While it is true that Canada annually attracts thousands of skilled immigrants on potentially permanent basis through its various immigration programs, it attracts an equally impressive number of foreigners on a temporary basis to plug the various short-term personnel gaps in its various industries, as students seeking an education at a reputed Canadian university, or just as tourists.
Types of Temporary Resident Visas
Temporary or short-term visas are generally of 3 types: study permits, temporary resident visas (also called visitor visas), and temporary work permits. It is imperative for you to understand the major differences between the ‘temporary resident visa’ and the ‘temporary work permit’. The first legally permits you to reside in Canada for a fixed, short-term duration (generally up to six months), the latter allows you to also take up a job during that time.
Through the temporary resident visa, you may only take up short-term educational courses that are shorter than the total duration of your visa, only if you had mentioned the same in your visa application form. Temporary resident visas restrict you from applying for long-term educational courses and for that purpose you should ideally look to apply for a study permit and a study visa.
Temporary visas only guarantee the legal permission to live in Canada for a brief duration and you cannot apply for a Canadian citizenship during this pre-determined period. You are also not entitled to receiving governmental perks such as the country’s universal healthcare scheme. Additionally, you must also convince the authorities that you intend to return to your native country upon the expiry of your visa.
Canada offers the following types of Temporary Resident Visas to foreign applicants:
- Single Entry Visa: This visa is only valid for a single entry into the country by a foreign national.
- Multiple Entry Visa: This type of temporary resident visa gives a foreign national the freedom to enter the country on multiple occasions via any port of entry in the country, throughout the duration of their visa.
- Transit Visa: This type of visa allows foreign nationals to pass through Canada on a business or leisure trip wherein their final destination falls outside Canadian territories but their route requires them to travel through the country. It only entitles foreign nationals to travel through Canada for a period of two days.
There are other categories of Temporary Resident Visas which are purpose-specific, such as;
- Super Visa: It is a category of visa dedicated to the parents and grandparents of Canadian permanent residents or Canadian citizens, which entitles them to visit their children/grandchildren for a continuous period of 24 months if necessary.
- Diplomatic Visa: This category of visa is designed for foreign diplomats wishing to travel to Canada for diplomatic or official purposes.
- Business Persons Visa: This type of visa aims at catering to the needs of business professionals visiting Canada for the purpose of holding meetings, attending conferences or for formalizing business deals.
There are other purpose-specific visa types too such as the Courtesy Visa, Intending Organ Donors’ Visa, and Facilitation Visa. Get in touch with us to find the right temporary residency visa for you.
There are a few specific criteria one must satisfy in order to be eligible to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa:
- Possess a legally issued valid passport.
- Convince the authorities of a clean criminal record and submit documents required to prove it.
- Possess adequate funds to cover the financial expenses during your stay in the country.
- Be prepared to appear for a visa interview, if necessary.
- Submit visa-related documents along with the visa application fees.
In addition to the aforementioned criteria, there are other visa specific requirements, about which you can easily find out more, by simply contacting us.
Foreign nationals who can enter Canada without a Temporary Resident Visa:
- Citizens of specified countries (get in touch with us to receive the latest list).
- English nationals and citizens of British-dependent regions of the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, Bermuda, Anguilla, Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands.
- Permanent residents of the United States
- Persons in possession of passports issued by Vatican City’s Holy See.
Please note that certain international visitors who seek to stay in Canada for a period of more than six weeks, and have resided in specific countries or regions of the world in the year preceding the date of their arrival into Canada, may have to undergo medical examination(s) if they wish to secure a Temporary Resident Visa.
If you have any queries or would like to know more about any of the visa types, get in touch with us at our Kurzfeld Immigration Law Firm.
