We all want to travel around the globe and visit those beautiful places we’ve only seen on TV or the Internet. But, leaving your country and arriving at another is not that easy. Some countries are accessible only if you have an approved visa to travel there. Some other places you can visit by only showing your passport to the border check.
If you want to travel to Canada, you need to research what documents do you need to apply for a tourist visa. For example, if you are a Canadian citizen with dual citizenship and you have permanent stay in the other country, you only need your valid Canadian passport to enter Canada. Also, U.S. citizens can travel there with just a valid passport. Then, if you come from an EU country, you will only need Electronic Travel Authorization you can buy online and show it to the employees at the airport. But, non-EU countries, and some other countries like Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Bolivia, Colombia, and so on, need a physical visa to enter Canada. You can find the lists of the countries allowed to enter the country, so you can check which rules apply to you.
For example, the Canadian officials require extra documents for Venezuelan passport owners, because of the crisis and critical situation there, so they can approve or deny the application.
According to visa-canada.info, the tourist visa is also known as Canadian Temporary Resident Visa or Canada Visitor Visa. Depending on the purpose of the traveling, it can be a single entry, and the tourist needs to leave the country until the due date, or multiple entries, that allows the tourists to leave and enter the country for six months, and it may last up to 10 years.
You can apply for this type of visa online or bring your application to the nearest Canadian embassy.
What makes me eligible to apply for a Canada tourist visa?
For this type of visa, you need to have a valid passport, no criminal records (including immigration issues and crimes in the past), proof that you are in a great health condition, and having enough money for your stay. If you visit someone you know there, it’s always nice to have an invitation letter from them, so they can guarantee you are their guest and you won’t look for a job or immigration.
If you’ve been included in criminal activities, organized crime or you violated human rights in the past, you may get denied, because the authorities will perform a backup check, so they can exactly know who are they letting in their country. Canada has very strict laws and rules, and people with huge criminal records are not welcomed there.
How to apply for a tourist visa?
Depending on which country you come from, you will need to apply for an ETA (electronic travel authorization) or a visa. Some embassies allow you to apply online, and they will call you or reply to you if they need an additional document for your application.
You need to check the requirements and collect the documents, like a copy of your valid passport, proof that you have a stable job and income at home, financial statement, and medical certificate. Then you will be invited for an interview, and since the coronavirus situations changed some rules, they may ask for an online meeting. Depending on your profile, they may ask for additional documents you need to send them to complete your application.
What will happen after they approve or deny it?
If your application is denied for some reason, ask how long you need to wait until you apply again, and what was wrong with your previous application. They will explain the reasons, and you’ll be able to complete your documentation for the next time.
If your application is approved, you will need to pay a visit to the embassy’s office and bring your valid passport with you. Often, the authorities give you up to 30 days to come to the office, so they can take a photo and fingerprints. Some centers are temporarily closed if the city is highly affected by the coronavirus. If that’s the case, they will give an extended deadline so you can visit another city to give your biometrics.
Then, you have an interview with your country’s official from the Ministry of foreign affairs, and another one with the Canadian office. They may require a medical examination and legal police certificate that you don’t have criminal records.
Keep in mind that the embassy officers will also check your background and you shouldn’t try to put fake or incomplete documents in your application. If they find out you are lying to them for some reason, they won’t mind to deny your application, or even forbid you to apply in the future.
These steps are needed so they can decide if you’ll get a visa or not. In some cases, you will need to bring more documents and proofs following their requirements or give some explanations if they have additional questions. All the time, you’ll be able to track the activity with your unique application number, so you can get ready for the final meeting, which means you will finally know if you’re getting the visa or not.
After you arrive in Canada
Canada has ten major and a lot more of smaller airport terminals. Your fingerprints will be checked by the border service, and they will automatically have the information about your approved stay. The identity check is a normal step. Depending on the type of visa you have and the information the embassy provided to the border employees, they will put a stamp in your passport, with the end date of your allowed stay.
There are some cases that allow you to extend the stay and get an additional document by the officials, but that happens very rarely. If you give just one false information and they find out, you may not be let to apply for the next ten years or for a lifetime, depending on the lie. So, if you have an idea to travel to Canada, check if you’re eligible for that and don’t try to over smart their advanced system.
If you get your visa and visit this country, make sure you leave Canada by the end of your approved stay, because even a day more can make huge problems if you want to visit the country again in the future.
