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Visitor Visa

Visitor visas for workers and students: As a temporary measure, if you’re in Canada and applying to work, study or stay temporarily in Canada, you do not need to give your biometrics.

Please note a work permit or study permit is not a visa. You are not automatically issued a visitor visa if you extend your work or study permit. If you need a new visitor visa, you may need to submit a separate application.

A visitor visa (also called a temporary resident visa) is an official document that is stuck in your passport by visa authorities. It shows that you meet the requirements needed to enter Canada.

Most travellers need a visitor visa to travel to Canada. You may also need one if you’re transiting through a Canadian airport on your way to your final destination.

You can apply for a visitor visa online or on paper.

How long you can stay

Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months in Canada.

Extend your stay in Canada: Visitor Record

If you want to extend your stay in Canada as a visitor (stay in Canada longer), you need to apply for a visitor record. A visitor record is not a visa. A visitor record

• is a document that gives you status as a visitor in Canada and allows you to stay longer
• includes a new expiry date
  • that’s the new date that you must leave Canada by

A visitor record is a document that continues to give you status as a visitor in Canada and allows you to stay longer. It doesn’t guarantee that you can leave and then re-enter Canada.

When to apply for a visitor record

You must apply for a visitor record before your current status expires. If you are not sure when your status expires, find out; .

How long you can stay in Canada.

Most visitors can stay in Canada for up to 6 months.

If your passport was stamped when you entered Canada, you need to leave by the date stamped in your passport. If you received a visitor record, you need to leave Canada by the expiry date listed on the visitor record.

If your passport wasn’t stamped and you used a primary inspection kiosk, you can only stay in Canada

• for up to 6 months from the day you initially entered the country, or
• until your passport expires, whichever comes first.

Who can apply for a visitor record?

A visitor record is for people who want to

• extend their stay in Canada as a visitor, or
• change their permit type from
  • a study permit to a visitor record
  • a work permit to a visitor record

It doesn’t matter on what visa you entered Canada, if you want to extend your stay in Canada as a visitor, you need a visitor record.

When to apply

If you want to extend your stay as a visitor or change your status (from international student or worker to visitor for example), you should apply at least 30 days before your current status expires.

The expiry date for your status is on

• the stamp in your passport (this is NOT the date included on your visitor visa)
  • if you don’t have a stamp in your passport, the expiry date is 6 months from the day you entered Canada
• your study permit
• your work permit or
• your visitor record (if you’ve already extended your stay)