TORONTO – Traveling to Canada is the dream of almost anyone with a passion of traveling and exploring the world but many are unable to visit the country due to lack of information regarding the process to get the visa.
If you are also among those who want to visit Canada but are unable to find the information, you don’t need to be worried as this guide would solve your problem.
Canada Visit Visa
The first and the foremost thing to check before applying for the visa is whether you actually need a visa to visit Canada or there is a visa-free agreement between your country of citizenship and Canada.
For those having Asian passports including Pakistan and India, getting a Canadian Visa is a must for visiting the country but most European country nationals don’t need a visa to visit Canada.
You can also check whether you need a visa or not by navigating to this official link: https://ircc.canada.ca/english/visit/visas.asp
If you need to get a visa first before visiting Canada, the next step is the documents needed for applying for the visa.
Documents for Canada Visit Visa
Below are the documents needed to apply for a visit visa to Canada.
- Bank statement for the last 4 months is required for applying. Although some experts suggest that bank statement should be made for 6 months, a fresh case (seen by this correspondent) submitted for Canadian Visit visa needed only 4 months bank statement. It is important to note that the duration for bank statement might vary from country to country so it is advisable to maintain the bank statement for at least 6 months
- Merely bank statement is not needed for submission of visit visa application. While submitting the application, the Canadian authorities also ask the total amount that one has for visiting Canada. This amount has to be written in terms of Canadian Dollars. It should be kept in mind that the amount in bank statement should cover your cost of living for the days that you intend to visit Canada as the applicant has to mention the dates for the visit visa
- The Canadian government also seeks a record of your education. Generally you need to mention details regarding your education starting from Higher Secondary level. Transcripts and degree are not uploaded but general information is taken
- Regarding the travel history, the authorities seek your travel history record for the last 5 years and applicant has to mention details regarding countries visited, duration of visit and purpose of visit. For the same reason it is advised to scan the passport pages on which any visa or exit/entry stamp is marked
- The applicant’s family details are also sought as part of the application which includes your parents name and details regarding their occupation
- The Canadian government also seeks record regarding any criminal activity you were involved in. If the applicant was involved in any heinous activity, chances are that the visit visa request would be declined
- The applicant also needs to mention the employment details for the past 10 years. Even if the applicant was unemployed in the last 10 years, it should be mentioned in the application
- There is also a medical history section in the application forms which checks whether the applicant had any serious disease in the past including Tuberculosis, Syphilis
- As part of the documents, one can also submit the Employment Certificate or any paper which shows applicant’s current workplace
- The Canadian government also seeks the information regarding the duration of visit. For instance the applicant is asked about the dates he/she will enter the country and date of departure from Canada
- Another important document is the section in which additional documents are attached. The applicant can write a cover letter type of an application addressed to the visa officer in which reasons for visiting Canada could be explained
Fee for Canada Visit Visa
Canadian Visit Visa comes at a cost like any other visa and the cost for submitting the application is $CAN 100. It must be kept in mind that if you are applying for the first time for the Canadian Visa, you need to pay the fee for bio-metric identification also. The fee for a single individual is $85 CAN while it is 170 Canadian Dollars per family of 2 or more eligible people but family members eligible for this fee include applicant’s spouse or common-law partner as well as applicant’s dependent children and their dependent children. The fee payment could be made from any bank card that you have without any hassle.
It is to be mentioned that the bio-metrics fee covers collecting fingerprints and a digital photo and moving applicant’s documents between visa office and the VAC where applicant gives his/her bio-metrics. The bio metric is valid for a period of ten years which means that even if the visit visa request is denied for the first time, for the second request bio-metric is not needed if it is applied within 10 years of first bio-metric submission.
For submitting the bio-metrics, one has to visit the visa service centers. For instance, if one is applying for a Canada visit visa, VFS global would collect the bio-metric and take the digital photo and the applicant has to go in person to the VFS center for that purpose.
Application Process
To apply for the Canada Visit Visa, one needs to gather all the documents highlighted above and scan these documents which would be uploaded. It must be kept in mind that the documents which are to be uploaded should be in PDF or Image form but their size should be less than 2 Mbs.
To apply for the Canada Visit Visa, simply navigate to IRCC website and make a new account after answering the questions regarding the type of visa desired.
By selecting the country from where you are applying and selecting category as ‘Visit Visa’, the applicant would be asked to submit the details. These would include the phone number, complete name, name of parents and all the other information which is highlighted in the documents listed above in this guide.
Once you have filled in the complete details, you would be asked to submit the application. Pleas note that you would be given a chance to review the application; however, once you have reviewed it and submitted, it would not be possible to edit the information. The applicants are advised to check complete information including the spellings in each section before submitting the application.
Once the application is submitted, the next step is to take the appointment for submitting bio-metrics and submitting the passport. For this, you need to see the documents collection centre or visa outsourcing center. For example, it is VFS Global for most of the countries but check which is the right agency in your country.
Once you submit the application, the next step would be told to you in the for of an e-mail. Follow the instructions in the e-mail that you receive to proceed further. To take the appointment, bear in mind that you can see the available slots for three times only after which you would not be able to see the calendar.
After you have made up your mind, see the calendar and select the time slot. Once you confirm the time slot, you would receive an e-mail regarding the bio-metric registration.
Keep checking your e-mail and you will keep getting instructions from the visa outsourcing center and before visiting it on the day of appointment, make sure to check your emails as the applicant would receive three key documents in the e-mail which are:
- Bio-metric instruction letter
- VFS appointment letter indicating your reference
- Complete and signed consent form
If any other document is mentioned in the list, print that out and take that to the center on the day of appointment along with your passport.
Once you visit the visa outsourcing center, your bio-metrics and digital photo would be taken and you would be guided whether you need to submit passport or wait for the next e-mail. This completes the process for the visa submission except that you would receive e-mail regarding submission of passport if it has not been taken from you already.
The most important instruction in this regard is that visa processing varies from country to country so the applicant needs to follow the instructions mentioned in the e-mail or the official website which is IRCC for visa submission; however, the documents and the process mentioned above is generally the same but in any case, the instructions in the e-mail would take precedence.
As far as the processing time is concerned, it varies from country to country. Another important aspect is the fact that the visa outsourcing centers only collect and transmit information between you and the Canadian embassy and generally have no say in issuing or rejecting visas and the applicant should keep checking their e-mail and IRCC account for any new messages or instructions.
