated from a study program that lasted longer than 8 months, if you’ve applied for permanent residence through the inland spousal sponsorship program, a participant in programs offered by International Experience Canada, or living in Canada as a refugee or protected person (and their family members).
Work and Holiday Visa/Work and Travel Visa
A work and holiday visa provides temporary work permits to young people who want to legally live and get a job in Canada. The permits are valid for either 12 or 24 months, depending on your country of citizenship.
To be eligible for a work and holiday visa, candidates must be a citizen of one of the 35 countries that have a bilateral youth mobility agreement within Canada, have a valid passport for the duration of their stay, be between the ages of 18 and 30 (some countries of citizenship extend the upper age limit to 35), have the funds to cover initial expenses (usually $2,500 CAD), be able to take out health insurance for the full duration of their visit, have funds to purchase a departure ticket at the end of their authorized stay, not be accompanied by dependents, pay the appropriate fees, and be admissible to Canada.
Post-Graduate Work Permit
As a student who has graduated from a designated learning institution (DLI), you can apply under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) for a work permit. A Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) is an open work permit that does not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
You qualify for the Post-Graduation Work Permit if you are 18 or older, complete a full-time study program that lasted at least 8 months, apply within 180 days of your graduation, and have a valid temporary residence status at the time of your application.
