What are the requirements when travelling as a visitor to Canada

Travelling to Canada as a Visitor

Each year over 30 million temporary residents visit Canada for temporary basis. These temporary visitors include tourists, foreign workers and international students. At Akrami and Associates we get daily calls on visitor visa applications being denied. Reasons for your application being denied could have been due to your invitation letter was not detailed enough, most likely you did not submit evidence of all your connections to your home country or you did not submit affidavit’s to support your application. Many times clients can give incomplete application or the documents they submit is not strong enough. This article will discuss different classes of visas and basic requirements you need to meet to obtain a visitor visa to Canada.

What is a Visitor Visa and who needs TRV to enter Canada?

A visitor visa also known as the Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is a visa that you have to obtain if you don’t come from a visa exempt country some examples of countries that need a visa to Canada include, Afghanistan, India, Paskistan, Albian, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia etc. A visitor visa purpose is to attract tourism and the person coming to Canada will be here temporarily and is not going to attempt to work, study or remain in Canada beyond their welcome stay. This means as the visitor you have to exit the country once your visa expires. Remaining in Canada beyond your welcome stay can cause problems for future entry into Canada. You can be denied entry for overstaying your welcome stay and most likely have to apply for another document to overcome your inadmissibility to Canada.

What requirements do I have to meet as Visitor to Canada?

• Having proper travel documents (e.g. passport)
• Showing you are in good health not a health risk to Canadian citizens
• No criminal or immigration convictions
• Showing your intentions to Canada are only temporarily this can be done by showing ties to home country (e.g. property, family, financial assets, job etc.)
• Convincing the Canadian immigration officer you will exit Canada once your visa expires.
• Medical Exam if you stay longer than 6 months in Canada or if you are coming are travelling from countries such Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, China, Columbia or if you work in occupation in which public health must be protected. Please see link for complete list (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/medical/dcl.asp)
• Invitation letter from a family or friend in Canada (not a requirement but may be asked by the immigration officer)
• Showing enough money that you are able to support yourself during your stay in Canada. How much money you have to show depends on how long you are staying in Canada, if you are staying in a hotel or with family

What is the Cost for Visitor Visa Application?

The cost for applying for a Visitor Visa would be around $100-200 depending on your country of origin you and may need to pay additional funds as well. The cost seems moderately affordable, but the long terms cost can become quite extensive if an applicant wishes to remain in Canada. Every time a visitor extends their visa status, they will need to pay another processing fee of $100. Considering that a visitor visa is only valid for 6 months, an applicant will need to pay at least between $400-600 in government fees over a period of 2 years.

What Forms do I have to fill out as a Visitor to Canada?

A Visitor Visa has a set of forms that are provided by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. These forms include:

Application for Visitor Visa (IMM 5257)

• This form is only for Personal Details, Language, Contact Information, Details of Visit to Canada, Education, Employment, and Background Information.

Family Information (IMM 5707)

• This form illustrates on the applicant country of origin. This form requests details regarding on the immediate family such relationship, address, martial status, etc.

Can I travel outside of Canada with my visitor visa?

Yes, you can travel outside of Canada with your visitor visa. Since February 6, 2014 all visitor visas are now granted as multiple entry visas. Even if you apply for a single entry visa to Canada the immigration officer will grant you a multiple entry. The benefit of Multiple Entry Visa is that it allows visitors to enter and exit Canada for six months a time without having to renew your visa or reapplying. Multiple Entry Visa can be valid up to a period of 10 years or one month before your passport expires. So if your passport expires prior to your visa you cannot enter Canada with an expired passport.

Can I apply again for visitor if my application has been denied?

Yes, you can re-apply for a visitor visa to Canada but when you resubmit your application you must make sure the second time around your application is stronger and have applied the changes requested by the immigration officer. It is recommended to hire an immigration expert that has experience in submitting temporary applications. The immigration officer does not grant these temporary visas easily, because they want to make sure the intentions of the visitor is only temporary. In order to get the temporary visa to Canada as the applicant you must show sufficient supporting documents that your stay is only temporary in Canada. This can be done through showing ties to your home country such as family, property, job, financial funds anything that shows you have reasons to go back to your home country. We get a lot of calls from applicants that have attempted to submit their own application one to three times and have failed every time at it. This is why hiring a professional is beneficial would have a better chance in success.

Do I need to apply for any other document as a Visitor to Canada?

If you come from a visa exempt country such as Germany, Italy, Australia, Belgium you would need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). The eTA came into effect to save visitors money and unnecessary delays at the airport. The purpose of the eTA is to scan visitors that come from visa exempt countries to determine if they have inadmissibility issues prior to travelling to Canada. The eTA can be obtained through filling out an online form. To complete the online form you need a valid passport from a visa exempt country and make a payment of $7.00 CAD fee. Completing this form only requires few minutes of your time and it will inform you if you got any inadmissibility issue to Canada and what you need to do to overcome it. If you get scanned and have no inadmissibility issues to Canada you get an eTA that will be valid for up to a five year period or until your passport expires whichever one comes first.

What are the reasons I Can be denied entry as visitor to Canada?

If you have an inadmissibility issue to Canada you can be denied entry as a visitor. To overcome your inadmissibility to Canada you need to apply for a document called the Temporary Resident Permit. You may qualify for the permit depending what your offence was on record and it allows you entry only for temporary basis. Persons that need to apply for TRP are individuals with past criminal record ranging from minor to major criminal offences such as DUI, Theft, Terrorism, Felony, Misdemeanor, Human Rights Violations etc.

Contact Akrami and Associates:

If you are planning on applying for a Visitor Visa, it is always important that you have all documentation and forms ready. Your application should be as complete as possible so that the immigration officer is satisfied that you meet the requirements. The legal professionals at Akrami & Associates are ready to help you with all of your Canadian Immigration matters. Contact Akrami & Associates today at 416-477-2545 that is located on 4275 Village Centre Court, Suite L02, Mississauga, and Ontario, Canada.

With Akrami and Associates there is always a way!!