Canada Temporary Resident Visa

Super Visas

Parents and grandparents of Canadian and permanent residents have a new option for visiting Canada. As of December 1, 2011, you may be eligible to apply for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, which is valid for up to 10 years and allows an applicant to remain in Canada for up to 24 months at a time without the need for renewal of their status.

Temporary Resident (Visitor) Visas and Extensions

Every year millions of people visit Canada, many of which require a Temporary Resident Visa ("TRV"). This is also commonly referred to as a visitor or tourist visa. If you are from a country that requires a temporary resident visa to enter Canada as a visitor, you must apply for that TRV at the Canadian visa office responsible for your country or region before coming to Canada. A visa officer will review your TRV application and decide whether to issue a visa.

Two Types of Canadian Temporary Resident Visas

There are two types of TRV's: a single entry visa and a multiple entry visa. Both are valid for a fixed period and cannot be used after they expire.

A single entry visa allows you to come to Canada only one time. Once you have left Canada, excluding travel to the United States and St. Pierre and Miquelon, you will need a new visa to travel back to and enter Canada.

A multiple entry visa allows visitors to come and go from Canada for six months at a time, without having to reapply each time. It can be valid for up to 10 years, or one month before your passport expires, whichever is earlier. You must arrive in Canada on or before the expiry date on your visa.

Extend Your Visit

If you want to extend your visit in Canada, you must apply to do so. Check your temporary resident visa to make sure you apply before the expiry date. You should apply 30 days before your status expires.

Work or Study while Visiting

Most visitors to Canada cannot work or study in Canada without a Work or Study Permit. However, if you are visiting Canada and you want to work or study there are ways to obtain a Work or Study Permit while you are still in Canada if you still have legal visitor status in Canada. In some limited cases, you are allowed to work or study without a Work or Study Permit.

What We Will Do For You

If you wish to visit Canada and require a temporary resident visa, our office will meticulously prepare your application package, ensuring that it more than meets the requirements as set by the visa office. Our office will put in order for you a thorough, complete and well documented TRV application. Once your application is complete, we will submit it to the visa office on your behalf. All communication to and from the visa office will be handled by our office for you until a final determination has been made on your TRV application. Should any issues arise during the processing of your TRV application at the visa office, our office will address them. Should you wish to work, study, or simply extend your stay once in Canada as a visitor, our office can also prepare and submit to Citizenship and Immigration Canada the necessary applications to work, study, or stay longer in Canada.

Student Permits and Extensions

All foreign students, with some exceptions, must apply for and receive a Canadian Study Permit before attending school in Canada.

Before Applying

Once you receive your admission letter from your school in Canada you can then apply for a Canadian Study Permit. Depending on the country you are from, you may also need to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa.

Eligible Institution

Before applying for a Study Permit, you must first apply for and be admitted to an eligible school in Canada either at the primary, secondary or post-secondary level or an English or French language school.

An "eligible institution" in the case of a public learning institution in Canada is defined as follows:

• A public post-secondary institution, such as a college or university or CÉGEP in Quebec; or
• A private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as public institutions and that receive at least 50 percent of their financing for overall operations from government grants (currently only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify); and
• One that is located in a province or territory that has signed an MOU with CIC and that has signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or territorial government.

An "eligible institution" in the case of a private learning institution in Canada is defined as follows:

• Is located in a province or territory that has signed a memorandum of understanding with CIC and that has signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or territorial government; and
• Has approval from the provincial or territorial government to grant specific degrees by a public or private act of the provincial/territorial legislation or through a government mandated quality assurance mechanism

Please note that not all programs offered by private post-secondary educational institutions qualify. Qualifying programs at eligible privately funded post-secondary institutions must lead to a specific degree upon completion.

Assessing the application

If you are currently outside Canada you must apply for a Study Permit at the Canadian visa office responsible for your country or region.

The visa officer who will process your Study Permit application will, among other things, consider the following:

• Whether you are a bona fide student. You must persuade the visa office who will process your Study Permit application that you are really coming to Canada for the principal purpose of attending school and will leave Canada at the end of your authorized stay here;
• Whether you are inadmissible to Canada. That is, have you committed any crimes, do you have a medical condition, or have you not complied with Canada's immigration laws in the past?
• Whether you require a medical examination.
• Whether you require a Temporary Resident Visa.

If the visa officer is satisfied that your application meet the requirements of Canada immigration laws, then you will be issued a Study Permit authorizing you to study in Canada.

As an authorized foreign student you will be eligible to work in Canada on a part-time basis during your studies.

As your legal representative, our office will prepare your Canadian Study Permit application from start to finish ensuring that it is thoroughly prepared and well supported with an abundance of documentary evidence establishing that you have met all of the requirements set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its regulations. We work with you to make certain that your application has the best possibility of being approved by a visa officer.

Once your application is submitted to the visa office all future correspondence and communications pertaining to your application will be sent directly to our office. Our office will continue to be your legal representative until a final determination is made on your Study Permit application by a visa officer. Should any issue arise in the processing of your Study Permit application, our office will address it immediately.

Work permits and extensions

Every year, Canadian employers hire over 150,000 temporary workers with specific skills, including live-in caregivers.

Every year, more than 180,000 foreign workers enter Canada to work temporarily in jobs that help Canadian employers address skill shortages. A work permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada.

Temporary Resident Permits and Extensions

If you are otherwise inadmissible but have a reason to travel to Canada that is justified in the circumstances, you may be issued a temporary resident permit.

To be eligible for a temporary resident permit, your need to enter or stay in Canada must outweigh the health or safety risks to Canadian society, as determined by immigration or a border services officer. Even if the reason you are inadmissible seems minor, you must demonstrate that your visit is justified.

There is no guarantee that you will be issued a temporary resident permit. If you would like to receive a permit, you will have to pay a processing fee, which is not refundable.

A permit is usually issued for the length of your visit to Canada - for example, one week to attend a conference. You must leave Canada by the expiry date of the permit, or get a new permit before your current one expires.

Please note that this permit may be cancelled by an officer at any time. The permit is no longer valid once you leave Canada, unless you have specifically been authorized to leave and re-enter.

International Experience Canada (IEC) Visas

Due to administrative changes made, the Canadian working holiday program has been re-named the international Experience Canada (IEC) initiative.