TEMPORARY RESIDENTS: VISITORS
Canada is a beautiful country, and it welcomes thousands of visitors each year who are here with a restricted length of stay.
Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)
A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is often referred to as a visitor visa. A Canadian visa office will issue the document to an individual who has met the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident. There is no in-person interview for visitors, workers, or students to obtain a TRV. Visa officers (also referred as IRCC officers and immigration officers) examine the documents submitted by applicants for a TRV to determine if the visa will be granted or denied. The visa officer’s final decision hinges entirely on their review of the very large number of documents and the amount of information required from the applicant. Following a favourable decision, the visa stamp , a specially designed foil, is placed on the applicant’s passport. Visa holders who enter Canada under this category are generally considered visitors.
The Major Requirements for a Temporary Resident Visa
An applicant for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) must:
- Apply for the visa and attach the required documents, including a valid copy of a government-issued passport.
- The applicant must state the purpose and duration of their trip to Canada.
- Document with their police record that they are not inadmissible to Canada.
- Demonstration that they have proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay in Canada.
- Provide biometric information at a designated location.
- A medical exam is a requirement for applicants who wish to stay for more than six months. A medical exam is required if the stay is fewer than six months and the applicant intends to work in health care and child-care settings or where the protection of public health is crucial
- The applicant’s submission must convince the visa officer that they intend to leave Canada at the end of their authorization to stay. The officer will scrutinize the applicant’s ties to their home country to determine the likelihood of their returning home after their visit.
- Applicants must answer truthfully all questions put to them on the forms, in the supporting documents they submit, and/or during an interview by a visa officer.
Though IRCC encourages online applications, hard copies can be submitted to the Visa Application Centre (VAC) serving the country where they are currently legally residing. Online applications are usually forwarded to the VAC in the country where the applicant is living at the time of their application.
A visa processing officer will issue a temporary resident visa (TRV) in a person’s passport if they are satisfied that an applicant from a visa-required country has fulfilled the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident. If the applicant fulfills the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident, their visa will be issued by a visa officer.
Main Reasons for a TRV Refusal
A Canadian visa officer will deny applications for temporary residence if the applicant or those accompanying them have provable issues in any of the following areas:
- Security grounds
- Human or international rights violations
- Criminality— serious criminality punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years or criminality by committing an offence punishable by indictment or of two offences not arising out of a single occurrence
- Organized criminality— being a member of an organization engaged in criminal activity or engaging in transnational crimes, e.g., people smuggling, trafficking in persons, etc.
- Health grounds
- Financial reasons— unable to support oneself and dependents
- Misrepresentation— directly or indirectly misrepresenting or withholding material facts.
- Noncompliance with Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) through an act or omission
- Grounds of an inadmissible family member
How We Can Help with Your Temporary Resident Visa Application
Elboniel Immigration Consultants can assist with all aspects of your Temporary Resident Visa application. Our team is familiar with the required IRCC forms and supporting documents, and those areas visa officers may explore further with applicants. We can assist your host in generating a letter of invitation that indicates good faith, and we will guide you in confirming that you have a genuine purpose for your visit. We will ensure that your application forms are complete and accurate before submitting them to the IRCC and communicate with them on your behalf during the processing period.
We Can Help if You Were Refused a TRV
A letter of refusal can represent a frustrating setback in your future. Unfortunately, the rejection letter does not explain in detail why the IRCC officer denied your visa application. In addition to getting a letter of refusal, a border officer at any Canadian Port of Entry may refuse to admit a visitor to Canada. Anyone who was denied a visa may re-apply; we can assist you in submitting new information to the IRCC. In addition, by obtaining access to the notes the visa officer made during the review of your application, we will be better able to provide the IRCC with a robust, detailed, and convincing argument to support your new application.
Visitors include individuals who enter Canada for:
- Tourism— a vacation to visit friends and Canada’s vibrant cities, national parks, historical or archeological sites, etc.
- Family visits— to visit family members
- Attend conferences or workshops— business, academic, etc.
- Business events— meetings, business opportunities, etc.
- Obtain medical treatment— seek medical services unavailable in their homeland
BUSINESS VISITOR VISA
Canada is among the world’s preferred destinations for business investment and welcomes people wishing to conduct business. You may enter Canada as a temporary resident to explore its diverse opportunities.
A business visitor is one who enters temporarily to pursue international business activities in Canada without directly entering the Canadian labour market. These individuals include those who come to purchase, meet with prospective or existing suppliers and receive training for Canadian goods or services to increase their overseas business presence. Usually, business visitors must not engage in selling to the general public in Canada.
Some Canadian companies have subsidiaries overseas or may be a subsidiary of an international corporation with its head office elsewhere. Personnel travelling to Canada to train others or receive training in the Canadian company (parent or subsidiary) are considered business visitors. Those wishing to enter Canada to represent their company or government to explore or finalize business opportunities will also be categorized as business visitors. You should seek a business visitor visa if you plan to visit Canada for any of the above business activities.
Alternatively, a Canadian business may invite you to explore joint business opportunities that may involve international sales or training for your overseas employees etc.
Although business visitors are not entering Canada to join the labour market, they may be doing so under a free trade agreement. If a Canadian business has purchased or leased equipment from a non-Canadian company, an individual(s) from that company may visit Canada to train the Canadian purchaser’s personnel in the use of that equipment.
Business visitors must meet the requirements of applying for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) and prove they do not intend to enter the Canadian labour market. An applicant must also verify the authenticity of the information they provide, indicate their source of income, and provide financial details of their non-Canadian businesses.
Note: In specific instances, business visitors are permitted by immigration laws to engage in certain business activities in Canada without a work permit. See the link below to learn more about business activities without a work permit.