Home Visas and Immigration TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISA General Information

General Information

Persons who are not citizens of Canada or permanent residents of Canada may require a visa before visiting Canada. However, citizens of many countries do not require visas. Please consult the list of countries whose citizens require visas to visit Canada.

A person who requires a visa to visit Canada will also require a visa to transit through Canada en route to another country. This type of visa may NOT be used by persons who wish to visit Canada as a tourist.  For a Transit Visa to be issued, immediate onward travel to another country must be demonstrated.  There is no fee for a Canadian Transit Visa.

Persons who require Temporary Resident Visas may apply in person at the Immigration Section. Applications received before 10:30 a.m. will usually be processed on the same day unless the person's country of nationality or residence is listed below under "Longer Waiting Periods". Applications may also be submitted by mail. Mail-in applications will usually be processed within 10 working days of receipt, excluding mailing time.  Please allow additional time for "Statutory Holidays" period.

Applicants may require an interview before a decision is made regarding their application. These applicants MUST appear in person at our offices. 

All applicants for Temporary Resident visas must demonstrate that they are bonafide visitors to Canada. They must show that they have the means to support themselves during their visit, and to leave Canada at the end of their visit. Temporary Resident Visa applicants must clearly demonstrate ties to their country of residence sufficient to satisfy the visa officer that they intend to return there. The burden of proof rests with the applicant. Applicants who cannot satisy these requirements will be refused.

The daily number of applicants cannot be predicted and therefore, dependent children under 18 years of age, who are included on the application for Temporary Resident Visa, are not required for interview. Regrettably, they will not normally be admitted to the visa office waiting room. Kindly do not bring your children to the Consulate.

COUNTRIES THAT MAY REQUIRE LONGER PROCESSING TIMES (5 to 15 working days):

Citizens of Afghanistan, Albania,  Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Chile, China (PRC), Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cuba,  El Salvador,  Eritrea,  Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,  Lebanon, Libya,  Macedonia, Moldova, Nigeria,  North Korea, Palestine Authority, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Tadjikistan, Taiwan,  Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Yugoslavia may be subject to a waiting period of up to 15 working days. Please provide a complete itinerary, including the cities you intend to visit, your means of travel, and the full names, addresses and telephone numbers of all persons or businesses you will contact in Canada, and curriculum vitae (c.v.) or resume including all post-secondary education and employment history.  Completion of additional questionnaires may be required.  

A. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

APPLICATIONS FOR A TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISA MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

• A completed application form (click here to access an application form). Please complete the fillable application form and print it for submission to our office. For ease and speed of processing, we ask that you do not complete the application form by hand.
  - If more than 3 dependants (spouse/children) are travelling to Canada, please complete a second application form to include the additional dependents.
• All applicants are required to complete the Supplementary Information Sheet (click here to access the Supplementary Information Sheet).
• If you are a citizen of the following countries, you MUST complete the attached questionnaire(s). They MUST be submitted with your application for a Temporary Resident Visa.
  • Afghanistan
    
  • Haiti
    
  • Iran, Iraq & all West Bank & Gaza Palestine, Lebanon, Syria
    
  • Rwanda
    
  • Somalia
    
  • Sudan
    
  • Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia (including Kosovo). 
• If you have ever done Military and/or Police Service, you MUST complete the attached questionnaire(s). They MUST be submitted with your application for a Temporary Resident Visa.
  • Details of Military Service
    
  • Details of Police Service

  For ease and speed of processing, we ask that you print clearly your answers using CAPITAL letters in each box. If a question does not apply to you, write N/A meaning "not applicable" in the space provided.

  .
• Two (2) identical passport photos taken within the last six (6) months (name and date of birth written on the back. No copies or scanned photos will be accepted). Click here for photo specifications.  
• The processing fee, of $75 CAD / $70 USD (single entry), or $150 CAD / $135 USD (multiple entry). 

Fees must be paid by Certified Cheque or Money Order.
Payments in Canadian Funds MUST be drawn on a Canadian bank, and made payable to "The Receiver--General for Canada"

Payments in United States Funds MUST be drawn on a US bank, and made payable to "Canadian Consulate--General, New York"

The fees that you pay for Immigration and Visa Services are Processing fees.

This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE!

ALL APPLICANTS MUST ENSURE THEY COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION SHEET AND ANY COUNTRY SPECIFIC QUESTIONNAIRE AS SPECIFIED IN THIS WEBSITE.

• A valid and subsisting passport. (We recommend a minimum of six months validity).  The passport MUST have at least ONE completely blank page other than the last page, and must have no marks or stamps on it.  A child who is included in a parents passport may only travel to Canada in the company of that parent.  A child who is included in a parents passport who intends to travel to Canada without that parent must obtain his or her own passport.

A CANADIAN TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISA CANNOT BE ISSUED BEYOND THE VALIDITY OF THE PASSPORT!

• Original I-94, and any additional or extended I-94s.
   
• ALL previous and current US immigration documents (e.g.forms I-94 / I-20 / I-797 / IAP66) held during current stay in the USA.
   
• Proof of funds available for the visit to Canada (i.e.: recent bank statements).  Credit Cards will NOT be accepted as evidence of money for the trip to Canada.

B. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

APPLICATIONS FOR TEMPORARY RESIDENT VISAS MAY REQUIRE SOME OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:

• Tourists or business visitors in the United States (B1/B2), must present proof of ties to their country of habitual residence. Applicants should present proof of return travel, proof of employment, or proof of studies in their home country sufficient to satisfy a visa officer that they intend to leave Canada at the end of their authorized visit.
   
• Applicants for Transit Visas must present a copy of their ticket and their confirmed bookings for each flight.
   
• Persons travelling on behalf of their employer, should include a letter from their employer identifying the purpose and duration of the visit to Canada, and the activities which will be performed in Canada.
   
• Students with F1 or M1 status in the United States, must present a valid I-20 form, and should present any previous I-20 forms. Dependants of students on F2 or M2 status, must submit the principal family members I-20s.  ALL valid I-20 forms MUST have the back page endorsed for the current school year by the educational institution.
   
• Students on F1 or M1 status and now undertaking practical training should submit their approval of employment authorization document, in addition to I-20s as well as a letter from their employer or pay stubs for the past 3 months.
   
• Exchange visitors on J1 status, should submit your IAP-66 forms.
   
• Persons who have changed their status within the United States (for example, from F1 student status to H1B temporary worker status), and who are seeking to obtain the United States non-immigrant visa appropriate to their new status from a United States consulate in Canada,  must arrange for an appointment with that consulate in advance and present that appointment letter with their application for a Canadian Temporary Resident Visa. 

[Please note: If you have ever been out of status in the United States for any period of time, and you intend to return to the United States from Canada, your Temporary Resident Visa application will be refused. It is unlikely that the United States would allow a person who has been out of status to re-enter the United States, except with a visa issued in that persons country of nationality. For further information, contact the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States Government.]

• Persons being sponsored for permanent residence to the United States, who are pending a change of status, must present an advance parole letter to guarantee their re-admission to the United States.  Evidence of employment in the USA as well as proof of funds available for the trip to Canada must also be submitted.
   
• Applicants with BLUE US Refugee Travel Documents must provide proof of their employment, bank statements for the past 3 months or if they are a student, documentation demonstrating that they are currently registered at a U.S. University for the present or upcoming school year.

  If you enter Canada on a single entry visa, you may --- during the validity of your Temporary Resident status --- leave Canada to visit the United States or St. Pierre and Miguelon and return to Canada without obtaining a new visa. Please be aware that both your Canadian and American visitor entry stamps MUST be valid and subsisting and have at least a few weeks remaining. Admission at the port of entry is usually valid for a period of six months, unless otherwise modified by an Immigration Officer at the Port of Entry.

Documents will be retained while the application is in process. Original documents will be returned with the passport when processing the application has been completed.

Applications submitted by mail, should include a prepaid, self-addressed return envelope (we suggest U.S. Postal Express/Priority).  If such an envelope is not included, your documents will be returned by certified mail.  Note that certified mail adds a minimum of 7 working days to the return mailing time.

Persons currently residing in Canada on a Study or Work Permit, who are applying for a new Temporary Resident Visa, MUST NOT submit a return mail envelope.  We are only able to return passports and documents to Canadian addresses by REGISTERED MAIL.

Please note we will not return your documents using ANY courier services (UPS, FedEx, DHL).

The Immigration Section offers services in the two official languages of Canada, English and French. Persons who cannot communicate in English or French, must have a competent interpreter present during their interview. It is up to the visa officer to determine if there is a communication problem and to reschedule the interview for a later date.