Visitor Visa
Citizens of many countries require visitor visas to prior to arrival in Canada. If you are required to apply for a visitor visa from outside of Canada you must meet the following requirements:
- have a valid travel document/passport;
- be in good health, in some cases, a medical examination is required;
- provide evidence of your ties to your home country; and
- have sufficient funds to support yourself during your visit.
Extension of Stay
In order to extend your stay in Canada, you should apply to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada before your current status expires.
- extend your visitor, student or work status
- change your permit type (for example, from a study permit to a work permit) or
- change your permit condition (for example, if you are studying and you want to change schools, or if you are working and you want to change jobs).
Restoration of Status
You may apply for restoration of status within 90 days after losing your status as a visitor, student or worker because you failed to comply with one or more of the following conditions:
- You remained in Canada longer than the period authorized for your stay (but not longer than 90 days).
- You changed employers or type of work before obtaining a new work permit.
- You changed the type of studies, educational institution, location of studies, or times and periods of studies without applying to change these conditions on your study permit if they were specified on your study permit.
Temporary Work Permit
In most cases the following steps are required in order to apply for a temporary work permit:
- The Canadian employer must obtain a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada to offer the employment to a temporary foreign worker;
- The candidate must then apply for the work permit through the Canadian Visa Office in their home country or at the port of entry if the candidate is a citizen of a country that does not require the applicant to obtain a visitor visa prior to arrival in Canada.
Study Permit
You must meet the following requirements when applying for a study permit:
- You must be accepted for studies at a Canadian educational institution;
- Possess sufficient funds to pay your tuition, living expenses and return transportation;
- You must be a law abiding citizen with no criminal record, you may be asked to provide a police certificate;
- You must be in good health, you may be asked to undergo a medical examination.
Parent and Grandparent Super Visa
Parent and grandparents may also be eligible to visit Canada for up to two years at a time and may be issued a visa that is valid for 10 years under the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa.
When assessing your application a visa officer will take the following into consideration:
- your ties to your home country;
- the purpose of your visit;
- your family and finances;
- the overall economic and political stability in your home country; and
- and invitation from your Canadian host.
You must also provide evidence of the following:
- that the host (child or grandchild) in Canada meets the minimum income threshold;
- provide a written statement from that child or grandchild that he/she will provide you with financial support;
- that you have obtained Canadian medical insurance coverage for at least one year; and
- that you have undergone an immigration medical examination.