Canadian Immigration:
Travel Visas for Temporary Residents
BACKGROUND
A foreign national who wishes to enter Canada will normally need
to have a Canadian travel visa, known as a Temporary Resident Visa
or TRV, unless the foreign national is a Visa
Exempt Foreign National.
Visa Exempt Foreign Nationals are citizens of a group of over 60
countries or territories that have entered into reciprocal agreements
with Canada that allow their citizens to enter Canada without a
Temporary Resident Visa.
NOTE: The information on the rest of
this page does not apply to you if you are a Visa Exempt Foreign
Nationals.
PURPOSE OF THE TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISA
A Temporary Resident Visa is a visa stamp or counterfoil which
is issued to a foreign national by a Canadian immigration office
outside of Canada and which is inserted into the foreign national’s
passport.
Many people wrongly believe that once they have been approved for
a Temporary Resident Visa they have a legal right to be admitted
to Canada and to remain there until the TR visa expires. This is
not so.
A Temporary Resident Visa is an entry visa only. It is issued to
allow you to travel to Canada during the period while it is valid
for the sole purpose of requesting the visa officer at the port
of entry to approve your admission. The decision whether to admit
or to refuse to admit the foreign national is one which is made
by the visa officer at the port of entry. Even though the foreign
national may hold a valid Temporary Resident Visa, the visa officer
at the port of entry may still refuse to admit the foreign national
if he concludes that there are grounds for doing so (e.g.: if the
visa officer concludes that the foreign national does not meet the
General Admissibility Requirements discussed below).
APPLYING FOR A TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISA
In order to obtain a Temporary Resident Visa, you must apply for
one prior to entering Canada at the Canadian embassy or consulate
outside of Canada, which serves your country of residence or citizenship.
The application must include all of the necessary application forms,
the application fee and all required supporting documentation.
TYPES AND DURATION OF TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISAS
There are three types of Temporary Resident Visas which are available:
- Multiple Entry Visas permit the holder to
enter Canada on multiple occasions during the period while the
visa is valid. Multiple entry visas may be issued with a validity
period of up to five years.
- Single Entry Visas permit the holder to enter
Canada only once during the period while the visa is valid. Single
entry visas may be issued with a validity period of up to six
months.
Once you enter Canada on a single entry Temporary Resident Visa,
your visa will automatically expire even if there is still time
left on it. If you leave Canada and subsequently wish to reenter,
you will need to apply for a new Temporary Resident Visa from
the Canadian immigration visa office abroad which serves your
country of residence or citizenship. This rule applies even if
you have a valid Work Permit or Study Permit since these are temporary
resident authorizations which permit you to remain in Canada once
you have been admitted but do not give you any right to reenter
Canada.
- Transit Visas are required for travelers who
will be passing through Canada to another country and whose flight
will stop in Canada for less than 48 hours.
ADMISSIBILITY AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
Foreign nationals who require Temporary Resident Visas to enter
Canada are subject to the Canadian immigration rules relating to
admissibility and conditions of entry. For more information, please
read our page on Temporary Residents.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this
site is intended to educate members of the public generally and is not intended
to provide legal or professional advice or solutions to individual problems.
If you require legal advice or assistance, you should consult a
Gaertner Tobin LLP lawyer at info@GTLLP.com.
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