Consultation
Canada Visitor Visa Checklist 2023: A Complete Documents List
This Canada visitor visa checklist will ensure that your visa process is as easy and smooth as it could be.
Of course, you want to cut off the chances of visa rejection.
Do you?
Then sit tight and read this post to last.
It covers all the most required items, things to do, points to take care of, and other important reminders.
Keep reading!
A Quick Overview of the Canada Immigration System 2023
Do you know every 1 out of 4 visitor visas in Canada is getting rejected?
Says this report by The Globe and Mail.
IMAGE: The Globe and Mail
Can you spot the number increasing every passing year?
And behind almost every refusal case, the reasons are the following:
- Incomplete form filling,
- insufficient information,
- incorrect details,
- and (or) poor documentation.
So instead of rushing into application submission and facing a refusal.
Take a time to know how Canada's immigration system works. And how they handle your provided information.
Canada's Immigration Agencies Responsible for Your Visas
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, IRCC for short oversees the immigration of Canada.
IRCC handles your travel documents including:
- Tourist visas
- Study visas
- Work permit visas
- Permanent resident cards
- Citizenship of Canada
- and refugees asylum
So, if you are planning on getting a tourist visa for Canada, then IRCC is likely to handle your application.
To Better Understanding the Canada Visitor Visas
Before I talk about all the specific visa requirements.
Or important documents you needed to apply for your Canada visit visa.
I wanted to give you a quick sense of what a Canada visit visa is for. And whether or if you need a visit visa to travel or stay in Canada?
Let's begin.
Do You Know?
The Types of Canadian Tourist Visas
In this section, I'll go through the two main types of Canadian visas, i.e.
- immigrants,
- and non-immigrants.
Immigrant visas allow any individual to enter, live, and work in Canada on a permanent basis.
While non-immigrant visas have time limits to enter, live, work, and stay in Canada.
Non-immigrant visas are sometimes also called temporary resident visas or TRV for short.
And because a visitor visa allows you to enter and stay in Canada only in a timely fashion.
It comes under the non-immigrant visas or TRV category.
A TRV category visa can be a single-entry visa or a multiple-entry visa.
With a single-entry tourist visa, the holder can enter Canada for one time only.
But the multiple-entry visa holder can enter/leave the country as many times as he wants for a specific time.
Who Needs a Canada Visitor Visa And Who Don't?
Now the question comes if you need a visa to travel to Canada?
Well, the simple answer is, yes.
Unless you are from a visa-exempt nation, you need a proper visa to come to Canada.
Have a look at the list to check whether or if you are among the visa-exempt foreign nationals.
A Complete Canada Visitor Visa Documents Checklist
The applicant must meet the following requirements to apply for a Canada visitor visa:
- Passport
- Itinerary
- Bank Statement
- Medical Examination
- Clean Criminal Record
- Family Information
- Invitation Letter (optional)
This is only a quick overview of the basic requirements. I'll go through each of them in detail in the coming sections.
Stick to that and you are going to become a visa agent.
Trust me. 😉
Required Documents Checklist
You must have these documents by your side before proceeding to the embassy for your visa.
Visa documentation is, for sure very important in the Canada visit visa process.
Based on this information a visa officer decides whether accept or reject your visa.
Now let's talk about in detail, all the important documents you need to have in your visa file for Canada.
1. Passport
No surprise, your passport is your identity document when you are traveling the world.
For that, you must have and provide the following when applying for a Canada visa:
- Valid passport.
- Two clear color copies of your passport.
Depending upon the embassy or the consulate general of Canada you are applying from:
- A color copy of your passport sometimes would be a copy of the whole passport. i.e. all the pages on your passport.
- Or it would be the first page (that shows your name, DOB, and nationality) and stamped pages only.
2. Photographs
You're gonna paste your passport-sized picture on the visa application form filled online.
The embassy may also ask you to fill out the additional forms that may require you to paste your photos on them.
It would be white background passport-sized photos.
So, it's better to have a set of each before applying for a Canada Tourist Visa.
3. Evidence of Financial Support
The account statement is one of the important documents that you have to present for a travel visa.
Not only for Canada but for any country's travel visa though.
And that is because it proves that you have enough bank balance to pay your travel expenses.
If by any chance you do not have a bank account, you can provide any of the following documents as your proof of funds:
- Employment letter.
- Affidavit of Support/ Sponsorship
- Property ownership documents
- Stock, Bond, Debenture, and other Equities
- Income/ Property tax returns
- Pension slips/ Retirement funds
4. NOC from Employer
You need to provide a NOC from your employer in case you are submitting a letter of employment as proof of funds.
NOC oftentimes also comes with a leave letter.
A leave letter shows the approval of your leaves that matches your travel dates.
And the No Objection Certificate is but the sanction of your absence from your employer.
5. Invitation Letter
Invitation letter serves as a proof of relationship.
If someone in Canada is sponsoring your visit then he/she would send you a formal invitation letter.
That letter is a certified document by a registered notary public in Canada.
It shows that your Canadian host takes all the responsibility for your stay in Canada.
And is going to bear all your travel or other expenses.
6. Cover Letter
A cover letter is a visa request letter to the Canadian embassy.
In the cover letter, you express your intentions of visiting Canada and make a visa request.
7. Itinerary
The itinerary is your scheduled traveling plan.
All the places (with the dates) you plan to visit, get in it.
For example:
December 27, 2023: Flight from Delhi to Toronto; Arrive in Toronto.
December 31, 2023 – January 02, 2024: Toronto
January 03, 2024: Travel from Toronto to Vancouver; Arrive in Vancouver.
January 03, 2024 – January 04, 2024: Vancouver.
January 05, 2024: Flight back to Delhi from Vancouver.
Your itinerary gives the visa officer a sense of what your stay in Canada is going to be like.
8. Visa Application Form
First, you are gonna fill out your visa application form online at the immigration site of Canada.
Then, you are gonna print that form, paste your photo on it, put your signature, add your thumb impressions, etc.
That visa application form will also go along with other documents in your visa file.
I'll go into detail on how to fill out your Canada visa application form online in the coming sections.
Be with me till the end.
How to Apply Visit Visa for Canada Step by Step?
There are 3 important steps and stages for you to get a Canada Visit Visa.
Let's get into it.
Step 1.
Fill up the online visit visa application form.
Download it, and attach other required or supporting documents with it.
Step 2.
Pay your visa fees and other dues.
Attach paid fee receipts and submit your application. You may be asked for the biometric upon submission.
Step 3.
Now sit back and relax.
It'll take anywhere from 1-3 weeks to process your visa request.
During this time you may also be asked to provide more information or documents.
If not, you're going to get your visa or otherwise once the verification of your provided info ends.
Visa Success Tips And Other FAQS
In this section, I'll be answering to all your quick questions that revolving into your mind right now.
And some tips, which, after knowing, you'd love to thank me.
Tada!
You're welcome. 😉
The regular visa application fee for Canada visitor visa is $100 CAD per person.
And the regular biometric fee for any type of Canada visa is $85 CAD per person.
Canada visa processing time varies from application to application and embassy to embassy.
But based on the general practices and observations, it can take anywhere from 2-3 weeks or less.
Or more sometimes.
Keep in mind, you can cut your visa processing time by presenting your case in a rightful manner.
Sure, yeah. I mean why not.
You can still visit and explore Canada if nobody in Canada invites you to pay 'em a visit.
An invitation letter is a different case scenario after all.
It actually suggests to the visa officer that you are a Canadian citizen's relative.
And is going to visit Canada on purpose. i.e. wedding, funeral, etc.
So should be dealt with on a priority basis.
You can say, an invitation letter is but an added supporting document that can make your case strong.
You can search for your job or work but you can't do any sorta job or work while you are still on your visit visa.
As soon as you find a job/work that suits your nature. You can switch your visa type and make your passport compliant.
In fact, chances are you'll find your dream job because of the ongoing labor shortage in the country.
IMAGE: Canada.ca
On an average the daily living expense for one person in Canada is about $40 CAD.
Add $20 CAD to that as local transport charges for moving around.
That means your daily food, room stay, and transport expenses in Canada would roughly be $60 CAD.
Keep in mind these are the rough estimates based on the info from the other travelers.
You can spend as little or as more as you desire.
You can renew your tourist visa for as long as you want up to 6 months.
After 6 months you must have to leave the country.
Still, if you wanna stay longer than that, you need to apply for an extension at least 30 days before your visa expiry.
After reviewing your request, your visa officer can grant you an extension.
Be creative in this quest, you can do that by establishing huge ties with your home country.
While there's no proven formula.
But as a general rule of thumb following are a few things that can prove your connection with your homeland:
- Well-maintained employment records.
- Stable bank statements.
- Tidy travel records. (passport with many travel stamps)
- Real estate or property ownership records.
- Business ownership records.
- A well-settled family records.
Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is for visa-exempt travelers entering Canada via air.
If you are a citizen of a country that does not need a visa to enter Canada, then you may need an eTA.
Head out to the IRCC website to find out your visa eligibility.
It's always a good idea to go online because paper methods are getting obsolete day by day.
Also because a visa application submitted online is more in your control. And so do you are more informed about its progress.
Now it's your turn — so bring it on
I hope this visa checklist will provide you much guidance.
I'd like to hear if you find it well informative?
Or if there's something missing? Some question that is coming in your mind after reading this guide?
Whatever it is, let me know below in the comments.
