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Visa
Information
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Visiting
Canada
Canada welcomes you as a tourist, student or temporary
worker. Every year, more than 35 million people visit Canada
to enjoy the many opportunities our country has to offer.
Depending on where you live, and the reason for your visit,
you will need to meet certain entry requirements. In some
cases, if you plan to stay in Canada for a certain period of
time, you will need a Temporary Resident Visa.
Please click on the below links to learn more on
requirements of entering Canada as a visitor:
•
Visiting Canada: general entry requirements
• Visitor Visa Exemptions
•
Visiting Canada: individuals traveling from these countries
will need a visa
•
Visiting Canada: how to apply for a visa
•
Visiting
Canada: after applying
•
Visiting Canada:
arriving
•
Visiting Canada: frequently asked questions
•
Visiting Canada: your closest Canadian visa offices
•
Visiting Canada: overcoming inadmissibility
•
Visiting Canada: I require more information
Visiting Canada: general entry requirements
If you plan to visit Canada, you must:
• have a valid travel document, such as a passport and in
some cases, a visa
• be in good health
• convince an immigration officer that you have ties, such
as a job, home and family, that will take you back
to your
country of origin
• convince an immigration officer that you will leave Canada
at the end of your visit and
• have enough money for your stay. The amount of money you
will need can vary with the circumstances
of the visit, how
long you will stay and whether you will stay in a hotel or
with friends or relatives.
For more information, ask the
Canadian visa office in your country or region.
You may also need:
• a Temporary Resident Visa, depending on your citizenship
• a medical examination and
• a letter of invitation from someone who lives in Canada.
Visitor Visa Exemptions
Many people do
not require a visa to visit Canada. These include:
• Citizens of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia,
Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium,
Botswana, Brunei, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Iceland, Ireland,
Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico,
Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea,
Portugal, Republic of Korea,
St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore,
Solomon Islands, Spain,
Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western
Samoa;
• persons lawfully admitted to the United States for
permanent residence who are in possession of their
alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of
permanent residence.
• British citizens and British Overseas Citizens who are
re-admissible to the United Kingdom;
• citizens of British dependent territories who derive their
citizenship through birth, descent, registration
or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla,
Bermuda, British Virgin Islands,
Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St.
Helena or the Turks and Caicos
Islands;
• persons holding a British National (Overseas) Passport
issued by the Government of the United Kingdom to
• persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong;
• persons holding a valid and subsisting Special
Administrative Region passport issued by the Government
of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic
of China;
• persons holding passports or travel documents issued by
the Holy See.
Visiting Canada: individuals traveling from these countries
will need a visa
For information on countries and territories whose citizens
require visas in order to enter Canada as visitors,
please click here.
Visiting
Canada: how to apply for a visa
Canada requires citizens from some countries and territories
to obtain a visa before they can enter Canada. If you are
from one of these countries and would now like to learn how
to apply for a Canadian visa,
please click here for the process.
Visiting Canada:
after applying
Most applications for temporary resident visas are processed
within a month or less. Processing times vary depending on
the visa office.
Change of address
If you move or change your address, telephone number or any
other contact information after you send your application to
the Canadian visa office in your country or region, you must
notify the visa office.
How your application is processed
After you send your application, it will be reviewed at the
visa office to ensure it has been completed correctly and
that it contains all the required documents. A visa officer
will decide if an interview with you is necessary. If an
interview is required, you will be notified of the time and
place.
If your application is refused, your passport and other
documents will be returned to you. You will also receive an
explanation why your application was refused. If you sent
fraudulent documents, they will not be returned.
If your application is approved, your passport and documents
will be returned to you with your visa.
Visiting Canada:
arriving
When you arrive in Canada, you will be greeted by an officer
of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The CBSA is
responsible for protecting the borders and points of entry
to Canada.
The officer will ask to see your passport or travel
documents. Make sure that you have them with you, and that
they are not packed in your luggage. This will speed up your
entry to Canada.
Even if you do not need a visa to enter Canada, the officer
will ask you a few questions. The officer will confirm that
you meet the requirements for admission to Canada. This
should only take a few minutes.
You will not be allowed into Canada if you give false or
incomplete information, or if you do not satisfy the officer
that you are eligible for entry into Canada. You will also
have to convince the officer that you will leave Canada at
the end of your authorized stay in Canada.
Children under the age of 16 should have valid
identification with them. If you are traveling with a child
and you are not the child’s parent or guardian, you should
have a letter from the child’s parent or guardian
authorizing entry into Canada. If you are the child’s only
guardian, you should have documents to show there is no
other guardian. For example, a birth certificate that does
not identify the father would be suitable.
The officer will stamp your passport or let you know how
long you can stay in Canada. Ask questions if you are unsure
about anything.
Visiting Canada: frequently asked questions
To view the answers to frequently asked questions,
please click here.
Visiting Canada: your closest Canadian visa offices
To learn where you may apply for a visa,
please click here.
Visiting
Canada: letter of invitation
Sometimes a person applying for a Temporary Resident Visa to
visit Canada is asked to provide a letter of invitation from
someone in Canada. To find out how to prepare such a letter
should it be requested,
please click here.
Visiting Canada: overcoming inadmissibility
Some people are inadmissible—they are not allowed to come to
Canada. Several things can make you inadmissible, including
involvement in criminal activity, in human rights violations
or in organized crime. You can also be inadmissible for
security, health or financial reasons. To learn about
inadmissibility to Canada,
please click here.
Visiting Canada: more information is required
Further information on entering Canada as a visitor is
available at the Citizenship & Immigration Canada website:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp
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