FAQs

Who Needs a Visa to Visit Canada?

Citizens of most countries in the world need a visa to enter Canada. This includes citizens of many countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. For a Complete list of countries whose citizens require a visa to enter or transit (change planes) in Canada, click here.

Citizens of certain countries are not required to have a visa to enter Canada as a visitor. These countries include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, many countries in Western Europe, Japan, and South Korea. For a complete list of countries whose citizens do not require a visa to enter Canada, click here.

 

What are the basic requirements for a TRV (Temporary Resident Visa / Visitor Visa)?

When visiting Canada, you must prove to the immigration officer that you do not intend to immigrate to Canada or stay in Canada permanently.

You must also show that you:

• will leave Canada at the end of your stay;
• will not work or study in Canada unless that is the purpose of your visa;
• have enough money to support yourself and accompanying family members while in Canada;
• have enough money to return home;
• are not a security risk to Canada;
• do not have a criminal record and are law abiding;
• are in good health.

You can be asked to provide any documentation pertaining to these and other requirements and you may be asked to complete a medical examination if necessary.

When you speak with Immigroup regarding a Visitor Visa to Canada, we will advise you which of these requirements you most need to stress that you meet given your background and circumstances. We will also tell you of any additional requirements that apply to your situation.

 

What are the requirements for Family Members?

For a TRV (Visitor Visa) application, ‘family members’ means your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent children, and their dependent children (your grandchildren).

‘Spouse’ means your partner with whom you have entered into a legal marriage.

‘Common-law Partner’ means your partner with whom you have been living for at least one year.

‘Dependent Children’ means your children or the children of your spouse or common-law partner who are

• 22 years old or younger and single, or
• financially dependent on you or your spouse since before 22 years old and still in school, or
• financially dependent since before 22 years old due to a medical condition.

Any of your family members who wish to visit Canada must file separate applications for a Visitor Visa (each family member will receive their own visa).

How long is a Visitor Visa valid?

The length of time you can stay in Canada depends on the officer reviewing your visa application as well as the officer granting you entry to Canada when you arrive. Either officer could limit the time you may stay in Canada. A visitor visa could be granted for as long as 2 years or as little as 1 week, although you may only stay in Canada for up to 6 months at a time.

If you do not require a visa to enter Canada, the border officer may still advise you that you may only stay for a certain amount of time such as 14 days. If they do not advise you of any length of time, you may stay for up to 6 months.

Overstaying a visitor visa can cause serious problems for you if you want to apply for immigrant status or even enter Canada temporarily in the future. You can even have problems gaining entry to other countries, such as the United States. If you are not sure how long you can stay in Canada once your visa is granted or once you arrive, contact us for a consultation. We will help you determine the best way for you to move forward.
 

What is a Super Visa?

In 2011 CIC stopped accepting parental sponsorship applications. However, CIC then began offering what’s called a Super Visa to people in this situation. So now parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Canada may be eligible to apply for a Super Visa.

The super visa allows you to stay in Canada for up to 2 years. Even if you would not normally need a visa to visit Canada, you would still need to apply for the super visa if you wish to stay longer than the standard 6 month timeframe.

Please note: Dependent children may not be included in an application for a super visa.

 

How do I get a super visa?

The requirements for the super visa are a little different than the regular visa. These include:

• Evidence of your parental or grandparental relationship to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• An invitation letter from your child or grandchild;
• Proof that your child or grandchild can support you and their family while you are in Canada (Your child or grandchild must meet the what’s called the Low Income Cut Off – LICO); Proof of medical insurance.

If you’re thinking of applying for a super visa, you can contact Immigroup for a consultation. We will help you determine your likelihood of success and we will detail the application procedure and types of evidence needed to support your case.

 

What is the Low Income Cutt Off (LICO)?

The LICO is the amount of money your child or grandchild needs to be making satisfy Citizenship and Immigration Canada that he or she can afford to support you (and your spouse) on a super visa. Unfortunately, the current income ammounts are not publicly available at this time. Contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada to find out the ammounts.

 

What happens if I overstayed on my Visitor Visa?

If you have stayed longer than the amount of time your visa was valid for, or that the length of time a border officer advised you that you may stay in Canada, this is an issue that could cause problems for your travel plans in the future.

You could be denied entry to Canada if you try to come again in the future, or even denied entry to other countries, such as the United States.

But, there is a solution. If you’ve overstayed your visa, it may be possible to restore your status and minimize any problems you may have.  Contact us for a consultation to determine the best way to help you move forward.

 

Who needs a Visa?

Citizens of the following countries normally require a visa to visit Canada for any purpose:

Afghanistan	Burundi	El Salvador	Israel*	Malawi	Nigeria	Somalia	Turkmenistan
Albania	Cambodia	Equatorial Guinea	Ivory Coast	Malaysia	Oman	South Africa	Tuvalu
Algeria	Cameroon	Eritrea	Jamaica	Maldives	Pakistan	Sri Lanka	Uganda
Angola	Cape Verde	Ethiopia	Jordan	Mali	Palau	St. Lucia	Ukraine
Argentina	Central African Republic	Fiji	Kazakhstan	Marshall Islands	Palestinian Authority	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	United Arab Emirates
Armenia	Chad	Gabon	Kenya	Mauritania	Panama	Sudan	Uruguay
Azerbaijan	Chile	Gambia	Kiribati	Mauritius	Paraguay	Sudan, South	Uzbekistan
Bahrain	China	Georgia	Korea, North	Mexico	Peru	Suriname	Vanuatu
Bangladesh	Colombia	Ghana	Kosovo	Micronesia	Philippines	Swaziland	Venezuela
Belarus	Comoros	Grenada	Kuwait	Moldova	Poland^	Syria	Vietnam
Belize	Congo, Democratic Republic of (DRC)	Guatemala	Kyrgyzstan	Mongolia	Qatar	Taiwan#	Yemen
Benin	Congo, Republic of	Guinea	Laos	Montenegro	Romania	Tajikistan	Zambia
Bhutan	Costa Rica	Guinea-Bissau	Lebanon	Morocco	Russia	Tanzania	Zimbabwe
Bolivia	Cuba	Guyana	Lesotho	Mozambique	Rwanda	Thailand
Bosnia Herzegovina	Czech Republic	Haiti	Liberia	Namibia	Sao Tome e Principe	Timor l'este
Botswana	Djibouti	Honduras	Libya	Namibia	Saudi Arabia	Togo
Brazil	Dominica	India	Lithuania^	Nauru	Senegal	Tonga
Bulgaria	Dominican Republic	Indonesia	Macao	Nepal	Serbia	Trinidad and Tobago
Burkina Faso	Ecuador	Iran	Macedonia	Nicaragua	Seychelles	Tunisia
Burma (Myanmar)	Egypt	Iraq	Madagascar	Niger	Sierra Leone	Turkey

*Holders of valid Israeli Travel Document in Lieu of Passport only

^Holders of non-biometric passports only

#Only those whose passport does not contain their personal identification number

 

Who doesn't need a Visa?

Citizens of the following countries do not need a visitor visa to visit Canada, provided they are carrying valid, correct travel documents:

Andorra	Croatia	Holy See (Vatican City)#	Korea, South	New Zealand	Slovakia	United Kingdom and all british overeas territories##
Antigua and Barbuda	Cyprus	Hong Kong	Latvia	Norway	Slovenia	United States of America^^
Australia	Denmark	Hungary	Liechtenstein	Papua New Guinea	Solomon Islands
Austria	Estonia	Iceland	Lithuania^	Poland^	Spain
Bahamas	Finland	Ireland	Luxembourg	Portugal	St. Kitts and Nevis
Barbados	France	Israel	Malta	Samoa	Sweden
Belgium	Germany	Italy	Monaco	San Marino	Switzerland
Brunei	Greece	Japan	Netherlands	Singapore	Taiwan*

#Includes holders of passports issued by the Holy See that are not citizens of Vatican City

^Passport must be biometric

*Passport must include personal identification number

Includes citizens of the following territories:

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Falkland Islands
• Gibraltar
• Montserrat
• Pitcairn
• St. Helena
• Turks and Caicos

And it also applies to

• British overseas citizens
• Citizens of British Overseas Territories not listed above
• British Nationals (Overseas)
• British Subjects - provided the passport notes the "Right of Abode"

^^Includes permanent residents provided they can show their green card and proof of permanent residence

 

Processing Times by visa office

Your location	Average Processing Time (as of April 2016)
Afghanistan	111 days
Albania	13 days
Algeria	12 days
Andorra	15 days
Angola	30 days
Anguilla	15 days
Antigua and Barbuda	15 days
Argentina	5 days
Armenia	5 days
Aruba	15 days
Australia	22 days
Austria	10 days
Azerbaijan	6 days
Bahamas	33 days
Bahrain	19 days
Bangladesh	19 days
Barbados	15 days
Belarus	5 days
Belgium	12 days
Belize	8 days
Benin	60 days
Bermuda	21 days
Bhutan	15 days
Bolivia	8 days
Bonaire	No average available
Bosnia and Herzegovina	12 days
Botswana	29 days
Brazil	17 days
British Virgin Islands	No average available
Brunei	15 days
Bulgaria	8 days
Burkina Faso	15 days
Burma (Myanmar)	19 days
Burundi	22 days
Cambodia	19 days
Cameroon	16 days
Cape Verde	15 days
Cayman Islands	38 days
Central African Republic	15 days
Chad	12 days
Chile	11 days
China	12 days
Colombia	13 days
Comoros	15 days
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	18 days
Congo, Republic of	13 days
Costa Rica	13 days
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)	16 days
Croatia	15 days
Cuba	8 days
Cyprus	15 days
Czech Republic	15 days
Denmark	10 days
Djibouti	15 days
Dominica	12 days
Dominican Republic	8 days
Ecuador	12 days
Egypt	9 days
El Salvador	17 days
Equatorial Guinea	15 days
Eritrea	46 days
Estonia	15 days
Ethiopia	13 days
Fiji	29 days
Finland	15 days
France	12 days
Gabon	13 days
Gambia	15 days
Georgia	8 days
Germany	12 days
Ghana	21 days
Greece	15 days
Grenada	13 days
Guatemala	15 days
Guinea	16 days
Guinea-Bissau	15 days
Guyana	12 days
Haiti	22 days
Holy See (Vatican City)	No average available
Honduras	16 days
Hong Kong	7 days
Hungary	15 days
Iceland	15 days
India	19 days
Indonesia	4 days
Iran	31 days
Ireland	12 days
Israel	8 days
Italy	11 days
Jamaica	40 days
Japan	14 days
Jordan	33 days
Kazakhstan	7 days
Kenya	11 days
Kiribati	15 days
North Korea	No average available
South Korea	16 days
Kosovo	14 days
Kuwait	18 days
Kyrgyzstan	6 days
Laos	24 days
Latvia	15 days
Lebanon	21 days
Lesotho	15 days
Liberia	15 days
Libya	24 days
Liechtenstein	No available average
Lithuania	15 days
Luxembourg	15 days
Macao	7 days
Macedonia	No average available
Madagascar	30 days
Malawi	15 days
Malaysia	16 days
Maldives	15 days
Mali	16 days
Malta	15 days
Marshall Islands	No available average
Martinique	No average available
Mauritania	17 days
Mauritius	23 days
Mexico	5 days
Micronesia	15 days
Moldova	13 days
Monaco	15 days
Mongolia	8 days
Montenegro	13 days
Morocco	13 days
Mozambique	31 days
Namibia	23 days
Nauru	No average available
Nepal	21 days
Netherlands	10 days
New Caledonia	No available average
New Zealand	22 days
Nicaragua	18 days
Niger	17 days
Nigeria	67 days
Norway	20 days
Oman	19 days
Pakistan	46 days
Palestinian Authority (Gaza)	44 days
Palestinian Authority (West Bank)	44 days
Panama	12 days
Papua New Guinea	15 days
Paraguay	5 days
Peru	6 days
Philippines	12 days
Poland	6 days
Portugal	15 days
Puerto Rico	15 days
Qatar	19 days
Romania	9 days
Russia	7 days
Rwanda	21 days
Samoa	No average available
San Marino	No available average
Sao Tome and Principe	15 days
Saudi Arabia	15 days
Senegal	13 days
Serbia	11 days
Seychelles	15 days
Sierra Leone	15 days
Singapore	20 days
Slovakia	15 days
Slovenia	15 days
Solomon Islands	No average available
Somalia	15 days
South Africa	25 days
Spain	12 days
Sri Lanka	25 days
St. Kitts and Nevis	18 days
St. Lucia	11 days
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	12 days
Sudan	27 days
South Sudan	15 days
Suriname	9 days
Swaziland	15 days
Switzerland	13 days
Syria	29 days
Tahiti	15 days
Taiwan	7 days
Tajikistan	13 days
Tanzania	11 days
Thailand	12 days
Timor-Leste (Timor oriental)	15 days
Togo	21 days
Tonga	No available average
Trinidad and Tobago	9 days
Tunisia	7 days
Turkey	4 days
Turkmenistan	15 days
Turks and Caicos	15 days
Tuvalu	No average available
Uganda	12 days
Ukraine	5 days
United Arab Emirates	19 days
United Kingdom	6 days
United States of America	13 days
Uruguay	6 days
US Virgin Islands	No available average
Uzbekistan	11 days
Vanuatu	15 days
Venezuela	8 days
Vietnam	40 days
Yemen	15 days
Zambia	21 days
Zimbabwe	29 days