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Ontario|Immigration LawGeneral Information 660 Coming into Canada as a visitor Canada generally welcomes visitors and makes entering Canada relatively simple for them. Visitors are people who enter Canada for a temporary purpose and do not intend to remain in Canada or become a permanent resident. Tourists, students, and temporary workers are all considered visitors.
Some of the requirements to enter Canada will depend on the citizenship of the visitors. Citizens of the United States, Mexico and most countries in Western Europe do not require visas, while visitors from most other countries do require a visa. A Visitor Visa is an official document that is placed in your passport. It shows that you are allowed to enter Canada as a visitor. A Canadian consulate or embassy can tell you whether you will need a visa to visit Canada.
Visitor visas must be obtained from outside Canada. Applications can be submitted by mail or in person to a visa office. You must provide a valid passport or travel document, and two recent passport sized photos of yourself. You must also provide proof that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependents during your stay, and that you have enough money to leave Canada. The visa processing fee is $75 and it allows you to enter Canada once.
The date of expiry for visitor status is either stamped in your passport or on the document of visitor record. If there is no stamp or documented date of expiry, then your visitor status will expire six months after your date of arrival.
If you want to extend your visitor status, you can apply in writing while the visitor visa is still valid. You should allow for approximately one month for the processing of this extension. It is extremely important that you apply well before your visa expires. The processing fee for a visitor status extension is $75. It is an offence under the Immigration Act to remain in Canada if your visitor status has expired, and applying for an extension only a short time before it expires is very risky.
- Student Authorization
Students must obtain a Student Authorization before coming to Canada. Students can apply at a Canadian consulate, embassy, or high commission. A Student Authorization is valid for the duration of the course of studies. To apply for a Student Authorization, you must show a letter of acceptance from the school you plan to attend. You must also prove that you can support yourself and that you have enough money to return home. The processing fee for a student authorization is $125. Students may only study at the school they name on the student authorization. If you want to change academic institutions, you must apply for a transfer.
To obtain more information about the immigration rules that apply to visitors, you can contact an Immigration Centre or a Canadian consulate, embassy, or high commission. If you wish to settle in Canada, meet with an Immigration lawyer to discuss whether there are options that might allow you to remain in Canada, or to make an application to come back to live in Canada. Generally, after pursuing a course of study, such as a Bachelor or a diploma in a certain area, you may be allowed to work in Canada for a period of one year in your area of study.
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