Canada is a highly developed country which attracts a lot of people who want to visit it. They either want to go sightseeing as tourists, visit family or friends, or even study and work there. To be able to do that, many of these people need to get Canada Visas. There are two major categories of Canada visas depending on the time that you plan to stay:
- Temporary Canada Visas for short-term stays
- Permanent Canada Visas for long-term stays
This article will go through the relevant information on Temporary Canada Visas and their details.
What is a Temporary Canada Visa?
The Temporary Visa for Canada is a stamp on the applicant’s passport that allows them to try and enter the country for a short period of time, usually 6 months or less. When you apply for a Temporary Canadian Visa, you obtain what is called a Temporary Residence for Canada.
The Temporary Visas allow the holder to enter Canada and complete their purpose of stay. After the time that they have planned to stay in the country is over, they must return to their home country. The Temporary Visas do not allow the holder to overstay illegally without going through the necessary procedures of changing status to a Permanent Canada Visa.
The Temporary Visas can be given for only the period that the applicant is planning to stay or longer. If the Canadian Consulate believes that you have a strong case and that you will not break the visa rules, they might give you a visa with a very long validity, usually until your passport expires. However, even though you have the visa for such a long time, you are only allowed to stay for 6 months at a time and then return to your home country.
What are the Temporary Canada Visa Types?
There are different types of Temporary Visas for Canada, but in general they are divided into 5 groups:
Temporary Resident Visas
The Temporary Resident Visas for Canada are given to tourists, those who have family in Canada, as well as business people and others.
Canada Study Visa
A student visa for Canada is given to those who have an admission from a Canadian university to complete their studies. If you are going to Canada to study for less than 6 months, then you can only get a general visa, but for more than 6 months of studies, you will need a Student Visa.
Canada Temporary Worker Visas
Temporary Foreign Worker visas are given to those people who have a job offer in Canada and will work for up to 6 months. To get this visa, the person must present a valid job offer letter from an employer and qualify for a temporary visa.
Temporary Residence Permit
This permit is for people who need to go to Canada for different purposes but are otherwise not admissible for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). This permit is issued only for the length of time that the person needs to be in Canada, for example 2 weeks for a workshop.
eTA
The Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is issued to those people from countries that have a good relationship with Canada and do not need to apply for a visa. The eTA allows these people to apply quickly and enter Canada without going through too many procedures.
What are the Temporary Canada Visa Requirements?
To be able to get one of the Temporary Canada Visas, the applicant must fulfill some requirements. The standard Canada Visa requirements must be fulfilled by anyone, no matter the type of temporary visa that you are applying for. The requirements for the Temporary Canada Visas are as follows:
- You must have at least one blank page in your passport other than the last page.
- If your documents are in another language other than English or French, you must have them translated and verified.
- Two (2) photos that meet the Canada Photo Requirements.
- You must fill and sign a Visa Application Center (VAC) Consent Form.
- You must fill and sign Form IMM 5707, Family Information Form where you will list your family members, their dates of birth, and occupations, as well as whether they have been to Canada before.
- Photocopies of your current immigration status in Canada or another country.
- Bank statements or other financial document to prove you can afford to stay in Canada.
Besides these requirements, the visa specific requirements are then different for any time of Temporary Canada Visa that you apply for.
Despite the type of Canadian temporary visa you are applying for, you must fulfill all the requirements, otherwise you will either be asked to submit additional proof from the Canadian Consulate or they will reject your visa application.
How to Apply for a Temporary Canada Visa?
Each of the types of Temporary Canada Visas have a similar way of applying, but there are a few differences. Nevertheless, the standard process to apply for any of the Temporary Canada visas is as follows:
- Find out if you are eligible for a Temporary Canada Visa.
- Start and complete the application by filling out all the necessary forms and paying the fees.
- If during processing, the Canadian Consulate requires an interview or your biometrics, you must make an appointment to attend them.
- Complete the interview by answering the questions truthfully and to the best of your abilities so as to not raise any suspicions from the interviewer that you will break the visa rules.
- Your biometrics will include your fingerprints and picture, which you can give at the time of your interview.
- Wait for the Consulate to process your Canadian temporary application, which will take from 2 weeks and up to 1 or 2 months.
- Check your account frequently to see whether there are any updates. If you were approved for the visa, you will see the notification there.
- If your temporary visa for Canada was approved, mail your passport and processing fees to the Consulate according to their instructions.
- Wait for the passport to be processed and the visa to be stamped on it. The Consulate will mail your passport back to you with your pre-paid return envelope that you must include when you send in your passport to them.