Canadian Visas ( Visa & Immigration)
Visa to Canada: Types of Visas Available
Are you thinking of applying for a visa to Canada? Canada’s natural beauty, diversity and cosmopolitan appeal make it a desirable place to live, work, study, or settle down and raise a family. The type of visa you need will depend on whether you’re planning to immigrate to the country or go there temporarily. If you plan to visit or transit Canada and are from a country whose citizens need visas, you must apply for a Temporary Resident Visa to Canada, also known as a visitor’s visa.
Other types of temporary resident visas include the medical visa, temporary work permit and the student visa. If you want to settle permanently in Canada, you must obtain a permanent resident visa.
To be eligible for a Temporary Resident Visa to Canada, you must:
•Have enough money for your stay
•Be in good health
•Have a valid travel document (i.e., passport)
•Have ties, such as a job or family, that will take you back to your home country
•Satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit
Even if you are exempt from getting a Temporary Resident Visa to Canada, you still have to satisfy the basic requirements listed above.
Student Visa to Canada
More than 130,000 foreign students come to Canada each year to study. In order to apply for a study permit, you must have been accepted to a recognized school, college, or university in Canada. You also have to prove that you have enough money to cover your tuition, living expenses, and return transportation. In addition, you must satisfy an immigration officer that you’ll leave Canada once you complete your studies, as well as prove that you’re in good health and that you have no criminal record.
Work Visa to Canada
People in certain professions, such as emergency service providers and athletes, do not need a work permit to work temporarily in Canada, as long as they are from countries that are exempt from visas. To apply for a work permit outside of Canada, you need to prove that you have been offered a job by a Canadian employer, meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and get written confirmation from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that the employer is allowed to hire a foreign worker to fill the job.
Permanent Residence Visa to Canada
If you want to immigrate to Canada, you must apply for a Permanent Residence Visa. There are several different ways to get one. The following are different categories of Permanent Residence Visas:
Skilled workers and professionals. Selected as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, and other criteria that would help them become economically established in Canada.
Quebec-selected skilled workers. People selected by the Quebec government to live and work in Quebec.
Canadian Experience Class and Quebec Experience Class.For people who have recent Canadian or Quebec work experience or have recently graduated from a school and worked in Canada.
Investors, entrepreneurs, and self-employed people. For experienced businesspeople who want to own a business in Canada or invest in a fund approved by the Canadian government.
Provincial nominees.For applicants who are nominated by a Canadian province or territory based on their skills, education, and work experience.
Sponsored family member.The spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, dependent children, or other eligible relatives of Canadian citizens
Eligibility requirements and application procedures vary depending on the visa category under which you apply
- Do I need a visa or work permit?
- How do I get a visa?
- How do I apply for permanent residency?
- Business, Careers and Job Products here
Do I need a visa or work permit?
If you are a national of the European Union (EU) plus Norway and Iceland – you have not the right to live and work in Canada without restriction and without a work permit.
If you are an EU national, you will not need a visa for Canada (but Bulgarian, Romanianand now Czech citizens should confirm this with the nearest Canadian embassy). Check our post using the search box.
EEA nationals have up to three months from their arrival in Canada to apply for an Canadian residence permit. Check with the Canadian Embassy or Canada Immigration for more details including information on what documentation is needed in order to get a permit or get the appropiate free empty forms in our site.
