Canada has two entirely separate entry documents for short visits, and which one applies to you can even depend on whether you fly or drive. Working it out takes five minutes and prevents a wasted application.
The two documents
A visitor visa, formally a temporary resident visa, is a counterfoil placed in your passport after a full application with biometrics and supporting documents. An Electronic Travel Authorisation is an online authorisation linked to your passport, applied for in minutes, available only to nationals of visa-exempt countries.
Nationals of visa-required countries need a visitor visa. Nationals of visa-exempt countries generally need an eTA when arriving by air, and typically need neither document when arriving by land or sea, though they still need to satisfy the officer at the border.
That mode-of-arrival distinction surprises people. A visa-exempt national driving across from the United States does not need an eTA. The same person flying into Toronto does. If your plans involve both, get the eTA.
The exception that saves people money
Certain visa-required nationals may be eligible for an eTA instead of a visa when flying to Canada, provided they hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa, or have held a Canadian temporary resident visa within a defined recent period. This is a specific, limited provision and the criteria must be met exactly.
If you qualify, it is a substantial saving in time and paperwork. If you do not, applying for an eTA on the assumption that you do results in a refused authorisation and a delay, and you then still have to make the visa application.
Check the criteria on the official immigration website against your own documents. The relevant questions are your nationality, whether you hold a currently valid US visa of the right type, and whether you are travelling by air. All three have to align.
- Visa-required nationality means a visitor visa unless a specific exemption applies
- Visa-exempt nationality plus air travel means an eTA
- Visa-exempt nationality arriving by land or sea usually needs neither document
- Some visa-required nationals with a valid US visa can use an eTA when flying
What a visitor visa application involves
You apply online, pay the fees published by the authority, and in most cases attend a biometrics appointment at a designated collection point after receiving an instruction letter. Biometrics are generally valid for a period of years, so if you have provided them recently for a Canadian application you may not need to repeat them.
Supporting documents typically include your passport, photographs meeting the specification, proof of funds, a purpose-of-travel explanation, evidence of ties to your home country, and any invitation or host documents. A family information form is required and needs completing carefully for each family member.
Applications are decided at visa offices without an interview in the great majority of cases. That makes the written file unusually important, because there is no opportunity to explain anything verbally. A clear covering explanation of your circumstances is more valuable here than in interview-based systems.
Duration, conditions and the document you get at the border
A visitor visa can be issued as single or multiple entry, with multiple entry common, and validity can extend for several years or until the passport expires. The visa lets you seek entry. The officer at the port of entry decides how long you may stay, which is usually up to six months.
If you want confirmation of your permitted stay in writing, ask for a visitor record at the border. Without one, the default period applies and the date is not stamped in every case, which makes it easy to lose track. Ask.
Extensions are applied for from within Canada before your status expires, through a separate application. Applying before expiry preserves your status while the application is decided. Applying after expiry puts you in a much weaker position and requires a restoration application within a limited window.
Common problems
The most common issue we see is an incomplete family information form, which stalls applications routinely. The second is proof of funds assembled too recently. The third is a purpose of travel described so briefly that the officer has nothing to assess.
Applying for an eTA through a commercial website is another recurring problem. The official application is made on the Government of Canada site for the published fee, and third-party sites add a substantial charge for the same submission while sometimes making errors in the process.
Alif Visa assists with both routes, including biometrics scheduling and document preparation, and we will confirm which document your circumstances require before you pay for anything. We are a private assistance service and have no role in the decision, which rests with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with the border officer on arrival.
Alif Visa is a private visa assistance service. We are not a government department, embassy or visa application centre, and decisions are made solely by the issuing authority. Rules and fees change without notice, so confirm the requirements that apply to your circumstances before you travel.