How to Get Canada Visitor Visa in 6 Easy Steps?

Introduction

A Canada Visitor Visa illustrates that the itinerant has met the requirements required to enter Canada.

A person who is in possession of Canada Visitor Visa can stay in the country for up to six months.

However, at the spot of the entry, border officers have jurisdiction to allow itinerant for more or less than six months. Also, if there is no stamp on the itinerant’s passport, he can spend 6 months from the date that s/he has entered or until his/her passport expires, whichever comes first.

Canada at a glance

Canada is the second largest country by area encompassing a land mass of 99, 84,670 square kilometers. The country is inhabited by 37.06 million people and is home to famous Niagara Falls and wide system of national parks.

Canada’s vast areas of wilderness include lake-filled Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains.

Every year, millions of tourists throng Canada to enjoy its scenic beauty.

The country is categorized as a developed country with per capita income soaring to USD 45, 780 in 2018.

Canada Visitor Visa Process Guide

Below is the 6-step guide for acquiring Canada Visitor Visa:

Step 1: Find out if you need the visa

Whether or not you need Canada Visitor Visa [Electronic Travel Authorization] depends upon the following things:

• Itinerant nationality
• State that issued itinerant’s passport
• Itinerant method of traveling to Canada
• Category of travel document that the itinerant intend to travel with

Click on ‘Find out if you need a visitor visa’ to determine if you need a visa or not.

Step 2: Gather Documents

Following mandatory documents are required to be attached with your visa application:

Travel document: Your passport is a mandatory document in your application for Canada Visitor Visa. You must double-check that the issuance date of the passport must not be older than 10 years. Also, make sure that it has a validity of six months or more before the intended date of your return from Canada.

If these two conditions are not met, the Canadian Embassy or Consulate will immediately reject your visa application.

Secondly, the passport must contain at least two blank pages to mark dates of your arrival in and departure from Canada.

Recent Photographs: Affix two passport-sized photographs to the Canada Visitor Visa application form. Before attaching the pictures, make sure that they adhere to specifications set by the Canadian authorities.

Application fee: The application fee for Canada Visitor Visa vary from country to country. Without paying the fee, you can’t proceed to the next step i-e to appear for the visa interview at the Canadian Embassy or Consulate.

Means of subsistence: Just like any other Western country, Canadian authorities want the itinerant to be in possession of sufficient amount of funds to sponsor himself/herself during the course of stay in the Canadian territory.

You can prove the means of subsistence by attaching a bank statement showing transactions of the past six months or by attaching your Income Tax Returns certificate.

Without attaching proof of sufficient funds, your Canada Visitor Visa application won’t be approved.

Travel Itinerary or Flight Reservation: Both of these terms refer to the same document. A travel itinerary or roundtrip flight reservation specifies the arrival-departure dates, flight’s proposed routes, reservation number, and IATA codes.

A roundtrip reservation assures the staffers of the Canadian Embassy or Consulate that the applicant has no intention to stay illegally in the country.

Hotel bookings or Proof of Accommodation: Acquire a hotel bookings document to prove to the visa officer that you have arranged an accommodation facility in Canada.

Step 3: Submit Biometric Data

In most of the cases, Canadian authorities have made it mandatory to submit the biometric data at the relevant embassy or consulate.

Step 4: Online Application for Canada Visit Visa

Fill the online application for Canada Visitor Visa. Submitting the online application for Canada Visitor Visa is better than submitting it by hand due to the following reasons:

Submitting an online application for Canada Visitor Visa means that you will pay no courier fees.

Canadian Embassy or Consulates process online applications on a priority basis

Filling the online application for Canada Visitor Visa means that you have provided all the information necessary to secure the visa. Thus, you save yourself from unnecessary processing delays.

Any additional document demanded by the embassy or consulate can be sent by electronic mail.

You don’t need to submit your passport until we ask for it.

Get updates on the status of your application directly in your online account.

Step 5: Complete the application for Canada Visitor Visa

The following are the forms that must be filled out and submitted:

• Application for Temporary Resident Visa (IMM 5257)
• Family Information (IMM 5645 or IMM 5707)
• Document Checklist (IMM 5484)
• Document Checklist – Applicants in Canada (IMM 5721), if applicable
• Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409), if applicable
• Use of a Representative (IMM 5476), if applicable
• Authority to release personal information to a designated individual (IMM 5475), if applicable

Step 6: Processing of Canada Visitor Visa Application

During the processing procedure, the authorities may or may not ask you to do the following things:

• Appear for interview
• Give additional information
• Go for a medical exam
• Get a police certificate

Usually, the Canadian Embassy or Consulate take few weeks or less. Processing time for Canada Visitor Visa application depends on the relevant embassy or consulate.

The embassy or consulate will return the original documents to the itinerant after processing the Canada Visitor Visa application. However, the original bank statement or any documents found fake won’t be returned.

If your application is approved, the visa will be stamped inside your passport.

If your application is refused, embassy or consulate will send you an explanation illustrating reasons for the rejection.

Enter Canada

If you pass the identity check and meet the entry requirements, the border services officer may stamp your passport or let you know how long you can stay in Canada. You’re normally allowed to stay in Canada for up to 6 months.